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sandrashort's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
inspiring
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
amyingomar's review against another edition
funny
reflective
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
arosef1's review against another edition
funny
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
melissatrostel's review against another edition
funny
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Loveable characters? Yes
5.0
savaging's review against another edition
4.0
The plot of Pnin doesn't gallop along like it does in Lolita, and is too tied into the petty drama of academics. But then, unlike Lolita, you can enjoy this book without worrying that you're a terrible person for snorting with laughter while you're reading about the sexual abuse of a minor. So there's that.
The book opens like a lark of word-play and joke but by the end of chapter 2 when Pnin's sobbing "I haf nofing left, nofing, nofing!" I was inconsolable. In fact all of Chapter 2 was maybe perfect. Pnin's a failure -- the best kind. Pnin's what Dostoevsky's Prince Myshkin should have been before he was marred by too much perfection.
"Pnin slowly walked under the solemn pines. The sky was dying. He did not believe in an autocratic God. He did believe, dimly, in a democracy of ghosts. The souls of the dead, perhaps, formed committees, and these, in continuous session, attended to the destinies of the quick."
The book opens like a lark of word-play and joke but by the end of chapter 2 when Pnin's sobbing "I haf nofing left, nofing, nofing!" I was inconsolable. In fact all of Chapter 2 was maybe perfect. Pnin's a failure -- the best kind. Pnin's what Dostoevsky's Prince Myshkin should have been before he was marred by too much perfection.
"Pnin slowly walked under the solemn pines. The sky was dying. He did not believe in an autocratic God. He did believe, dimly, in a democracy of ghosts. The souls of the dead, perhaps, formed committees, and these, in continuous session, attended to the destinies of the quick."
alexandre_rl's review against another edition
4.0
Roman à saveur légèrement autobiographique et premier succès de Nabokov aux États-Unis. Plein d’humour, de compassion et d’intelligence. Une écriture agréable, un style direct et une construction romanesque assez traditionnelle et facile d’accès. Très bon.
saturnsmoons's review against another edition
3.75
pnin is such a mind-fuck of a character; at times you pity him, while you resent him at others. he causes such feelings of confusion, but it's what makes the entire charm of the novel. nabokov always knows how to get his audience: his writing is phenomenal, emotional, and truly witty. i didn't realize how much i missed his writing style until i read this book.
joelpriestley's review against another edition
funny
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
benwormald's review against another edition
funny
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Loveable characters? Yes
4.75
strrygo's review against another edition
funny
lighthearted
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0