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3.81 AVERAGE
3.81 AVERAGE
Simply an amazing character portrait, written with great wit and intelligence.
It is fashionable to say that Pnin is your favorite book and not the popular Lolita. I have not read Lolita, but I love this book and hence I am more than fashionable.
The story of a maladjusted Russian immigrant professor Pnin in a new England college is not a happy one, but it is not sad either. Nabakov is the master of the scene, going in great detail describing trees, leaves wind etc, but I never got bored by it. I was relishing each detail and still the story was moving along.
The main character professor Pnin has no charming qualities whatsover, but Nabakov makes him look so gracious that I ended up loving Pnin.
A favorite.
The story of a maladjusted Russian immigrant professor Pnin in a new England college is not a happy one, but it is not sad either. Nabakov is the master of the scene, going in great detail describing trees, leaves wind etc, but I never got bored by it. I was relishing each detail and still the story was moving along.
The main character professor Pnin has no charming qualities whatsover, but Nabakov makes him look so gracious that I ended up loving Pnin.
A favorite.
emotional
funny
inspiring
lighthearted
reflective
relaxing
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
funny
reflective
sad
medium-paced
dark
funny
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Not as tightly plotted as Lolita or as ingenious as Pale Fire, but still very moving. Kind of a tragicomedy. The details of a low-paid assistant professor living in rented rooms while eking out a living are spot on.
The unseen falsehood and mystery surrounding this novel is indeed convincing of a true creepy narrator? In fact there are things in this novel which seem to make no sense whatsoever, but coexisting in a conscious sense which align with Pnin’s world. The ending gives you hope that Pnin will find a better dream, but I think not. Nabokov writes rich, and beautiful, this novel made me laugh, and filled me with questions on whether I understood what he tried to write. The academic setting and the adoration for Anna Karenina adds a characteristic element of class and academic criticism of love from the author’s own favourite. A short novela of ever enthralling treats and poetry.
lighthearted
relaxing
sad
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
adventurous
funny
inspiring
reflective
relaxing
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes