Reviews with content warning for Sexual assault - 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

ramramyum's review against another edition

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challenging dark funny tense slow-paced

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

4.0

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lucius_gooseman's review against another edition

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challenging dark emotional sad slow-paced

Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

This was the most challenging read of my entire life. Conversely, this is, with perhaps the exception of Steinbeck's East of Eden or Vidal's Myra Breckinridge, the finest novel I have ever read.

If I never read the word "nymphet" again, it will be too soon. Nabokov's words burrow inside of your brain, his deep, melodic, nightmarish, depraved prose staying with you for days, weeks to come. A complete deconstruction of American mores and culture while simultaneously being one of the most disgusting books I've laid eyes on (and take into account I literally just read Blood Meridian, but I believe I'd rather share an Uber with McCarthy's Judge Holden than Nabokov's Humbert) and also boasting some incredibly interesting thematic explorations of loneliness and lust. By the end of the experience, you too are just as ravenous as Humbert, as desperate for some sort of release, to be rid of this entire experience. But as soon as I shut the book, I wanted to pick it up again.

Humbert is perhaps the most villainous character in literature, rivalling Cathy Ames, the aforementioned Holden, or even Shakespeare's Claudius in every loathsome aspect. I watched the film, and I'll be honest, it was a little mundane for me. I loved Shelley Winters's performance as Charlotte (a love solidified after reading the novel counterpart, dearly departed Ms. Winters truly let the children know with that one) but found James Mason a completely uncompelling Humbert. That still rings true, especially with the added evil the novel counterpart has. Not only is he a pedophile, not only does he justify this behavior, not only is he a murderer, but he is genuinely an unlikeable person. Nabokov's biting wit is showcased in several ways through the words he uses, but nowhere is it more effective than in the simple choices, the references, the way Humbert describes fellow men and women and his surroundings, it adds another level of uncomfortableness, this aura of judgement and unease, to the entire experience that makes your skin crawl. Humbert Humbert, you are truly a bastard's bastard.

The novel is whoppingly intelligent, which sets it apart from its reputation as, not to mince words, child pornography. Going into this, I was expecting actual glorified love scenes, but no. Nabokov never breaks character as Humbert, it is the reader's task while reading Lolita, not the author's, to interpret the text correctly. This is not the glorification of a disgusting act by Vladimir Nabokov, it is the glorification of a disgusting act by a character written by Nabokov. Some people, especially in recent years (mention the title in the wrong English class and everyone goes atwitter, trust me, I've done it) cannot differentiate that. I cannot sing Nabokov's praises enough-- you know you're reading some A+ material when you start crying that this evil man (a literal, self-professed, and proud-of-it child molester) has ruined his life, as well as the life of everyone he came in contact with. This book is very tedious at points, sometimes the prose (as I similarly found in Genet's Querelle) loops around and ultimately takes you nowhere. That is part of the journey, I'm afraid, so I can't be too mad. Because of this, some details are forgotten as you read, needing to take in so much information throughout the read. When you sit and think as that final page ends, as I did, you can't help but feel genuinely devastated. This book is a soul-sucker.

Sorry if this review is scrambled, it is 2:40 AM and this book is amazing.

Content Warnings

hollyenglish's review against another edition

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challenging dark sad 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

2.0

Content Warnings

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!

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