Reviews with content warning for Toxic relationship - Lolita

Reviews tagging 'Toxic relationship'

Lolita by Vladimir Nabokov

107 reviews

lizziemason's review against another edition

challenging dark reflective tense medium-paced

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

4.25

A book that had me enthralled throughout the first part; a masterpiece of suspended morality and prose. However the plot seemed to tumble away from me after the first half: the narrative is curious however I am not sure I found it a convincing ending to a book that set its self up, in many regards, to be about unsequested and unrequited longing. Overall it has been a remarkable introduction to Nabokov, whom, throughout the reading of Lolita, I have grown to respect as a poet and artist.

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morenowagain's review against another edition

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adventurous challenging dark emotional funny sad tense medium-paced

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

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sleepyriv's review against another edition

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dark reflective tense slow-paced

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

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turtlebones's review against another edition

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challenging dark sad tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.75

I almost DNF this book but stuck it out and boy… once i did…. you can’t help but feel sorry for the professor but then you realize what he’s doing and who he is and you feel for Lolita.

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ketreads's review against another edition

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challenging

2.5

Lolita is a perfect example of an author setting out the task of getting an idea, a character, on paper and doing it most effectively.

Nabokov's purpose of writing the book, to capture a pedophiles point of view, was expertly done. Humbert in all ways encapsulates a being able to cause untold damage to an innocent. Humbert is undeniably a horrible, calous, and unrepentant villain. Reading the mental gymnastics this character went through to justify his actions was infuriating and it feels almost so over the top to be comedic. How can a character be so reflective and yet so blind to the irony of his own judgement.

I often found, especially in the 2nd half, the inner dialogue of Humbert very difficult to follow. I'm not sure if this was intentional, to show his mental decline, but I found myself unable to understand what a lot of sentences were saying. The ones I did, were very well written, almost poetic so it feels more intentional by the author than otherwise.

I'm also not sure whether to say I "liked" the book but I do think it achieved what I sought out of the book. Read at your own peril!

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jani_mcgonagall's review against another edition

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I was prepared, but still I couldn't finish it... The style was quite difficult (yet very wel written), and the topic was more than difficult... I tried, but I felt awful. I was intrigued by the idea of being inside the head of a psychopath, which still was true.

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