Reviews tagging 'Gaslighting'

Lolita by Vladimir Nabokov

105 reviews

liathibault's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional fast-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

3.75

completely and absolutely horrifying to read, yet a work of literary genius. if you’re uncomfortable reading this, you should be.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Stalking, Adult/minor relationship, Incest, Pregnancy, Child abuse, Pedophilia, Emotional abuse, Sexual assault, Gaslighting, and Death of parent

frmeden's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional mysterious sad tense medium-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? Yes

4.0

"In the infinite run it does not matter a jot that a North American girl child named Dolores Haze had been deprived of her childhood by a maniac, unless this can be proven."

it is so hard to put into words the way this novel affected me, other than we've done a great disservice to it by peddling it as a 'love story' for all these years. nabokov can say this story has no moral but the authorial intent reads very clear to me! i do almost feel like i could go back and read it again and catch new things because it kind of reads like a very overwritten horror/mystery novel, because HH is lying to you constantly and covering up his crimes with flowery prose. dolores haze you deserved better, who the fuck is "lolita" anyway!!!

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Incest, Stalking, Rape, Trafficking, Sexual assault, Gaslighting, Child abuse, Sexual violence, Pedophilia, and Emotional abuse

Moderate: Pregnancy, Racism, Racial slurs, Death of parent, and Gun violence

Minor: Child death

kazli's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional sad tense 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

4.25

god this book was heartbreaking. it follows a man named humbert humbert who falls in love with his step daughter, and you know it's wrong but because humbert is an unreliable narrator he makes you believe that he is actually in love with his 'lolita' when in reality she is just a child who wanted a normal life and a normal family.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death of parent, Racial slurs, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual harassment, Toxic relationship, Domestic abuse, Infidelity, Kidnapping, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Rape, Adult/minor relationship, Emotional abuse, Child abuse, Gaslighting, Incest, Pregnancy, and Sexual violence

jalyhn's review against another edition

dark emotional reflective sad medium-paced

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

5.0

I give this a high rating because it is written beautifully and an amazing book to annotate and analyze. I had so much fun picking apart everything Humbert did to find out what was >SPOILER<

an illusion or something he made up and what is real.  

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Suicidal thoughts, Toxic relationship, Sexual assault, Drug use, Gaslighting, Kidnapping, Rape, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Emotional abuse, Physical abuse, Confinement, Death of parent, Domestic abuse, Pedophilia, Sexual content, Car accident, Adult/minor relationship, and Child abuse

Moderate: Drug abuse, Child abuse, Suicidal thoughts, Death, Gaslighting, Sexual violence, Murder, Sexual assault, Rape, Domestic abuse, Death of parent, Toxic relationship, Kidnapping, Emotional abuse, Sexual content, Pedophilia, Adult/minor relationship, and Mental illness

Minor: Kidnapping, Gaslighting, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Rape, Domestic abuse, Adult/minor relationship, Child abuse, Drug abuse, Emotional abuse, Sexual assault, Murder, Death of parent, Sexual content, Sexual violence, and Suicidal thoughts

g1lg4mesh's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional mysterious reflective sad tense slow-paced

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

5.0

I find myself in a pickle of sorts in reviewing this book- I cannot in good faith blindly recommend it, and yet it is simultaneously the most incredible text I have ever engaged with. Lolita simply redefines the standard of the masterpiece, building not a glass ceiling (such tangibilities are beneath it), rather, casting the colloquial “bar” to the very heavens, where it may never be seen again. Only read this book if you are prepared to finish it- know too that this is no simple matter- but read this book, if you may be so bold. It will challenge you, and you may want to hurl it into a fire at times, but still, you simply must make it to that final page. This is a book that redefines the 5th star, and shakes any attempt at literary tier lists to its very core.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Confinement, Emotional abuse, Pedophilia, Sexual violence, Violence, Child abuse, Death, Incest, Misogyny, Sexual assault, Alcoholism, Gun violence, Death of parent, Murder, Physical abuse, Racism, Rape, Sexual harassment, Drug abuse, Drug use, Sexual content, Alcohol, Body shaming, Kidnapping, Racial slurs, Car accident, Gaslighting, Mental illness, Stalking, and Injury/Injury detail

sundragonheartt's review against another edition

very important book, will be reading the various discourses surrounding it, but I am not in a good enough mental state to handle such heavy subject matter right now.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child abuse, Adult/minor relationship, Kidnapping, Emotional abuse, Gaslighting, Sexual assault, Pedophilia, Sexual violence, and Violence

river69rat's review against another edition

challenging 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

4.25

Probably one of the hardest books to digest and then rate. Deeply disturbing, but a brilliant portrayal of the deluded mind of a disgusting man. Reading this after reading My Dark Vanessa last year creates an additional layer of almost being able to see Lolita's perspective. The amount of people who lack reading comprehension for this book to be commonly known as a romance is crazy to me also!! Anyway, fantastic book whilst also sitting in a deeply uncomfortable space.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Car accident, Death, Sexual violence, Kidnapping, Death of parent, Emotional abuse, Child abuse, Adult/minor relationship, Pedophilia, and Gaslighting

Moderate: Rape and Gun violence

hotteahippie's review against another edition

dark emotional mysterious sad tense slow-paced

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

3.75

One of those books that makes you question humanity. It was presented to me as a "timeless classic". That troubles me deeply... 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child abuse, Toxic relationship, Sexual content, Sexual assault, Sexual harassment, Pedophilia, Adult/minor relationship, Kidnapping, Sexual violence, Emotional abuse, Mental illness, Rape, and Gaslighting

adorablyandie's review against another edition

I made it to the scenes after HH assaults Dolores Haze and after months and months of picking  it up and putting it back down, I realized that my heart wasn't in finishing the book. I understand what the story is doing, and I realize that HH does suffer consequences for his actions, however I didn't need to witness that end. I reached my own personal limit with the book. There may be a chance in the future that I'll come back to it, but as of now, I'm good.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child abuse, Rape, Kidnapping, Murder, Sexual violence, Sexual assault, Stalking, Death of parent, Pedophilia, Gaslighting, and Emotional abuse

stindex's review against another edition

dark 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

2.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Emotional abuse, Stalking, Sexual harassment, Sexual content, Child abuse, Toxic relationship, Mental illness, Pedophilia, Incest, Adult/minor relationship, Gaslighting, and Misogyny