Reviews tagging 'Alcoholism'

Lolita by Vladimir Nabokov

25 reviews

jaymae21's review against another edition

challenging dark sad tense slow-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

4.0

The language of this book is some of the most beautiful I have ever read, and the subject matter the most revolting.  This will not be a book you can fly through, you will have to pace yourself, take breaks, and try to refrain from throwing the book across the room in order to get through it.  So why read it at all?  For anyone with an interest in psychology, it's an interesting look into the mind of a mad nymphomaniac.  For anyone with a liking for satire, this book has some surprisingly funny moments.   For anyone with a love of language, there are passages that will make you forget you are reading about pedophilia, and remind you of the power of words.  

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Emotional abuse, Gun violence, Pedophilia, Rape, and Sexual assault

Moderate: Alcoholism

roisin_marie's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional funny sad tense fast-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

5.0

It's a tough read, but it's easier in the second half, and you start to enjoy the experience without constant nausea. Worth the pain

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Child abuse, and Rape

Moderate: Alcoholism, Kidnapping, Stalking, and Death of parent

charlotteturt's review against another edition

dark emotional mysterious 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

4.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Alcoholism, Body shaming, Child abuse, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Incest, Misogyny, Pedophilia, Racial slurs, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Violence, Kidnapping, Grief, and Death of parent

rebekkamafia's review against another edition

challenging dark

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Child abuse, Misogyny, Racial slurs, Rape, Sexism, Sexual violence, and Gaslighting

Moderate: Alcoholism, Body shaming, Fatphobia, Death of parent, and Alcohol

Minor: Car accident and Pregnancy

ferris_wheel's review against another edition

challenging dark mysterious reflective 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

After a month or so of this book weighing heavy on my mind, I completed it with tears. A painful memoir of a charismatic, lying pedophile. To be swayed by the words of Humbert Humbert because as a reader you do not know what really happened. The eyes of Humbert are evil and therefore project evil. The sadness I felt once finishing the book was for Dolores. She’s not real, but her story is real for many children.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Child abuse, Incest, Misogyny, Pedophilia, Rape, and Sexual assault

Minor: Alcoholism, Medical content, and Death of parent

g1lg4mesh's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional mysterious reflective sad tense slow-paced

• 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

I find myself in a pickle of sorts in reviewing this book- I cannot in good faith blindly recommend it, and yet it is simultaneously the most incredible text I have ever engaged with. Lolita simply redefines the standard of the masterpiece, building not a glass ceiling (such tangibilities are beneath it), rather, casting the colloquial “bar” to the very heavens, where it may never be seen again. Only read this book if you are prepared to finish it- know too that this is no simple matter- but read this book, if you may be so bold. It will challenge you, and you may want to hurl it into a fire at times, but still, you simply must make it to that final page. This is a book that redefines the 5th star, and shakes any attempt at literary tier lists to its very core.

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Content Warnings

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

emmablue's review against another edition

dark emotional sad

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Child abuse, Emotional abuse, Pedophilia, Rape, Sexual violence, Death of parent, and Gaslighting

Moderate: Alcoholism, Incest, and Car accident

racheltrow_'s review against another edition

challenging dark 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

4.5

How dare he write such a fucked book in the most beautiful prose and it not even be his first language. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Child abuse, Incest, Pedophilia, Rape, and Sexual assault

Moderate: Alcoholism, Drug abuse, Mental illness, Racism, Violence, Car accident, Death of parent, Murder, and Schizophrenia/Psychosis

mme_carton's review against another edition

dark funny slow-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

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Alcoholism, Child abuse, Chronic illness, Death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Gun violence, Incest, Mental illness, Pedophilia, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Toxic relationship, Blood, Kidnapping, Car accident, Death of parent, Murder, Pregnancy, Gaslighting, Alcohol, and Sexual harassment

lesbegays's review against another edition

challenging dark slow-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

i have no idea how to rate this. it’s disturbing and disgusting and also so very human. i hated reading it but was also enthralled. 
i always have been and always will be drawn to stories about atrocities committed in the name of love, about evil done to loved ones not in spite of that love but because of it, about love that is twisted and selfish and incomplete but still very much love, about people who only know how to give love in ways that won’t feel like love to those who receive it. i think this is essential reading for anyone drawn to those themes in stories who can stomach this particular type of evil. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Child abuse, Death, Gun violence, Incest, Pedophilia, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Toxic relationship, Violence, Kidnapping, Murder, and Sexual harassment

Moderate: Addiction, Alcoholism, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Gore, Blood, Vomit, Death of parent, and Alcohol

Minor: Racism, Trafficking, Car accident, and Pregnancy