Reviews tagging 'Gaslighting'

Lolita by Vladimir Nabokov

102 reviews

dr_sol's review against another edition

challenging dark sad tense medium-paced

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

3.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexual violence, Pregnancy, Adult/minor relationship, Child abuse, Toxic relationship, Sexual content, Sexual harassment, Sexual assault, Rape, Physical abuse, Kidnapping, Gaslighting, and Emotional abuse

Moderate: Drug use, Addiction, and Drug abuse

Minor: Death of parent

batrick_pateman's review against another edition

challenging dark reflective sad slow-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

5.0

Where to start?
This is one of the most beautifully written books I've ever read, maybe even the most beautifully written. Nabokov was a master at playing with language, it's amazing that he only started writing in English in the middle of his life and career. I'm in awe of the writing, and the plot makes me feel filthy. Like a stain I can't remove.
In a lesser writer's hands, Humbert Humbert would be a stock character and this book would be worse than worthless - but Nabokov turns it into a dissection of not just a predator's psyche, but the reader's idea of a predator's psyche. At every turn, H. H. is trying to win the reader's sympathy - he never lies, but he obscures, justifies, begs, contrasts himself with

Quilty

, and does everything else he can to hide the fact that he is a monster. Thanks to Nabokov's writing, it almost works - recognizing H. H. as a monster and a predator forces you to reject the popular image of The Pedophile and re-think your idea of what predators are like. Brilliant, disturbing, important, gorgeously written, and a book I'll definitely return to someday.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexual violence, Gaslighting, Child abuse, Toxic relationship, and Pedophilia

Moderate: Gun violence and Murder

carinaisabelle's review against another edition

dark emotional reflective sad tense fast-paced

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

3.0

It's quite disturbing reading something this beautifully written about something so truly disgusting, disturbing and abusive.

Over the years I've heard that this is a love story. It is not (!). This is a story about repeatedly abuse. It tells the story of a young girl who has her childhood brutally taken away from her by a middle aged man, told from his perspective. 

HH is not a reliabl narrator, and we can't trust him to tell us the truth. He tries to hide Dolly's fear from us,and he doesn't even use her real name. He calls her Lolita. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Pedophilia, Rape, Sexual assault, Pregnancy, Adult/minor relationship, Child abuse, Gaslighting, and Murder

m4rtt4's review against another edition

challenging dark sad tense slow-paced

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

3.75

no book has ever made me want to throw up this much

BUT

I can't say that the book was bad. The writing was repulsive yet undeniably compelling, it made me want to bleach my eyes AND hopelessly keep reading as if I could save the little girl by turning pages. I wanted to know, I needed to know — yet still, I now wish I knew nothing at all.

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Content Warnings

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

Moderate: Mental illness and Death of parent

rebekkamafia's review against another edition

challenging dark

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Racial slurs, Sexual violence, Gaslighting, Rape, Adult/minor relationship, Misogyny, Sexism, and Child abuse

Moderate: Body shaming, Alcoholism, Fatphobia, Death of parent, and Alcohol

Minor: Pregnancy and Car accident

kmae314's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark reflective tense medium-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

Would not read again. I’ve seen enough. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Misogyny, Toxic relationship, Death of parent, Domestic abuse, Physical abuse, Kidnapping, Mental illness, Sexual assault, Stalking, Sexism, Gaslighting, Incest, Adult/minor relationship, Child abuse, Emotional abuse, Pedophilia, Rape, Sexual harassment, and Sexual violence

priscillarobock's review against another edition

Explicit pedophila. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Emotional abuse, Gaslighting, Pedophilia, Rape, Sexual violence, Adult/minor relationship, and Child abuse

liathibault's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional fast-paced

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

3.75

completely and absolutely horrifying to read, yet a work of literary genius. if you’re uncomfortable reading this, you should be.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Stalking, Adult/minor relationship, Incest, Pregnancy, Child abuse, Pedophilia, Emotional abuse, Sexual assault, Gaslighting, and Death of parent

frmeden's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional mysterious sad tense medium-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

4.0

"In the infinite run it does not matter a jot that a North American girl child named Dolores Haze had been deprived of her childhood by a maniac, unless this can be proven."

it is so hard to put into words the way this novel affected me, other than we've done a great disservice to it by peddling it as a 'love story' for all these years. nabokov can say this story has no moral but the authorial intent reads very clear to me! i do almost feel like i could go back and read it again and catch new things because it kind of reads like a very overwritten horror/mystery novel, because HH is lying to you constantly and covering up his crimes with flowery prose. dolores haze you deserved better, who the fuck is "lolita" anyway!!!

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Incest, Stalking, Rape, Trafficking, Sexual assault, Gaslighting, Child abuse, Sexual violence, Pedophilia, and Emotional abuse

Moderate: Pregnancy, Racism, Racial slurs, Death of parent, and Gun violence

Minor: Child death

kazli's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional sad tense slow-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

4.25

god this book was heartbreaking. it follows a man named humbert humbert who falls in love with his step daughter, and you know it's wrong but because humbert is an unreliable narrator he makes you believe that he is actually in love with his 'lolita' when in reality she is just a child who wanted a normal life and a normal family.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death of parent, Racial slurs, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual harassment, Toxic relationship, Domestic abuse, Infidelity, Kidnapping, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Rape, Adult/minor relationship, Emotional abuse, Child abuse, Gaslighting, Incest, Pregnancy, and Sexual violence