stinky_goblin's review against another edition
dark
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.25
luccyx1489's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
reflective
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
_millie's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
sad
tense
slow-paced
- 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
ms_jennyd's review against another edition
5.0
This took me quite awhile to read, mostly because I was savoring it... which creeps me out to say. I knew from the first paragraph I was going to love the book. The way Vlad writes is such a treat. As I read it I actually let my tongue travel down the roof of my mouth and felt the tap on my teeth on three. Lolita. An object in my mouth now.
Then, to my horror, I realized what he was going to write about. Who Lolita was. Who Humert Humbert was. Now I want to know who I am. The fact that at some points I was rooting for a pedophile deeply disturbs me. I even had nightmares about it. It's been days and it's still sitting with me. I think the story may haunt me forever.
Then, to my horror, I realized what he was going to write about. Who Lolita was. Who Humert Humbert was. Now I want to know who I am. The fact that at some points I was rooting for a pedophile deeply disturbs me. I even had nightmares about it. It's been days and it's still sitting with me. I think the story may haunt me forever.
ginaha99's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
siminiucdenis's review against another edition
5.0
thanks Mircea Cartarescu for making this so appealing in one of your essays :)
uhm, probably the most beautifully written English book I have written so far!!! i am so amazed by Vladimir N; writing this not in his native language is mind blowing!
other than that, the fact that at some point I felt sad for the main character is impressive, like come on i was about to cry for him…
also grasping AMERICA while not being born there or spending your childhood there is crazy:)
yes yes yes
uhm, probably the most beautifully written English book I have written so far!!! i am so amazed by Vladimir N; writing this not in his native language is mind blowing!
other than that, the fact that at some point I felt sad for the main character is impressive, like come on i was about to cry for him…
also grasping AMERICA while not being born there or spending your childhood there is crazy:)
yes yes yes
elusorius's review against another edition
1.0
Whilst on my journey of reading more classics (I have a scratch-off poster) I stumbled upon Lolita. I had heard of it before, and my curiosity had finally gotten the better of me.
I was promised a psychological analysis on the mind of someone who is a pedophile, a look into why he does the things he does. I was promised a disturbing book, but beautifully written. A disgusting and fascinating story.
And it did not deliver, not even a little bit. The "beautiful" writing was not at all to my liking. The narrator kept going off-topic and rambling on, with random interludes in french (with no translation in my copy). The bare bones plot is interesting enough, but the pacing is completely off and we keep going off track.
The narrator is an unreliable and unlikeable one, who constantly manipulates the reader into believing he is doing the right thing. From a psychological aspect, exactly the look into a disturbed mind that I wanted. However, it goes on for too long. Instead of giving us a glimpse of his mindset, it feels like the author was actually trying to manipulate us into thinking his behavior was okay. That's not really my thing. Even though this book was only 300 or so pages long, it felt like 800 and it should have been 100.
I can see the potential and why it is considered a classic, but I personally think it was poorly executed. 1/5
I was promised a psychological analysis on the mind of someone who is a pedophile, a look into why he does the things he does. I was promised a disturbing book, but beautifully written. A disgusting and fascinating story.
And it did not deliver, not even a little bit. The "beautiful" writing was not at all to my liking. The narrator kept going off-topic and rambling on, with random interludes in french (with no translation in my copy). The bare bones plot is interesting enough, but the pacing is completely off and we keep going off track.
The narrator is an unreliable and unlikeable one, who constantly manipulates the reader into believing he is doing the right thing. From a psychological aspect, exactly the look into a disturbed mind that I wanted. However, it goes on for too long. Instead of giving us a glimpse of his mindset, it feels like the author was actually trying to manipulate us into thinking his behavior was okay. That's not really my thing. Even though this book was only 300 or so pages long, it felt like 800 and it should have been 100.
I can see the potential and why it is considered a classic, but I personally think it was poorly executed. 1/5
jjukia's review against another edition
dark
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
3.25
lenteschrijver's review against another edition
dark
emotional
sad
tense
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0