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breannabanda's review against another edition
2.0
Lolita is the story of a young girl who is taken advantage of by her stepfather. The reasoning behind my low rating is it seems to in certain parts of the story, villainize Doris for manipulating Humbert’s feelings. Yes, apparently Humbert the abuser and rapist of a child has valid feelings that Doris constantly disregards, which is completely ridiculous given the state of the “relationship”. Additionally, at the end of the story, the author seemingly justifies monetary retributions are enough to make up for the loss of Doris’s childhood in a sense.
ftima_mendes's review against another edition
3.0
This is a really hard read. The writing is stunning, one of the most beautiful i've ever had the chance to read but the story is... disgusting, really. I couldn't make it to the end, just could take it all at once, but hopefully one day i will.
sarahrogers1's review against another edition
3.0
overall good but dragged on / hard to read at some parts
abhishekjain's review against another edition
5.0
If you are able to reduce a novel to a set of morals or to a short summarized paragraph, I would say that novel is a failure. I am glad that Lolita is far from being a failure. It gives a great reading experience. It is incredibly humourous and utterly complicated. The characters may seem simple at first but they are as complicated as we are in "reality". The language is amazing. The usage of some words are so good and so different that they can only be done by Nabokov and no one else. The novel stimulates different emotions throughout its course. The narration is unique and it is better experienced by reading than someone's explanation.
I would recommend this novel.
I would recommend this novel.
amiboughter's review against another edition
4.0
I think I said ew out loud at least a hundred times while reading this book. Beautiful writing about a very disturbing man. "I was weeping again, drunk on the impossible past."
tinysaturn's review against another edition
4.0
Nie potrafię ocenić jej na 5, chyba przez tematykę. Przez to, jak dogłębnie wchodzimy w umysł głównego bohatera i jak obrzydliwe to jest, jak pokrętnie tłumaczy się z rzeczy, które zrobił. Chciałam tę książkę mieć już za sobą, nie dlatego, że była zła, a dlatego, że ogromnie chciałam się dowiedzieć, dlaczego jest klasykiem, i chyba się dowiedziałam.
blueberry31's review against another edition
2.0
It took me a while to get over this book. It's not every day that you read a masterpiece of literature, incredibly well written... about a dangerous and sick pedophile who abuses his 12 year old step daughter in the most disturbing way.
My copy of the book has a quote by the LA times on the cover (I think it's the LA times) that reads "the greatest love story of our time" or something like that. Was this person trying to be provocative or have they truly not read the book? Even if the Lolita in the novel had been 30 years old it would have still been a story about a dangerous abusive relationship, clearly NOT a love story in any way.
The narrator is so unreliable, always finding excuses for himself, almost sounding like the victim at times. As you read on, a few hints are dropped which make you realize just how horrible the whole thing is. Lolita is not "okay" with anything, despite what H.H. sometimes suggests or would like to believe. What he refers to as "the first night we became lovers", she refers to as "that first night you raped me" later in the story. Where he describes himself as gentle, she calls him "a brute". She's a sad lonely girl who is trying to desperately get something out of the violence she endures and who will later try to escape by all means.
I had a hard time reading this until the end, it is a violent book without very few violent descriptions or words. Everything is suggested, covered by metaphors and implied by smart phrasing... making it ten times more unbearable. As a reader it is quite terrible to be reading about Lolita's "daily duties" or "negotiating privileges" and to be figuring out on your own what disturbing things the narrator is really talking about. She is "his pet", his.
I'm glad I read this because it's a classic, the writing is truly impressive and the sickness of the narrator is extremely credible (so much it makes you uncomfortable), but honestly all I wanted to do for a while after finishing it was to forget about it. I'm curious to see Stanley Kubrick's movie adaptation now (I hear it's a little less of a traumatic experience?).
My copy of the book has a quote by the LA times on the cover (I think it's the LA times) that reads "the greatest love story of our time" or something like that. Was this person trying to be provocative or have they truly not read the book? Even if the Lolita in the novel had been 30 years old it would have still been a story about a dangerous abusive relationship, clearly NOT a love story in any way.
The narrator is so unreliable, always finding excuses for himself, almost sounding like the victim at times. As you read on, a few hints are dropped which make you realize just how horrible the whole thing is. Lolita is not "okay" with anything, despite what H.H. sometimes suggests or would like to believe. What he refers to as "the first night we became lovers", she refers to as "that first night you raped me" later in the story. Where he describes himself as gentle, she calls him "a brute". She's a sad lonely girl who is trying to desperately get something out of the violence she endures and who will later try to escape by all means.
I had a hard time reading this until the end, it is a violent book without very few violent descriptions or words. Everything is suggested, covered by metaphors and implied by smart phrasing... making it ten times more unbearable. As a reader it is quite terrible to be reading about Lolita's "daily duties" or "negotiating privileges" and to be figuring out on your own what disturbing things the narrator is really talking about. She is "his pet", his.
I'm glad I read this because it's a classic, the writing is truly impressive and the sickness of the narrator is extremely credible (so much it makes you uncomfortable), but honestly all I wanted to do for a while after finishing it was to forget about it. I'm curious to see Stanley Kubrick's movie adaptation now (I hear it's a little less of a traumatic experience?).
vinni_haut's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
lighthearted
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Nabokov hat alle Fäden in der Hand und zieht sie mit der Freude eines Kindes. Der Leser kann sich nur noch ergeben.