Rating: 
Summary: Brilliantly romantic
Review: Valdimir Nabokov's Lolita is the stunning tale of an older man's frustrating infatuation with young girls. The man, Humbert, spends much of his adult life scheming ways to "be with" a young girl. He dubs these youthful temptresses, "nymphets" and uses the term constantly throughout the book. Humbert eventually achieves his goal and the bulk of the novel details the aftermath and its effects on the well-developed characters. We get a glimpse inside the psyche of the type of a person society tends to condemn, and we actually can begin to understand it. Nabokov said that he wrote Lolita as a love story, not as cheap pornography as many people claimed. His intentions of showing Humbert's extreme frustration come across as clear as crystal. It certainly seemed that Nabokov was exorcising his own frustrations in the writing of this book. It would be difficult for me to believe that Nabokov could express such strong emotions using his writing so clearly, without feeling them at one time or another in his life. Nabokov also intended to show the human being's eternal desire for something that society has told them they can not and should not have. Symbolic? The entire novel seems to be. Of course Vladimir Nabokov says that he detests symbolism. A very interesting concept in my own opinion. Nabokov achieves these intentions with Lolita much, much more. Nabokov brilliantly displays our weakness for temptation and our usually weak methods of justifying giving in to temptation. Lolita is often funny and always interesting, but at the same time wracked by feelings of disturbing sadness. Without a shadow of a doubt Lolita excels in nearly every way. However sometimes Nabokov glosses over issues of importance and spends a bit too much time detailing more trivial matters concerning the plot. But this imbalance just contributes to the imbalances perpetually suffered by Nabokov's unique and sometimes shocking portrayal of Humbert. Do yourself a favor, read this novel.
Rating:
Summary: Superior
Review: One of the most beautiful pieces of art of the 20th Century.
Rating:
Summary: Dark, witty and playful -- reminiscent of Poe!
Review: Nabokov's LOLITA knocked me off my feet. From what might be the greatest first paragraph ever to the last feverish pages, you'll be swept up by the brazen, intelligent, disturbed, hilarious and lecherish Humbert Humbert. Never has a character so vile seemed so wonderful. Don't be put off by the subject matter, LOLITA is more than just the story of a pedophile, it is a fascinating tale of unrequited love (written much in the style of Poe) filled with humor, horror and humility. It takes it's time in the telling, but is filled with language rich with Humbert's insanely hilarious thoughts and views on his situation. I was surprised at how much this book made me laugh and at how cleverly written it was. Wonderful wordplay -- something most books don't have.
Rating:
Summary: One of my favorite books
Review: I've read this book in Russian. It's superb. Nabokov's language can't be compared with anyone's else. It's unique. It's so rich, so luxuriant.Most of all I was impressed how Humbert Humbert describes his love to Lolita. When I read these passages I believe that love exists. It's exactly the way I imagine real love.Somebody will consider Humbert's feelings a bit [pervese]. Still they are sincere.His tragedy is that his love is not mutual. The novel itself is brilliant.
Rating:
Summary: "A paradise whose skies were the color of hell-flames..."
Review: Nabokov, I am convinced, is the greatest writer of the twentieth century, and the fact that he learned English as his third language is mesmorizing. This book is beautifully written and intensely soulfull. It can be witty and outrageous one moment and yet dejected and utterly appalling the next. I have never read a better book. The opening line, impossible to ignore, captures the essence of the entire novel: "Lolita, light of my life, fire of my loins." With this remarkable prelude, Nabokov establishes the novel's intrigue. We are, as readers, drawn to his insatiable hunger for love and acceptance. Lolita, nee Dolores Haze, is responsible for her own downfall. As an American after the war years, she is forced by society--not by Humbert--to lose her innocence. Humbert merely recognizes her maturity. Yet his own downfall is his inability to, at the same time, acknowledge her immaturity. This is a memoir-- a horribly pathetic plea of a man engrossed in loving a girl whom he is not allowed to love. Society prevented Dolores from having a childhood, but it also prevented Humbert from having one: his was stolen, and when he tries to regain his resplendent youth--in Lolita--he is rejected. Society did not want him to choose his true love. But, the argument continues: did Humbert her? What is love: obsession? a step up from that? No, it is respect. Humbert gave her respect. It is for this reason that he let her die, without him, doing what she wanted to do. It was always what she wanted to do with her own life. Humbert cannot see truth--but what is truth? Is truth society? The same society which prevented his childhood in the first place? Lolita is perhaps the most stimulating book I have ever read. It characterizes both directly and indirectly a relationship troubled with its own identity. Humbert is afraid. Dolores is overconfident. Ohh, the danger of loving someone with hamartia. "This is the only immortality you and I may share..."
Rating:
Summary: Piece of Art.....
Review: This was a wonderful sad novel,it was a mixture of guilt, humor,conflicts, morality, loss of innocence and sexuality.The language was very well written and beautiful prose,its amazing to know that Nabakov wrote this novel in his second language.This is a tale of a middle aged professor ( Humbert) obsessed with a 12 year old girl (Lolita).Humbert allows himself to live his fantasy at the same time running from reality,he replaces his loss of Annabel in his childhood with Lolita. However the audio book which is read by Jeremy Irons is something else.Jeremy Irons voice draws you deeper into the novel and no one can deny that he has a perfect wonderful voice,makes you want to listen over and over again.A true classic.
Rating:
Summary: Where shall I begin?
Review: I really do not know how to put my passion for this book into words. Perhaps no words could ever capture my feverent love for this book. While it is true that this book is often labeled as .............. or disgusting, I beg to differ. This book changed the way I read literature of any sorts, and any book that can do something that monumental is a masterpiece. Maybe if everyone could quit shouting about how what horrible events took place,they could fully understand what is going on here. This is not merely a novel, it is poetry to the fullest. At times while you are reading this book you find yourself encountering feelings of guilt for the narrator, Humbert Humbert. Guilt? This man is committing a heinous act, yet you are almost pulling for him, cheering him on, falling in love with him falling in love. Obviously, there are some adult, and mature undercurrents surging through this text, but the truth is anyone who can write about something like that and make you feel emotion for this man, must be a genius. The pure intelligence with which this book was written makes you fall in love with writing. Humbert may be a terrible person for doing what he did, but in all honesty I for one felt bad for him. Perhaps I am a terrible person, but I will rightfully admit that I fell in love, not with Humbert Humbert, not with the poor, lost Lolita, but with Nabokov's utter beauty and care with which he crafted this masterpiece. Love has never been expressed so wonderfully, so emotionally in any other book that I have ever read. If you do choose to read this book which I so highly recommend, then I suggest you pull those blinders from your eyes which society has so forcefully put upon all of us. This is not about ..............., or ........, but the love and obsession of a lost, weak and broken man struggling to regain a period in his childhood which seems frozen in his mind, both inhibiting growth and understanding. If you cannot at least see the torment of every character in this book then at least find the wonder and utter charm in this piece of work.
Rating:
Summary: 300+ pages of absolute poetry.
Review: Yes, it's about a middle-aged man in love with a twelve-year old girl. But it really is a shame that so many readers get caught up in that fact and ignore so much else, or take the opposite approach and argue it is anything but that. This love is the hub of the entire book, and everything does in fact revolve around it. But it does revolve so beautifully...Lolita is written as a confession of Humbert Humbert, a man imprisoned for the crime(s) commited for his love of Dolores Hays, a nymphet who embodies everything he feels he lost in love as a young man. As we first meet Dolores -- Lolita -- Nabakov describes her in such painfully beautiful prose through Humbert's eyes for page after page...after page...that we can almost understand his need for her. Almost. Humbert Humbert is a slave to his desires, too weak to pull himself away from the actions he then takes that even he realizes are dispicable. Nothing is more important to him than snuggling up to the young girl, and when he finally gets his chance, as he proclaims in surprise, "SHE seduced ME!" Soon the relationship degenerates as Dolores is allowed to explore her desires and destroy the both of them in the process. Humbert loathes himself more and more as he plies her with presents and ice cream for more physical attention from his beloved nymphet, none of which is actually described except by one or two allusions after the fact. When Dolores escapes, Humbert Humbert spends an enormous amount of time tracking her and her new lover down, sliding further into immorality and helpless to stop it. Dolores is psychologically ruined. Humbert was never stable and degenerates quickly. Nabakov does not endorse the morale ambiguity of Humbert Humbert, who knows he is a monster himself. It's about the decline of a man too weak to resist his desires and the consequences that result. And it's all described so perfectly and uniquely, you have to read it yourself to experience.
Rating:
Summary: hmm
Review: It's funny to me... nobody who rips this book apart has anything bad to say about its literary genius, only that it's about pedophilia. It's also funny that I read close to one hundred reviews of this book and of the many favorable reviewers, all but one said that Lolita is about pedophilia. I applaud that one reader for being something more than the rest of you. Not only is pedophilia not the major theme of this work, it is not a secondary theme either. It is buried beneath the most beautifully poetic prose written about a man in love. How long it takes you to figure out he is in love with Annabel and not Lolita is not my problem, but yours. Get past your inane social taboos and read this book, especially the annotated edition. There is a reason it is considered a masterpiece and eroticism, pedophilia, and hype have nothing to do with it.
Rating: 
Summary: Not sure about this one...
Review: I can not say I loved this novel and i can not say i hated it either. I was a little disappointed with the novel. I guess i had been looking for a love story between two people and found only a one sided love affair. I never saw any of the Lolita movies, but i had pretty much knew what the novel was about. Nabokov's use of the english language did amaze me and i also found myself laughing at his quick whit and humorous scenarious. It always seemed nothing ever worked out the way Humbert Humbert had planned. Humbert pretty much disliked everything except little Lo and i found his sarcasm funny. I was amazed at the way this book was not graphic at all. I had figured this book would be filled with detailed sexual accounts but i couldn't have been farther from the truth. Humbert writes about his love affair in a very polite and mannered way (as nice as you can tell a story about incest). I was always looking for Lolita to say she really did care about humbert and it never happened the way i had thought it would. So therefore i had been let down. I also thought the book rambled a bit too much. Jumping from subject to subject at points...which almost made me think i was reading stream of conscienceness writing. At times it was hard to follow and at others a good read. I do not know what to think of this book and i doubt i ever will. there is no message and for some people that might be a downer for them. If you are interested in reading literary masterpieces..i suggest reading this. If you are looking for a great love story and a page turner that keeps you hooked..i suggest skipping Lolita.
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