Reviews with content warning for Kidnapping - Lolita

Absolutely insane read but I loved it. In fact, I loved it so much that I chose to do it as one of my A Level English lit coursework texts! Highly recommend if you enjoy reading the absolute worst man ever yapping about Edgar Allan Poe.

Content Warnings

lizzie_yc's review against another edition

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dark mysterious tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

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madammejay's review against another edition

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adventurous challenging funny reflective sad tense slow-paced

Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

brilliant. i know lolita is one of those books which are highly critically acclaimed but it is not heavy in the way you might expect it to be. it‘s more heavy because it‘s so packed with satire and comedic elements that you might forget the underlying topic. a complex but very rewarding read, like most literature by russian authors

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foxymama's review against another edition

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dark fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

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bluelilyleest's review against another edition

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challenging dark funny 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

4.0

"[...] so that above and over everything there is — Lolita."

I was finally convinced to read this classic because it turned out it's one of my best friends' favorite book and I wanted to know how in heaven's name she could like a book about a pedophile. It looks like now I'll have to find a way to bring into words why I like a book about a pedophile, too.

I'd briefly learned about Lolita in my literature studies that it was a controversial book because of its theme and the fact that it's told from the perspective of the bad guy. I hadn't wanted to read it, because I didn't want to feel any kind of sympathy for the protagonist. I was afraid his thoughts and morals would be forced upon me through the focalization.

Boy, was I wrong! The distance between the reader and the protagonist couldn't be greater. There are many layers to this book - a story within a diary within publication within a book - that constantly challenge and ridicule Humbert Humbert's perspective. He is a complete pathetic loser and I constantly rooted for everything to curb and frustrate him. As someone who is quite sensitive, I can say that the actual sexual misconducts are kept to a minimum and were not as disturbing to me as to make me stop reading.

If you're interested in character perspective and the levels of narration/irony, this book is for you!

Content Warnings

atticlovebuzz's review against another edition

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medium-paced

Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

DONE FINALLY!! Thank god. Now I can procrastinate my way through another classic that I will only pick up once a week for months on end. PHEW!! Loved the writing style. Satirical pieces and unreliable narrators will always have my eye. I’ll look into more from Nabokov after this! This was such a difficult book to bring in public. The questions and concerns were part of the reason it took months to finish.

Content Warnings

angiebks's review against another edition

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challenging dark reflective tense fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? N/A
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? N/A
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

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