Reviews tagging 'Kidnapping'

Lolita by Vladimir Nabokov

180 reviews

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

teecupp's review against another edition

challenging dark sad tense slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? N/A
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

2.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Emotional abuse, Child abuse, Rape, Sexual harassment, Pedophilia, Gun violence, and Kidnapping

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

avawetherall's review against another edition

The style of writing was great but it just became a bit too slow for me. I found myself getting lost or distracted and not knowing what was happening. The content of this book is obviously extremely dark but that didn’t put me off - just that I got bored. I might try to reread it at some point, because maybe I’ll get into it more now.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Rape, Pedophilia, Sexual assault, and Kidnapping

dakotahreads's review against another edition

challenging dark reflective slow-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

4.25

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Kidnapping, Rape, Child abuse, Adult/minor relationship, Incest, Pedophilia, and Sexual assault

Minor: Gun violence, Blood, Car accident, Death of parent, Death, Sexual content, and Murder

brianna2811's review against another edition

dark emotional tense slow-paced

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

3.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death of parent, Gun violence, Adult/minor relationship, Child abuse, Pedophilia, Sexual assault, and Kidnapping

bludgeoned_by_hail's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional sad tense medium-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

4.5

Deeply disturbing and hauntingly beautiful. I don't remember ever being so uncomfortable reading a book, and yet, I was completely captivated by it.
It's a chilling and disgustingly real-feeling portrayal of pedophilic attraction and grooming tactics that feels very relevant and current despite its age. I was a bit wary as I had heard a lot of discourse on whether the book romanticizes the subject or not, but having now read it, I genuinely don't know how anyone could take the story as an indictment of HH's actions or even mildly sympathetic to him. 
It's not an easy read by any means: even beyond the subject matter or the infuriatingly unreliable narrator, the language is very ornate and dense, often making the pace slow and the sequence of events confusing, (especially by the end, when HH's viewpoint starts to blur into paranoia). Still, at its best, the prose is still so masterful and evocative that it makes it all worth it imo.
What more can I really say. Damn. It's one of those you don't easily forget.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Pedophilia, Sexual assault, Adult/minor relationship, and Rape

Moderate: Child abuse and Kidnapping