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misareadss's review against another edition
3.0
I struggled to finish this book, i’ll be so real , idk how people romanticise this , i felt heavily uncomfortable with the relationship between Humbert and Lolita and idk how one could argued he loved her in a pure romantic manner , it was all delusions of a very sick man and manipulation of a child !! anyways gonna go watch the film and see if it makes me understand the book more
xmegpx27's review against another edition
dark
emotional
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
lev00's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
sad
tense
fast-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
4.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Pedophilia
edgarallanfoe's review against another edition
3.0
I felt like I should clarify my thoughts here:
It probably did what it set out to do. The narrative voice was terribly clear, super unreliable, and made the whole thing that much more disturbing for it, so kudos. There would be passages that would’ve hit me as fairly profound and a little beautiful if they were written about, y’know, a person of consenting age. Prose was great, but it did take getting used to and dragged the flow a couple times. I didn’t go in expecting any sort of cathartic ending or satisfaction from HH’s eventual deterioration and death, and I didn’t get any. It simulates the kind of sentiment that’s left over from any traumatic event, where nobody is happy and lives remain permanently damaged. Credit for that, I think.
I’m content that I finally read it, but I don’t expect to read it again. There wasn’t ever a time in my reading where I could say that I Enjoyed™️ Lolita, but I was affected by it.
Pretty writing, disturbing subject matter, nobody wins.
I don’t speak French.
It probably did what it set out to do. The narrative voice was terribly clear, super unreliable, and made the whole thing that much more disturbing for it, so kudos. There would be passages that would’ve hit me as fairly profound and a little beautiful if they were written about, y’know, a person of consenting age. Prose was great, but it did take getting used to and dragged the flow a couple times. I didn’t go in expecting any sort of cathartic ending or satisfaction from HH’s eventual deterioration and death, and I didn’t get any. It simulates the kind of sentiment that’s left over from any traumatic event, where nobody is happy and lives remain permanently damaged. Credit for that, I think.
I’m content that I finally read it, but I don’t expect to read it again. There wasn’t ever a time in my reading where I could say that I Enjoyed™️ Lolita, but I was affected by it.
Pretty writing, disturbing subject matter, nobody wins.
I don’t speak French.
blueyorkie's review against another edition
4.0
In this sulfurous and scandalous novel, Vladimir Nabokov succeeds in "lulling" the reader's ethics to bring him to consider the point of view of a pedophile's story. He skillfully plays with words to make him an accomplice and tolerate the sordid fantasies of his main character.
It goes beyond the sole question of pedophilia and incest, tilting received ideas with intelligence and finesse to deliver a heartbreaking story full of contradictions.
Bold, shocking, and haunting, despite our disgusting aversion, Nabokov delivers us the diary of a pedophile by playing down the role of the victim and embellishing the most disastrous baseness of this intolerable inclination.
The enormous provocative load can confuse more than one; it is a disturbing reading which asks the reader to overcome his prejudices and give up his comfortable certainties on good and evil for a moment.
We admit the facets of the author's sophisticated, facetious, poetic, and erotic genius, who plays with first and third-person narration to confuse the reader and sometimes allow him to take a step back from the abject narrator.
Solar and lonely, this reading shines with a dark glow long after the last page turns.
It goes beyond the sole question of pedophilia and incest, tilting received ideas with intelligence and finesse to deliver a heartbreaking story full of contradictions.
Bold, shocking, and haunting, despite our disgusting aversion, Nabokov delivers us the diary of a pedophile by playing down the role of the victim and embellishing the most disastrous baseness of this intolerable inclination.
The enormous provocative load can confuse more than one; it is a disturbing reading which asks the reader to overcome his prejudices and give up his comfortable certainties on good and evil for a moment.
We admit the facets of the author's sophisticated, facetious, poetic, and erotic genius, who plays with first and third-person narration to confuse the reader and sometimes allow him to take a step back from the abject narrator.
Solar and lonely, this reading shines with a dark glow long after the last page turns.
arf88's review against another edition
4.0
The only complaint I had about this book is that Nabokov takes a very long time to say very little. But other than that, this was an amazing piece of literature, with some very beautiful prose.
idajoh's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
This was so much better than I expected it to be. I feel like I missed so much, that I definitely want to reread this
freiesjammern's review against another edition
dark
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Pedophilia, Sexual assault, Sexual harassment, Incest, and Rape
louisenb's review against another edition
challenging
dark
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? Yes
3.5
oceansky's review against another edition
2.0
I agree with Jen that this was a bit too pervy for me. I certainly appreciate Nabakov's writing, and his ability to create an interesting unreliable and often unsympathetic narrator. But I can't say I really enjoyed reading it all that much - it was basically too creepy. I suspect I'd have been better off reading it as part of a class or with Cliff's Notes or something that would have directed me to the elements of artistic genius a bit more. Ah well.