A review by sanmeow
Mary by Vladimir Nabokov
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
3.0
a novel about a man's memories of his first love, and it's nabokov's first novel. it follows ganin, who learns that mary (his first love) is going to marry his neighbor. since he's still in love with mary, he decides he can't let this happen, all while talking about his memories of how happy he was with mary. he develops a plan to meet mary one more time and have them reunite, but changes his mind last minute. he decides to go to france and move on with his life.
i enjoyed the exploration of love, memory, and desire. i was pleasantly surprised, because i didn't quite enjoy this in lolita, which is why i didn't finish it but i might try again sometime. the prose here was quite poetic and enchanting and it added to the artistic value of the novel. i also liked that it was pretty short because it felt like the appropriate length for such a story. i'm not obsessed with it, but i think it's a good book.
i enjoyed the exploration of love, memory, and desire. i was pleasantly surprised, because i didn't quite enjoy this in lolita, which is why i didn't finish it but i might try again sometime. the prose here was quite poetic and enchanting and it added to the artistic value of the novel. i also liked that it was pretty short because it felt like the appropriate length for such a story. i'm not obsessed with it, but i think it's a good book.