sarah_dietrich 's review for:

Pnin by Vladimir Nabokov
4.0

Nabokov wrote Pnin and Lolita at the same time. Timofey Pnin and Humbert Humbert are yin and yang - Pnin is the cozy, soothing cup of tea to Humbert's deadly-sweet intoxicant.

Pnin is glorious in a quiet way, and by the end of the book I was cheering for our hero. Reading with bated breath,
SpoilerI wished for Pnin's dinner party to be a success, and beamed with joy as he entertained his guests. I mourned for him when he lost his job, and then was overjoyed when he rode off into the sunset with his new dog
. Pnin shows up safe and sound in Pale Fire, with a tenured professorship at Wordsmith College and wearing a Hawaiian shirt.

I know I'll read this again some day.