Reviews tagging 'Toxic relationship'

Lolita by Vladimir Nabokov

135 reviews

sarahlord0110's review against another edition

challenging dark sad slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Toxic relationship, Adult/minor relationship, Sexual assault, Rape, and Pedophilia

joanacanada's review against another edition

challenging tense slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

2.75

Boa escrita, mas história não me cativou - senti que a narrativa se alongou mais do que necessário, entrando em descrições excessivas e contando trechos em que nada se passava ou acrescentava. Também não ajudou (em termos de motivação para ler) a o tema abordado

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Pedophilia and Rape

Moderate: Toxic relationship and Adult/minor relationship

lesbegays's review

challenging dark slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

i have no idea how to rate this. it’s disturbing and disgusting and also so very human. i hated reading it but was also enthralled. 
i always have been and always will be drawn to stories about atrocities committed in the name of love, about evil done to loved ones not in spite of that love but because of it, about love that is twisted and selfish and incomplete but still very much love, about people who only know how to give love in ways that won’t feel like love to those who receive it. i think this is essential reading for anyone drawn to those themes in stories who can stomach this particular type of evil. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Gun violence, Incest, Murder, Pedophilia, Adult/minor relationship, Child abuse, Kidnapping, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Sexual harassment, Rape, Sexual assault, Toxic relationship, and Violence

Moderate: Gore, Drug use, Blood, Death of parent, Vomit, Alcohol, Alcoholism, Addiction, and Emotional abuse

Minor: Trafficking, Car accident, Pregnancy, and Racism

rosainthebooks's review against another edition

3.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Child abuse, Emotional abuse, Pedophilia, and Toxic relationship

Moderate: Death of parent, Drug use, and Incest

xahom's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional sad tense slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.25

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexual violence, Sexual content, Kidnapping, Incest, Emotional abuse, Sexual assault, Rape, Pedophilia, Adult/minor relationship, Child abuse, and Toxic relationship

Moderate: Death of parent, Murder, and Gun violence

Minor: Terminal illness, Alcoholism, Alcohol, Pregnancy, and Racism

jedore's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional tense slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.75

“You know, what’s so dreadful about dying is that you are completely on your own.”

Lolita is the story of obsession and pedophilia that was as revolting as I had expected. At best, it was uncomfortable to be inside the mind of a narcissistic pedophile…at worst, utterly disgusting.

Character development was limited to the highly unlikeable pedophile, Humbert Humbert, but was absolutely masterful. In fact, Humbert WAS the story as there was very little action. (It would be fascinating to read a book from Delores’/Lolita’s perspective.)

To add to my negative feelings about Humbert, I found his pompous vocabulary and frequent use of un-translated French irritating. It also created emotional distance between me and this book.

This was one of those books I read purely out of curiosity and a desire to be better educated. Over the years, it has been regularly referenced in books, movies, and even song lyrics and I was missing out on meanings. Now I get it. I am glad I read it…all knowledge is power, but I won’t miss Humbert one bit.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Abandonment, Kidnapping, Pedophilia, Sexual content, Stalking, Adult/minor relationship, Toxic relationship, and Misogyny

Moderate: Car accident

manybees's review against another edition

dark emotional funny reflective sad medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

Despite its reputation I found it more sad than disturbing. Dolly Haze is probably one of my favourite characters in all of literature. I’m gonna be thinking about this one for a while.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Domestic abuse, Pedophilia, Sexism, Sexual violence, Emotional abuse, Car accident, Death of parent, Gun violence, Sexual assault, Toxic relationship, Child death, Adult/minor relationship, Sexual harassment, Child abuse, Gaslighting, Kidnapping, Misogyny, Murder, Trafficking, and Incest

Moderate: Alcoholism, Pregnancy, Confinement, Classism, Grief, Medical content, Miscarriage, and Death

Minor: Biphobia, Body shaming, Suicidal thoughts, Sexual violence, Rape, Racism, Sexual assault, and Racial slurs

There is only one abuse scene that could be considered sexually explicit and it is written in such an abstracted and poetic way that it’s almost kinda hard to tell what’s going on. There is also period-typical racism and racial slurs.

ohyeah_karyn's review against another edition

dark sad slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

2.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Rape, Toxic relationship, Death, Adult/minor relationship, Death of parent, Incest, Kidnapping, Sexual violence, Trafficking, Alcohol, Child abuse, Pedophilia, Pregnancy, Sexual assault, Sexual content, and Emotional abuse

gabriella_'s review against another edition

challenging dark tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

This is literally one of the worst books I’ve ever read and the fact it’s well written makes me hate it more

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Abandonment, Trafficking, Stalking, Sexual harassment, Sexual violence, Kidnapping, Car accident, Confinement, Death, Death of parent, Toxic relationship, Sexual assault, Alcoholism, Child abuse, Self harm, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Pedophilia, Panic attacks/disorders, Infidelity, Body shaming, Sexism, Gaslighting, Incest, Mental illness, Grief, Sexual content, Rape, Pregnancy, Adult/minor relationship, and Emotional abuse

madelinequinne's review against another edition

challenging dark sad slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

This is the first classic i’ve ever read the whole way through, and I’m very glad I did after hearing praise and criticism about it for years and years. It’s beautifully horrific, filled with scenes that make your stomach turn and language akin to poetry. Nabakov succeeds with creating an unreliable narrator that you almost begin to sympathise with before remembering the horrors he acted on throughout the novel. 

I first heard about this book from the many references in the coquette community and within Lana Del Rey’s music, and I think the way it is portrayed within these things is very untrue to what the actual novel is about. This is a horror story, not a love story, and I’m grateful that I read this for myself so I could see how misunderstood and misrepresented this book is within these communities. I highly recommend people read this for themselves and take what people apart of ‘aesthetic’ communities say with a pinch of salt, because this is not the romance they make it out to be. it’s abuse, fullstop. 

Overall I think this is a very important novel and definitely deserving of its classic status.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child abuse, Murder, Pedophilia, Rape, Toxic relationship, Adult/minor relationship, and Sexual assault

Moderate: Death of parent and Car accident