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A review by rachel_the_managing_editor
Despair by Vladimir Nabokov
4.0
3.9 stars
Why don't I read more Nabokov? Why don't we all?
John Updike said this: "Nabokov writes prose the only way it should be written, that is, ecstatically."
Yes.
There aren't many authors who possess the ability to write a murder scene that can accurately be described as "great fun" (to borrow Nabokov's words from the intro).
Do not let the title of this book scare you. Despair is a delight. A bit slow moving at times, but the puns and non sequiturs make up for the lag. I had my worries about how he'd wrap it up, but he delivered.
Why don't I read more Nabokov? Why don't we all?
John Updike said this: "Nabokov writes prose the only way it should be written, that is, ecstatically."
Yes.
There aren't many authors who possess the ability to write a murder scene that can accurately be described as "great fun" (to borrow Nabokov's words from the intro).
Do not let the title of this book scare you. Despair is a delight. A bit slow moving at times, but the puns and non sequiturs make up for the lag. I had my worries about how he'd wrap it up, but he delivered.