manybees's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
Graphic: Death, Domestic abuse, Pedophilia, Sexism, Sexual violence, Emotional abuse, Car accident, Death of parent, Gun violence, Sexual assault, Toxic relationship, Child death, Adult/minor relationship, Sexual harassment, Child abuse, Gaslighting, Kidnapping, Misogyny, Murder, Trafficking, and Incest
Moderate: Alcoholism, Pregnancy, Confinement, Classism, Grief, Medical content, Miscarriage, and Death
Minor: Biphobia, Body shaming, Suicidal thoughts, Sexual violence, Rape, Racism, Sexual assault, and Racial slurs
There is only one abuse scene that could be considered sexually explicit and it is written in such an abstracted and poetic way that it’s almost kinda hard to tell what’s going on. There is also period-typical racism and racial slurs.gabriella_'s review against another edition
- 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
3.0
Graphic: Abandonment, Trafficking, Stalking, Sexual harassment, Sexual violence, Kidnapping, Car accident, Confinement, Death, Death of parent, Toxic relationship, Sexual assault, Alcoholism, Child abuse, Self harm, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Pedophilia, Panic attacks/disorders, Infidelity, Body shaming, Sexism, Gaslighting, Incest, Mental illness, Grief, Sexual content, Rape, Pregnancy, Adult/minor relationship, and Emotional abuse
kelisabeth's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.5
Graphic: Classism, Death, Emotional abuse, Fatphobia, Racism, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual harassment, Sexual violence, Child abuse, Death of parent, Gaslighting, Homophobia, Violence, Injury/Injury detail, Kidnapping, Domestic abuse, Gun violence, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Rape, Adult/minor relationship, Alcohol, Body shaming, Car accident, Incest, Infidelity, Murder, Toxic relationship, Blood, Medical content, Mental illness, Pregnancy, and Racial slurs
cateyeschloe's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
“Between the age limits of nine and fourteen there occur maidens who, to certain bewitched travelers, twice or many times older than they, reveal their true nature which is not human, but nymphic (that is demoniac); and these chosen creatures I propose to designate as ‘nymphets’.”
“… there must be a gap of several years, never less than ten I should say, generally thirty or forty, and as many as ninety in a few known cases, between maiden and man to enable the latter to come under a nymphet’s spell.”
“… the majority of sex offenders that hanker for some throbbing… physical but not necessarily coital, relation with a girl-child, are innocuous, inadequate, passive, timid strangers who merely ask the community to allow them to pursue their practically harmless, so-called aberrant behavior… We are not sex fiends! We do not rape… We are unhappy, mild, dog-eyed gentlemen, sufficiently well integrated to control urge in the presence of adults, but ready to give years and years… for one chance to touch a nymphet.”
“There are few physiques I loathe more than the heavy low-slung pelvis, thick claves, and deplorable complexion of the average coed (in whom I see… the coffin of coarse female flesh within which my nymphets are buried alive)…”
“… it would take hours of blandishments, threats, and promises to make her lend me for a few seconds her brown limbs in the seclusion of the five-dollar room before undertaking anything she might prefer to my joy.”
“I have but followed nature. I am nature’s faithful hound.”
This book was extremely difficult to consume, and it took me quite a while to read it because I kept wanting to take breaks and step away from what I was reading. It’s a hard read. Well written and a topic that should be addressed and discussed, but definitely one that should be broached with the content and trigger warnings in mind.
Graphic: Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Incest, Kidnapping, Mental illness, Misogyny, Murder, Adult/minor relationship, Child abuse, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexual assault, and Toxic relationship
Moderate: Car accident, Death, Death of parent, Gun violence, and Racism
Minor: Pregnancy, Body shaming, and Grief
taelights's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Now I honestly think anyone who believes this book romanticizes pedophilia is either 1) fucked up, 2) has not read the book and is making assumptions, or 3) doesn't have an ounce of critical thinking skills and no ability to analyze a book. You can tell that Nabokov doesn't agree with Humbert's character or actions.
Honestly this book was lowkey kind of a masterpiece. Vladimir Nabokov's writing style is beautiful and this is such a good genius example of an unreliable narrator story. The subject matter was of course disgusting and so many lines made me feel nauseated but it was such an interesting read. I kind of want to read it through again in the future to better analyze the book now that I have a picture of the whole story arch.
Graphic: Car accident, Cursing, Emotional abuse, Gaslighting, Sexual harassment, Suicidal thoughts, Adult/minor relationship, Body shaming, Child abuse, Child death, Confinement, Death, Death of parent, Domestic abuse, Grief, Gun violence, Sexual content, Infidelity, Kidnapping, Pedophilia, Sexual violence, Misogyny, Murder, Physical abuse, Pregnancy, Rape, Stalking, Toxic relationship, and Sexual assault
Moderate: Alcoholism and Alcohol
dearbhlanoonan's review against another edition
- 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
Graphic: Child abuse, Rape, Adult/minor relationship, and Pedophilia
Moderate: Alcoholism, Body shaming, and Car accident
bill369's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
Spoiler
I have often noticed that we are inclined to endow our friends with the stability of type that literary characters acquire in the reader’s mind. No matter how many times we reopen “King Lear,” never shall we find the good king banging his tankard in high revelry, all woes forgotten, at a jolly reunion with all three daughters and their lapdogs. Never will Emma rally, revived by the sympathetic salts in Flaubert’s father’s timely tear. Whatever evolution this or that popular character has gone through between the book covers, his fate is fixed in our minds, and, similarly, we expect our friends to follow this or that logical and conventional pattern we have fixed for them. Thus X will never compose the immortal music that would clash with the second-rate symphonies he has accustomed us to. Y will never commit murder. Under no circumstances can Z ever betray us. We have it all arranged in our minds, and the less often we see a particular person the more satisfying it is to check how obediently he conforms to our notion of him every time we hear of him. Any deviation in the fates we have ordained would strike us as not only anomalous but unethical. We would prefer not to have known at all our neighbour, the retired hot-dog stand operator, if it turns out he has just produced the greatest book of poetry his age has seen.Graphic: Stalking, Adult/minor relationship, Murder, Pedophilia, Sexual harassment, and Toxic relationship
Moderate: Body shaming and Sexism
Minor: Alcohol, Death of parent, Car accident, Child death, and Pregnancy
quinn24's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.5
Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Child abuse, Sexual assault, Stalking, Pedophilia, Death of parent, and Emotional abuse
Moderate: Physical abuse, Transphobia, Death, Rape, Suicide, Kidnapping, Misogyny, Body shaming, and Homophobia
Minor: Alcohol, Drug use, Antisemitism, and Racism
m0rdred_the_fallen's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.75
Ahora que lo terminé, puedo decir que entiendo, completamente, porqué es tan controversial pero el lenguaje tan lírico y floreado realmente me molestaron al leerlo. También está el hecho de que, en mi opinión, puedes quitarle un tercio, o hasta dos, del libro y seguiría entendiendose porque HH toma para siempre para hacer cualquier cosa.
Spoiler
Incluso podría centrarse en uno de los viajes a los que HH obliga a Lolita a ir, o el escape de Lolita, o el asesinato de Clare QuiltyPersonalmente, fue una lectura pesada, entiendo porqué es polémica, pero no empaticé ni con HH y Lolita no tiene ni voz en el libro así que tampoco me apegué mucho a ella.
El final fue bueno,
Spoiler
por un momento pensé que viviria el resto de sus días impune, atacando otras niñas, así que verlo ir a prisión por asesinato fue un buen giroGraphic: Domestic abuse, Murder, Pedophilia, Rape, Alcohol, Alcoholism, Blood, Child abuse, Emotional abuse, Incest, Kidnapping, Adult/minor relationship, Sexual harassment, Sexual violence, Sexual assault, Toxic relationship, and Gun violence
Minor: Car accident, Cursing, Body shaming, Death, Fatphobia, and Death of parent
kenchingfox's review against another edition
- 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
4.0
Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Death of parent, Murder, Child abuse, Emotional abuse, Toxic relationship, Blood, Body shaming, Incest, Injury/Injury detail, Pedophilia, Rape, and Sexual assault
Moderate: Bullying, Toxic friendship, Alcohol, and Stalking