Lolita

by Vladimir Nabokov 

Review of Lolita by Vladimir Nabokov

 

       Lolita is about a man named Humbert Humbert (yes, that's his name), who ends up at a small motel, where he finds himself falling in love with the owner's twelve year old daughter.  Though he is repulsed by the widowed owener, he marries her in order to get closer to Lolita, but after her death in a freak accident, he believes he is free to do whatever he wants.  He then takes Lolita on a cross-country roadtrip.  But he soon begins to realise that things may not work out like he planned.  The book is the most famous by Vladimir Nabokov, one of the most famous Russian authors along with Tolstoy and Dostoevsky.  Lolita is often attacked by critics as presenting an immoral message to society, but I saw no such message in the book.  You see, although on the outside it is about a man falling for a twelve year old, its real plot and message lie much deeper within.  It is really about a man's grief and loss during his own childhood and how that grief and loss has broken his psychology.  Presented with the proper circumstances, such a thing as happened to the main character could happen to anyone.  Lolita was a deeply psychological and, at times, deeply touching book.  It is very slow (the vast majority of the time) and took me far longer to read than a normal book.  But although it is slow, it is still a great story (something that is probably realised upon reflection rather than during the actual process of reading).  I'll leave you with one final intellectually charged statement: "Dem Ruskies can write."

Lolita by Vladimir Nabokov was reviewd by Count Orad

       Sometimes it was boring and give a negative advice to society .

Lolita by Vladimir Nabokov was reviewd by Vesel

       Great novel written by an incredibly articulate writer. He sucks the reader into his protagonist's mind and we're forced to understand him to understand the novel and its plot and all its details .

Lolita by Vladimir Nabokov was reviewd by Einar

       People say you should read books you can relate to. I sure as hell hope no-one relates to this book. From when, the doubley (pardon the pun) named, "Humbert Humbert" first meets our beloved Dolores Haze A.K.A. Lolita to the shocking, some what forsawn (spelling mistake), conclusion I was hooked.

       I did not find this book a light read. Looking back on it now I can't believe I understood half the stuff in the book. Nabakovs written style is fantastic from his description of the places they traveled to his thrilling vocabulary. Nabakov was one hell of a writter touching, if you will, into himself deply to pull this one out.

       Nabakov had one provacative story, even by todays standards, and the only thing that matches it was his pure genius of a writting style. Even when he find out who did it to our Lolita ( I will refrain as best I can from giving away the story incase someone who hasn't read it yet reads this as best I can without sounding to nonsensical) Nabakov uses his witty genius to continue to confuse us.

       Waterproof. Foreshadowing in the book as well ( I will not give examples for benefit of others) And the cleverly named Vivian Bloomfield anagram Vladimir Nabakov. I especially loved his description of lolita "I can imagine so well the colourful classroom around my dolorous and hazy darling."

       The story to Lolita is briliant and Nabakov does a fantastic job in feigning Humbert voices from his undescriptive sexual encounters between the two to his constant pleading with the reading to understand and his duly affection for his love, Lolita.

       The end of the book surely is an ending. Humbert may lose onething but he gains another. He stops pleading with the reader to understand and starts pleading with Lolita to forgive him for ruining her childhood. The serves as his repent for the sins he commited, even if wrong, with the best intentions. (And i say "best intentions" as lightly as possible) .

Lolita by Vladimir Nabokov was reviewd by CJ

       This book was an extremely disturbing, perverse and abnormal experience, which I found really hard to relate to (being a non peodophilic female heterosexual). Normally I don't find classics hard to read (some people complain about language) but at times I felt bored because it wasn't picking up pace. Generally speakng it was ironically a fun and light read which I rather enjoyed.

       Was it a good book? Yes, it was. But I do not think it deserves to make it to the 'greatest novels' list. It's claim lies in its controversial themes and entertaining, funny plot rather than how well it was written. This book could most probably have been condensed into a novella .

Lolita by Vladimir Nabokov was reviewd by Joz

       Lolita, light of my life, fire of my loins. My sin, my soul. Lo-lee-ta: the tip of the tongue taking a trip of three steps down the palate to tap, at three, on the teeth, Lo. Lee.Ta. She was Lo, plain Lo, in the morning, standing four feet ten in one sock. She was Lola in slacks. She was Dolly in school. She was Dolores on the dottedline. But in my arms she was always Lolita.

      So begins one of the most controversial novels of modern times, charting the unconventional relationship between the older man, Humbert Humbert, and a girl of twelve. It’s a tale told from the point of view of Humbert (a character so good they named him twice!) and is surprisingly persuasive in garnering sympathy for a man who is, essentially, a pedophile. The torment he suffers through his obsession with Lolita and the length to which he will go to possess her are beautifully told – at times poignantly poetic – in a style that illustrates the author’s love of a language which isn’t his mother tongue (I could almost cry at how beautifully he writes!).

       This is truly a modern classic and the subject, though fraught with danger, is tactfully engaged so that the reader is forced to re-evaluate conventional thinking in terms of relationships between adults and children who are often less innocent than one might believe. It’s a tale of epic proportions, a telling commentary on life, love and obsession, and an amoral love letter to every nymphette who ever lived.

Lolita by Vladimir Nabokov was reviewd by Kell Smurthwaite (On the Shelf Reviews)

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