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3.81 AVERAGE
3.81 AVERAGE
I wasn't as crazy about this as I thought I'd be-- for me, maybe, the stakes were just too low? Really, it felt like a lot of very easy jokes, without a whole lot behind it. I get it that Nabokov is a particular kind of writer, and he is definitely that writer here.
I liked the last two chapters-- the dinner party, and what passes for Nabokov's confessions as the narrator-- but felt like the rest of the book wasn't really trying that hard to tell me anything that I didn't already know or couldn't have written myself.
Looking at my goodreads' friends reviews, I suspect this'll be an unpopular opinion, but there you have it:)
I liked the last two chapters-- the dinner party, and what passes for Nabokov's confessions as the narrator-- but felt like the rest of the book wasn't really trying that hard to tell me anything that I didn't already know or couldn't have written myself.
Looking at my goodreads' friends reviews, I suspect this'll be an unpopular opinion, but there you have it:)
relaxing
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
A meander through the life of a character whose mind is elsewhere.
emotional
funny
lighthearted
reflective
relaxing
sad
Manages to be funny and sad while never losing hold of its lightheartedness, which itself is derived from Pnin's own meanderings even as they are rooted in historical necessity. The way he gives up his career, his whole life and deeply-loved little house, because he does not want to feel beholden to anyone who knew him from before 1917 - because that world and his parents and those memories are, presumably, for him and not to be shared with even the most sympathetic of onlookers - is brutal but beautiful.
Nabokov as usual: funny, detailed, painterly. Sometimes his writing can feel academic, and his characters cute-- I think this is one of the ways he likes to remind us that they are characters. He's still the best, but I think he could have done more with this one. Were I not comparing it to his other novels, it would probably score higher.
One of the lesser-known masterpieces from the great Nabokov...
This book tells the tragi-comic story of Timofey Pnin, who has emigrated from Russia after the Revolution in 1917 and after a brief stroll through various places in Europe, has found himself in the United States. From this perspective, it resembles Nabokov's own life story quite well.
However, Pnin looks nothing like Nabokov himself. He can find himself in awkward situations - just read his train voyage to the Cremona Women's Club- his mastery of the English language is doubtful (unlike Nabokov, who is one the best users of the English language) and he becomes the subject of ridicule quite frequently.
Nabokov published this in The New Yorker as separate short stories while he was working on the publication of Lolita. Later on he connected them and converted them to a novel.
I enjoyed the story and felt sad for the tragically comic Prof. Pnin. I guess that must have been Nabokov's goal in creating this sympathetic character.
This book tells the tragi-comic story of Timofey Pnin, who has emigrated from Russia after the Revolution in 1917 and after a brief stroll through various places in Europe, has found himself in the United States. From this perspective, it resembles Nabokov's own life story quite well.
However, Pnin looks nothing like Nabokov himself. He can find himself in awkward situations - just read his train voyage to the Cremona Women's Club- his mastery of the English language is doubtful (unlike Nabokov, who is one the best users of the English language) and he becomes the subject of ridicule quite frequently.
Nabokov published this in The New Yorker as separate short stories while he was working on the publication of Lolita. Later on he connected them and converted them to a novel.
I enjoyed the story and felt sad for the tragically comic Prof. Pnin. I guess that must have been Nabokov's goal in creating this sympathetic character.
Nabokov's prose is truly poetic, so that even when nothing seems to happen, one wants to keep reading. This book is beautiful.
The misadventures of a very Nabokov-esque Russian emigre navigating the American college professor scene. Funny, but it's no [book: Lolita].
The first half is wonderful. The story brilliantly introduces the protagonist, and there are a number moments where the writing is sublime. When Nabokov is inspired, his descriptive use of language is beautiful.
The second half, with its heavy emphasis on academic teaching and introduction of many random characters was far less absorbing.
I would hate to call it boring, but the conclusion didn’t really grab my attention or move me as much as I had hoped. I felt the exact same with another novel of his, Transparent Things.
I guess I’m a little disappointed with Pnin, but mostly because it’s so highly regarded amongst Nabokov’s works. There’s still a number of passages to cherish, and as it’s a short novel it’s not too taxing.
3.4/5
The second half, with its heavy emphasis on academic teaching and introduction of many random characters was far less absorbing.
I would hate to call it boring, but the conclusion didn’t really grab my attention or move me as much as I had hoped. I felt the exact same with another novel of his, Transparent Things.
I guess I’m a little disappointed with Pnin, but mostly because it’s so highly regarded amongst Nabokov’s works. There’s still a number of passages to cherish, and as it’s a short novel it’s not too taxing.
3.4/5