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molia's review against another edition
dark
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
coys's review against another edition
4.0
Very hard for me to even attempt a Nabokov review. Not sure what exactly it is that does that for me; whether it's the density or the fact that he's just an all-time great and certainly my favorite author, I dunno. This is definitely the most accessible of his books I've read and I really enjoyed it. Probably the first since maybe Lolita that I can claim to have flown through, again mostly due to how accessible the prose is, relatively speaking.
Parallels to Lolita here are obvious and fascinating -- in some ways, Lolita answers the question of what if this book was narrated by Albinus?
It's a love story, or at least Nabokov's version of one (which Lolita is not! She is 12!). All is told on the first page:
So this isn't a book built on suspense, but it's still engrossing, which is neat!
Anyway, giving up the attempt to really say anything interesting: I just love pretty much everything Nabokov does, and this was no exception.
Parallels to Lolita here are obvious and fascinating -- in some ways, Lolita answers the question of what if this book was narrated by Albinus?
It's a love story, or at least Nabokov's version of one (which Lolita is not! She is 12!). All is told on the first page:
Once upon a time there lived in Berlin, Germany, a man called Albinus. He was rich, respectable, happy; one day he abandoned his wife for the sake of a youthful mistress; he loved; was not loved; and his life ended in disaster. This is the whole of the story and we might have left it at that had there not been profit and pleasure in the telling...
So this isn't a book built on suspense, but it's still engrossing, which is neat!
Anyway, giving up the attempt to really say anything interesting: I just love pretty much everything Nabokov does, and this was no exception.
rabbithrted's review against another edition
4.0
this guy and underage girls man…good writer though
bustyphillips's review against another edition
4.0
"Biiiiitch! Amen." (Me when I finished this novel after reading it in one sitting)
looney_lily's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
reflective
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
juhto's review against another edition
emotional
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
3.25
thayawar's review against another edition
3.0
You know what I actually didn't enjoy this and I still can't place my finger on why exactly. Perhaps, reading two Nabokov's in a row is just not a good idea...