Reviews tagging 'Death of parent'

Lolita by Vladimir Nabokov

239 reviews

beepbuggy's review against another edition

dark 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

5.0

the book is sick and so is the main character but the writing and prose is so amazing it makes the reader think he might be normal but then you think about it and you know he isnt 😭😭 it’s actually so good tho

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Stalking, Toxic relationship, Incest, Physical abuse, Emotional abuse, Pedophilia, Death of parent, Adult/minor relationship, Gaslighting, Child abuse, Mental illness, Murder, Rape, and Sexual content

mme_carton's review against another edition

dark funny 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

4.0

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Chronic illness, Death, Sexual assault, Car accident, Mental illness, Sexual content, Child abuse, Alcohol, Alcoholism, Death of parent, Emotional abuse, Rape, Sexual harassment, Gaslighting, Gun violence, Incest, Pedophilia, Pregnancy, Domestic abuse, Kidnapping, Murder, Toxic relationship, Adult/minor relationship, and Blood

figwood's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional sad slow-paced

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

4.5

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Death of parent, Child abuse, Emotional abuse, Kidnapping, Incest, Pedophilia, and Rape

wisteriavenusta's review against another edition

challenging dark sad tense slow-paced

4.25

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Pedophilia, Death of parent, Emotional abuse, Child abuse, and Sexual harassment

archiveofrasa's review against another edition

dark 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? Yes

4.75

I physically cannot give this book 5 stars because the only things I enjoyed were the writing and the characterisation and I despise everything else, but I loved those two aspects so much it creates this incredibly uneven balance. I really want to preface though: if you think this book romanticises abuse, please see critiques on Colleen Hoover's work, I'm begging you. Please develop reading comprehension before picking this up.

I read this for reference because it was mentioned in My Dark Vanessa; Excavation and I explore grooming in one of my own works so this was practically a must-read. Such a fucking harrowing story. It took me forever to get through I needed help from an unabridged audiobook to read alongside it, but I have never highlighted a book this much in my reading journey this year. If I had a physical copy my highlights would make the pages bleed together. A 'love letter' to the English language, I've never heard anything more accurate. There were a lot of dated references that I wish I understood to further soak in the meanings behind some of the prose, but regardless, it didn't disturb the experience for me. 

Nabakov portrayed such an intensely punchable and run-overable man. I've heard rumours that the author was abused similarly by an uncle but I sincerely hope he wasn't. Humbert is so disgustingly well-crafted: a manipulative piece of shit who pathetically tries so hard to convince you (and ultimately himself) that he's just being seduced and he's just some helpless sod of a person who can't help but give in. He only cares about himself which is evident in the lack of understanding or acknowledgement of everyone around him. He does not care about Dolores at all (and this is very clear, e.g. when he realises he does not understand a thing about her mind or her personality outside of her body and her outbursts). Dolores (I will not call her Lolita) so distant as a character you ultimately realise who she is to him. 

Yes, [Dolores] said, this world was just one gag after another, if somebody wrote up her life nobody would ever believe it.—Part Two, Chapter 29.

I hate any regard to this as 'erotic' as there is nothing erotic about this – there aren't even any explicit scenes. Everything in this book is clear, realistic and terrifying. I would never properly recommend this to anyone who has experienced child SA, isn't prepared for this and/or who can't read about unlikable characters. You're not going to get a "pedophilia is bad" message from this book because this is the type of book you read because you already know pedophilia is bad.

I don't know why or how people misinterpreted this and I do believe it is alarming, but I guess that's what happens when you reveal the humanity of a disgusting person. I don't say this to suggest anything other than these types of men exist so easily our world. Hiding them away into a private corner from society and refusing to acknowledge them due to the "tabooness" of it is doing much more harm than good.

---

Content Warnings

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

Moderate: Death of parent and Death

Derogatory racial terms and casual ableism.

lesbegays's review against another edition

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. 

---

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

a_epistemological_crisis's review against another edition

challenging dark sad 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

4.5

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Kidnapping, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual harassment, Trafficking, Pedophilia, Adult/minor relationship, Bullying, Child abuse, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Death, Gaslighting, Murder, and Sexual violence

Moderate: Death of parent and Drug use

Minor: Incest

rosainthebooks's review against another edition

3.0

---

Content Warnings

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

Moderate: Death of parent, Drug use, and Incest

joaura's review against another edition

challenging dark tense slow-paced

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

2.75

Did not finish. Stopped reading at 63%.
 
Reading this book was not only higly triggering and disturbing, but felt so pointless in trying to analyse it on a higher level.

I read a plot summary for the last third I had left and I'm glad I did that instead of pushing through the remaining pages of this novel.

I understand why it's a classic.
But!
I don't understand how it's described to be dangerously decieving the reader into sympathizing with Humbert.

~

I don't want to add anything to my initial review explaining why I didn't finish this novel, even though I managed to read the remaining pages after cooling down a bit.

This book was a tough read, expecially for me as a survivor myself.
Please be careful reading this piece of work if you've had experiences regarding child sexual abuse yourself.

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Adult/minor relationship, Child abuse, Gaslighting, Incest, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Sexual harassment, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Sexual content, and Violence

Moderate: Death of parent, Medical content, Death, Fatphobia, Murder, Racial slurs, Kidnapping, Racism, and Cursing

Minor: Chronic illness, Pregnancy, Cancer, and Car accident

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

---

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