Lolita by Vladimir Nabokov
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Web ID: 15624108I hated how much I loved this
So we all know the subject matter of this book is horrendous and disgusting. I won't dwell on that because obviously we are all still here, which means we are not here for the heinous content. We are here for the book itself. On that note, I will do my best. The writing was phenomenal. I really mean that. I'm not just using a big word to use it; the way Nabokov crafted the words to turn them into absolute emotion and feeling that goes above plain diction and becomes a type of poetry was mind blowing. I hated that so many wonderful lines were in *this* book, used by the narrator who of course I hated. But that was part of the beauty of it, that was part of the reason Nabokov wrote it so beautifully: to show the pure yearning and obsession that turns even the crudest of souls into something angelic. I hated it, and I *loved* that I hated it. I love that it created that turmoiled response in me. Even with this being one of the hardest stories to follow because I didn't want to know what was going to happen, I HAD to know what was going to happen. I was hooked almost from the beginning and that was because of the way the story was told. We were given these little remorseful lines along the way that keeps the reader wondering what the absolute eff could have happened to get this guy (narrator) to write this story and tell people this. What happened? WHAT HAPPENED? I totally understand the outrage and the praise for this novel. It inspired in me complicated feelings, as you have just read, but it was an amazing book to read and one that I will remember for the rest of my life. It was beautiful in all the wrong ways, it was terrible in a way that kept your eyes glued to the page, and it was such a breakdown of everything that your left searching the pieces for something to hold onto at the end.
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Disgustingly Beautiful
Way better than the film interpretations for sure.
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I Wish More People Had Reading Comprehension
Of his work that I've read, I don't even think this is Nabokov at his best––not even close––but it's nothing short of tragic to see how widely and frequently people misinterpret the meaning of this text in order to apply the easiest, most obvious morality to it. (Depiction does not equal endorsement!)
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Favorite Book of All Time
Screaming, crying, throwing up. It’s obviously a masterpiece that everyone MUST read one time. It’s disturbing but also infatuating beautiful. Everyone should have to read the story of Dolores Haze and her abuser Humbert Humbert. Nabokov is a genius. If you aren’t sobbing by the end i don’t know who hurt you.
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Themes and notable quotes
Five major themes of the book are: Obsession: The narrator, Humbert Humbert, becomes obsessed with the young girl Lolita, and his desire for her consumes his thoughts and actions. Pedophilia: Humbert Humbert is a pedophile and his relationship with Lolita is inappropriate and abusive. Deception: Humbert Humbert is constantly deceiving others, including Lolita, in order to pursue his obsession. Identity: Lolita is searching for her own identity and trying to escape the control of Humbert Humbert. Power dynamics: The power dynamics between Humbert Humbert and Lolita are complex and shifting, with Humbert Humbert often using his power and control to manipulate Lolita. Notable quotes from the novel include: "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." - Humbert Humbert "I was entranced by the magic of nymphets, and, as I entered my teens, I knew that only with a nymphet would I be able to relax and give myself completely." - Humbert Humbert "I am thinking of aurochs and angels, the secret of durable pigments, prophetic sonnets, the refuge of art. And this is the only immortality you and I may share, my Lolita." - Humbert Humbert "I have always had the ability to perceive the sinister and the absurd, the two being sometimes identical." - Humbert Humbert "I was still the same Humbert Humbert, but with a difference, a difference that made all the difference." - Humbert Humbert
Customer review from barnesandnoble.com
Great Read, Quite Disturbing
When I originally read this book, I didn't know there was controversy about it as well as how known this book is. In the beginning, I did find it hard to follow along. I felt you had to concentrate deeply to understand what was happening. The language that is used can be difficult to comprehend, especially when it comes to the French terms that were used. Even though the book was quite disturbing, I felt like the universal issue that is discussed was written fittingly, especially from a criminal and sinister point of view as illustrated in the book. Some of the details were difficult to read as it was brutally graphic, but it make me more aware of the issue from a different perspective.
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Customer review from barnesandnoble.com
Amazing
One of my favorites. Definitely makes you remind yourself who the narrator is as a person behind all his woes and lovely writing.
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Well Written - Controversial Read
Extremely well done. It is quite disturbing and I was not sure if I would finish the book but I did. The book is written from the point of view of a sick, disturbed man and his relationship with a young, 12 year old girl. It is a literary work so I suppose you could look past it for the sake of the story. You get an inside look into his mind and hand all be is not incredibly reliable as a narrator but still, I am conflicted.
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