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dark
emotional
funny
lighthearted
reflective
sad
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Nabokov is so good at writing that it is almost disgusting, like watching a machine solve the game you love. All the more impressive for not speaking English as his mother tongue.
The sainted Pnin we meet in the novel is a man trying to set the world right, in his own little way, who of course never quite succeeds. The book is truly lovely, comical, and a joy to read; even despite (perhaps moreso because of) the intrusions of terrible History, which is always and everywhere harassing our poor Pnin.
Its one failing is that by the end the novel tells us more about Nabokov than it ever does Pnin. It becomes difficult not to walk away feeling a little betrayed, a little soured. The book may be finer literature for it, but a worse story.
The sainted Pnin we meet in the novel is a man trying to set the world right, in his own little way, who of course never quite succeeds. The book is truly lovely, comical, and a joy to read; even despite (perhaps moreso because of) the intrusions of terrible History, which is always and everywhere harassing our poor Pnin.
Its one failing is that by the end the novel tells us more about Nabokov than it ever does Pnin. It becomes difficult not to walk away feeling a little betrayed, a little soured. The book may be finer literature for it, but a worse story.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Genocide, Panic attacks/disorders
Moderate: Suicide attempt