Everyone knows how clever and witty Oscar Wilde is. This is the only work of his I've read, and he is quite clever. The book is a classic, and everyone knows the story. Wilde does exactly as you expect, takes the premise and delivers it quite nicely. But that said, I do think it is about 80 pages too long (not surprised his other works were plays, because this reads like one too), and there was nothing in the book that took it to the next level. On the other hand that may be because the story is already so famous (and no fault of the book). Overall, I had high expectations, which were mostly warmly met, but not an instant classic, in my opinion.