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krzem'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
5.0
Graphic: Misogyny, Pedophilia, and Sexual content
Moderate: Death, Emotional abuse, and Sexual assault
Minor: Gun violence and Pregnancy
g1lg4mesh's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Alcoholism, Body shaming, Child abuse, Confinement, Death, Drug abuse, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Gun violence, Incest, Mental illness, Misogyny, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Racial slurs, Racism, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Violence, Kidnapping, Stalking, Car accident, Death of parent, Murder, Gaslighting, Alcohol, Sexual harassment, and Injury/Injury detail
kierank's review against another edition
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Child abuse, Child death, Emotional abuse, Misogyny, Pedophilia, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, and Toxic relationship
stindex'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, Emotional abuse, Incest, Mental illness, Misogyny, Pedophilia, Sexual content, Toxic relationship, Stalking, Gaslighting, and Sexual harassment
sombies'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
5.0
Graphic: Domestic abuse, Incest, Misogyny, Pedophilia, Rape, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Trafficking, Kidnapping, Death of parent, Pregnancy, and Sexual harassment
Moderate: Racism and Lesbophobia
bycath'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
4.5
Graphic: Child abuse, Emotional abuse, Gun violence, Incest, Misogyny, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Racism, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Violence, Death of parent, Murder, Pregnancy, Gaslighting, Abandonment, Sexual harassment, and Classism
ketreads's review against another edition
2.5
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!
Graphic: Misogyny, Pedophilia, Racism, Sexism, Sexual assault, and Toxic relationship
jedore's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
“You know, what’s so dreadful about dying is that you are completely on your own.”
Lolita is the story of obsession and pedophilia that was as revolting as I had expected. At best, it was uncomfortable to be inside the mind of a narcissistic pedophile…at worst, utterly disgusting.
Character development was limited to the highly unlikeable pedophile, Humbert Humbert, but was absolutely masterful. In fact, Humbert WAS the story as there was very little action. (It would be fascinating to read a book from Delores’/Lolita’s perspective.)
To add to my negative feelings about Humbert, I found his pompous vocabulary and frequent use of un-translated French irritating. It also created emotional distance between me and this book.
This was one of those books I read purely out of curiosity and a desire to be better educated. Over the years, it has been regularly referenced in books, movies, and even song lyrics and I was missing out on meanings. Now I get it. I am glad I read it…all knowledge is power, but I won’t miss Humbert one bit.
Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Misogyny, Pedophilia, Sexual content, Toxic relationship, Kidnapping, Stalking, and Abandonment
Moderate: Car accident
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: Adult/minor relationship, Child abuse, Child death, Death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Gun violence, Incest, Misogyny, Pedophilia, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Toxic relationship, Trafficking, Kidnapping, Car accident, Death of parent, Murder, Gaslighting, and Sexual harassment
Moderate: Alcoholism, Confinement, Death, Miscarriage, Medical content, Grief, Pregnancy, and Classism
Minor: Biphobia, Body shaming, Racial slurs, Racism, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, and Suicidal thoughts
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.schneehutte'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
Now, let me start by saying that this review of 3 stars is not because, as I am sure many people say, this book is disgusting, with a disgusting main character and theme. Don't get me wrong: I absolutely adore the controversial and taboo exploration. And of course, Lolita has all that: it is famous for that. For those who don't know: the main character, Humbert Humbert, is a pedophile that, after the loss of his childhood lover, seeks in young girls the characteristics of his past lover (girls aged 7 to 12, which he calls "nymphets") - until he meets Lolita, a 12-year-old American girl. And he decides that he would do anything to keep his control over her, and does atrocious things to this child and her mother, to keep Lolita in his cycle of abuse.
Now, after finishing the book, I have seen many critiques and analyses that claim that this book is a perfect example of an unreliable narrator. This is of course true. Humbert claims that Lolita, at one point, seduced him - that is of course not true. Lolita had no way of "seducing" him, as she doesn't truly know what "seduction" really is. But Humbert Humbert never "grew" on me the way that many readers describe he does: he is supposed to be this charming, handsome, intelligent man - but looking at the horrible crimes he commits page by page, it is really hard to look beyond the monster he is. I think Nabokov intended for the audience to (and I emphasize!) GUILTY sympathize with the main character as he shows part of his personality. I didn't feel this way at all and was honestly disturbed by everything he did, even if it is for Lolita's sake (in his vision, at least).
Now, why did I give this book 3 stars? After all, it is a complex book with complex themes, an interesting character, and a reflective piece of literary work - my style. So why?
Well, ironically, it is because of the writing - which I know is people's favorite part of this book. Nabokov can write beautifully. Too beautifully.
I had, every 2 pages, to search for a new word or straight up read a summary of what had just happened because the language was so difficult. The wording is poetic but confusing, the narrative was well-written but slow, and some chapters felt like torture. I will admit, English is not my first language (and neither is Nabokov's!), but one thing this book showed me is that I don't know English at all. The pacing being so slow didn't help either. The story dragged on and on, with descriptive paragraphs occupying pages and pages. It was so hard to concentrate while reading this story, that every time I picked up the book I just felt very unmotivated to finish - and with the pacing the way it was, I knew it might take a while for something impactful to happen in the story. And, as much as I know that it is a part of Humbert's character to write so "prose-ish" and "literary-ish", I just couldn't take it for very long. If anything, it made me even more annoyed at him, as I felt he was stalling the story to hide his atrocious crimes.
I guess the only way of knowing the true amount of stars I would give this book is to read it in Portuguese, my mother tongue. Because otherwise, I don't think I am re-reading this anytime soon, and it left my reading slump worse than ever. Sorry Nabokov, I think you are too good for me!
Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Child abuse, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Pedophilia, and Rape
Moderate: Misogyny and Death of parent