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ausernameiguess's review against another edition
5.0
My favorite type of writers is a writer who can treat my feelings like a marionette, and that’s why I’m calling Nabokov “a genius”. I don’t want to be misunderstood: I’ve never sympathized with Humbert. What I mean is that he made me absolutely love a book that I’ve never thought I’d love.
What made me read this book is that I’ve always wanted a deep dive into these monsters minds, whenever we hear about pedo crimes they never show us the sinners perspective but I was curious.
As I expected, their perspective was traumatizing, unordinary and inhuman. In Humbert’s case he’s sexually attracted to children but he considers himself “kinda not guilty” because he doesn’t wanna destroy their purity (and here lays the monstrosity in his mentality), he was ready to follow any way to satisfy his desires using the “I don’t want to destroy her purity” justification. He has also shown common signs of pedophilia I’ve seen in other pedos such as hating adult women(I’m not sure about this one)
I hoped to see Dolores’s perspective and her feelings about everything that happened but since the narrator is Humbert himself he -of course- thought that she was fine with it. But in the end he started having flashbacks about Dolly being an ACTUAL CHILD and her craving for the feeling of having a regular father-daughter relationship (this part broke my heart and made me hate Humbert even more).
I’m still questioning why Dolores initiated the u-know. My theory is that she had noticed his harassment during his cohabitation with her mom, and she expected worse than just harassment in the future so she’d rather cooperate than being raped against her will (either way it’s still rape because she has done it under obligatory circumstances) or she’s just done it for money (he gave her tips) so she could escape.
The girl obviously lost all her childhood purity due to abuse, she had empty eyes, used harsh language whenever spoken to, was obliged to be raped even if she was still in pain.
I hoped Humbert would kill himself but meh(did he tho?)
I still think that I’m not being fair enough to this masterpiece because its vocabulary is way advanced than mine so I may have missed some points. But I can still notice the extreme cleverness of Vladimir Nabokov for being able to build a flawless character like Humbert, and his braveness for writing such an intriguing book -when no one dared to speak about this matter- without using any +18 vocabulary.
What made me read this book is that I’ve always wanted a deep dive into these monsters minds, whenever we hear about pedo crimes they never show us the sinners perspective but I was curious.
As I expected, their perspective was traumatizing, unordinary and inhuman. In Humbert’s case he’s sexually attracted to children but he considers himself “kinda not guilty” because he doesn’t wanna destroy their purity (and here lays the monstrosity in his mentality), he was ready to follow any way to satisfy his desires using the “I don’t want to destroy her purity” justification. He has also shown common signs of pedophilia I’ve seen in other pedos such as hating adult women(I’m not sure about this one)
I hoped to see Dolores’s perspective and her feelings about everything that happened but since the narrator is Humbert himself he -of course- thought that she was fine with it. But in the end he started having flashbacks about Dolly being an ACTUAL CHILD and her craving for the feeling of having a regular father-daughter relationship (this part broke my heart and made me hate Humbert even more).
I’m still questioning why Dolores initiated the u-know. My theory is that she had noticed his harassment during his cohabitation with her mom, and she expected worse than just harassment in the future so she’d rather cooperate than being raped against her will (either way it’s still rape because she has done it under obligatory circumstances) or she’s just done it for money (he gave her tips) so she could escape.
The girl obviously lost all her childhood purity due to abuse, she had empty eyes, used harsh language whenever spoken to, was obliged to be raped even if she was still in pain.
I hoped Humbert would kill himself but meh(did he tho?)
I still think that I’m not being fair enough to this masterpiece because its vocabulary is way advanced than mine so I may have missed some points. But I can still notice the extreme cleverness of Vladimir Nabokov for being able to build a flawless character like Humbert, and his braveness for writing such an intriguing book -when no one dared to speak about this matter- without using any +18 vocabulary.
sipblueberrytea's review against another edition
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
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
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Pedophilia, Sexual harassment, and Rape
sidharthvardhan's review against another edition
5.0
Scary Humbert
Horror movies – ghosts like chucki, It etc; never scared me – not because I’m really brave (which I’m not) but simply because they were not real. What rather scared me were criminals like Hannibal Lecter or Joker (Dark Knight) or John Kramer (from ‘Saw’ movies); because they seemed so real – men who had their philosophy, who had reasons for doing what they did. You would think men with such mentality can exist in real world. Humbert is one of this latter category – only much more real and thus scarier.
This guy has art – he can be poetical, can make you confuse his lust into what-he –want-everybody-to-see--as love. He invents pseudo logic – coining terms like nymphets. He uses the word to describe a girl who has reached sexual maturity earlier than her age but he conveniently forgets to mention that sexual maturity doesn't come with mental maturity. He tells you he wasn't D’s first lover but ignored the control that he exercised over Lolita. That his Lolita was still an innocent child after all.
Once you devoid him of the art with words – what is left behind is a sex addict. At least in whole of first part; he comes out as a sex addict who would do anything to have his desires. Just look at the facts - he marries Dolly’s mother to have the child. Is this the way of a lover?
He excuses his actions by telling us that he wants to have his desires without harming anyone but then he fell deeper and deeper. He even gets ideas of killing the mother. He couldn't stand against the temptation to rape her for a single day. He hits the bottom by planning to get a second Lolita from her – and then may be a third one.
He is afraid that he won’t be able to ‘love’ Doleras – once she is an adult. Think of an old guy who would say he doesn't love his wife because she is too old now! Won’t you be quick to call him pervert.
He takes special pains to have Dolly’s submission How much will you value the consent of a twelve year old who just lost her mother; her father- her only family now wants to have sex with her and (as Humbert keeps reminding us) who is just discovering her sexuality.
…. And you must not read much in that he still loved her years later or that she loved him back. They had developed a habit of each other. It wasn't love; if love is not just a stupid habit.
The guilt and the remorse
It is only when she runs away (and thus it is too late) that he remembers what his lust cost the child.
May be; much of what he did was because of a difference in sexual interests – that nature made him so. It was his tragedy. The acts of madness towards end completed his fall. What annoys me is that he took Doleras down with himself.
You are not supposed to like him. Look at what it did to the girl! His opinions are not that of author. At least to me; the book is like those works of art – think Salman Rushdi’s Satanic Verses; through which the artist is trying to point the world to its dirty realities. Most of us want to turn our gaze away – want to forget such things. Yet, these artists – like that boy who laughed at the king in H.C. Anderson’s tale (Emperor’s new clothes) can’t lie to themselves and – not only that they will keep pointing that us; whatever we choose to make of the information. Humbert points out that he was so because of his sexual interests and argues there so many others like him. It is this really that author has pointed out. You can’t derive an author’s opinion from that of his protagonist.
Hamburg and Emma
Besides giving appearance of an ancient Greek tragedy set in modern times; it also reminded me of Madame Bovary. Not only are both books based on taboos but both of them are highly realistic – with out moralizing; and consists of characters who backs their actions with romantic reasons. Both Hamburg and Emma meet tragic ends – and their lust ruin lives of many others as well
Horror movies – ghosts like chucki, It etc; never scared me – not because I’m really brave (which I’m not) but simply because they were not real. What rather scared me were criminals like Hannibal Lecter or Joker (Dark Knight) or John Kramer (from ‘Saw’ movies); because they seemed so real – men who had their philosophy, who had reasons for doing what they did. You would think men with such mentality can exist in real world. Humbert is one of this latter category – only much more real and thus scarier.
This guy has art – he can be poetical, can make you confuse his lust into what-he –want-everybody-to-see--as love. He invents pseudo logic – coining terms like nymphets. He uses the word to describe a girl who has reached sexual maturity earlier than her age but he conveniently forgets to mention that sexual maturity doesn't come with mental maturity. He tells you he wasn't D’s first lover but ignored the control that he exercised over Lolita. That his Lolita was still an innocent child after all.
Once you devoid him of the art with words – what is left behind is a sex addict. At least in whole of first part; he comes out as a sex addict who would do anything to have his desires. Just look at the facts - he marries Dolly’s mother to have the child. Is this the way of a lover?
He excuses his actions by telling us that he wants to have his desires without harming anyone but then he fell deeper and deeper. He even gets ideas of killing the mother. He couldn't stand against the temptation to rape her for a single day. He hits the bottom by planning to get a second Lolita from her – and then may be a third one.
He is afraid that he won’t be able to ‘love’ Doleras – once she is an adult. Think of an old guy who would say he doesn't love his wife because she is too old now! Won’t you be quick to call him pervert.
He takes special pains to have Dolly’s submission How much will you value the consent of a twelve year old who just lost her mother; her father- her only family now wants to have sex with her and (as Humbert keeps reminding us) who is just discovering her sexuality.
…. And you must not read much in that he still loved her years later or that she loved him back. They had developed a habit of each other. It wasn't love; if love is not just a stupid habit.
The guilt and the remorse
It is only when she runs away (and thus it is too late) that he remembers what his lust cost the child.
May be; much of what he did was because of a difference in sexual interests – that nature made him so. It was his tragedy. The acts of madness towards end completed his fall. What annoys me is that he took Doleras down with himself.
You are not supposed to like him. Look at what it did to the girl! His opinions are not that of author. At least to me; the book is like those works of art – think Salman Rushdi’s Satanic Verses; through which the artist is trying to point the world to its dirty realities. Most of us want to turn our gaze away – want to forget such things. Yet, these artists – like that boy who laughed at the king in H.C. Anderson’s tale (Emperor’s new clothes) can’t lie to themselves and – not only that they will keep pointing that us; whatever we choose to make of the information. Humbert points out that he was so because of his sexual interests and argues there so many others like him. It is this really that author has pointed out. You can’t derive an author’s opinion from that of his protagonist.
Hamburg and Emma
Besides giving appearance of an ancient Greek tragedy set in modern times; it also reminded me of Madame Bovary. Not only are both books based on taboos but both of them are highly realistic – with out moralizing; and consists of characters who backs their actions with romantic reasons. Both Hamburg and Emma meet tragic ends – and their lust ruin lives of many others as well
linalina's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? N/A
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
erinastin's review against another edition
4.0
So I’m a Lana Del Rey fan with daddy issues and I still found this book incredibly disturbing. That being said, nobody writes like Nabokov...
zosia's review against another edition
3.0
Nabokov’s writing style is absolutely exquisite, the Humbert Humbert narrator unforgettable and brilliant. Part 1 for me was a near-5 star experience but in part 2 it all went downhill with a crash for me, hence the final 3 stars. About the 'controversial' elements - I think there is no message the author is trying to say with this book, that the real message is that there is no message, the author's commentary at the end of the book is really worth reading. My lower rating was due to some fragments which dragged, and some plot-points in part 2 which didn't work for me at all and I found disappointing. Yet, I'm really glad I've read it.
mansikwatra's review against another edition
4.0
Shocked to the core! This book gave me a headache but what a sweet suffering it was. Nabokov's prose is so enchanting and completely overtakes the disturbing theme. The last 100 pages were the hardest to get through. While my revulsion begged me to fly through the words, I could do nothing but swim leisurely until the book reached its conclusion. I feel drained.
wolperding's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
itskindana's review against another edition
4.0
ustedes son unos enfermos que mal entendieron este libro.