Lolita

Rating:
Summary: American Idyll
Review: Lolita, and Nabokov's writing in general, is in a word brilliant. The reader must be quite well read and culturally astute to understand many of the nuances of this novel (unless you get the annotated one, but I found it more fun to see what I would understand on my own, followed by looking up which I didn't). I stared in wonder when my fencing instructor asked, horrified, "Why are you reading THAT TRASH?" I asked if he'd ever read it. The response came, "No, I don't read filth." Lolita is not filth, in any way shape of form. Filth is purient. It is hard for me to imagine Nabokov as a Russian. He captures the American landscape so idyllicly; his description of the advertisements, magazines, music, and the people are wonderful. Nabokov captures what many have been trying to cage for years: the subtlty of emotion which can only be found in obsession.

Rating:
Summary: Excellent rendition of a haunting literary work
Review: On the box cover of this edition there is a quote from a New York Times review, which (paraphrased) reads, "Nabakov described LOLITA as the product of his love affair with the English language. Jeremy Irons makes it a menage-a-trois."

No more apt description can be given to Irons' rendition of Nabakov's account of a tragic, unforgiveable, irresistable obsession. I am in awe of Nabakov's ability to probe so thoroughly, and evoke such humor and humanity from a subject, the mere mention of which would offend and disgust so many. The beauty of the metaphors created and the lush use of the language--brought so wonderfully to life by Irons' talents as a performer--communicates Humbert's deep passion and pathos; painting his twisted, transient joy on a rich and stunningly dimensional but ultimately bleak and desperate landscape. That Nabakov created such a tragic masterpiece in a language that was not native to him is beyond amazing. Not many native English speakers can approach his mastery of the language or ability to amuse & stimulate imagination.

Tragic, funny, honest, shocking, wonderful and horrible - Nabakov and Irons have molded a LOLITA that will haunt me forever.

Rating:
Summary: My Sin, my soul---Lolita.
Review: I have to admit "Lolita" is perfect. The book and the fancy prose style writing is perfect. Never have I read a book that was so beautifully written, detailed, tragic and funny. It's a work of pure art. I won't give details as to what the book is about because you can read that in the other reviews but it is so worth your time to read this beloved book. "She was Lo, plain Lo in the morning, standing four feet ten in one sock. She was Lola in slacks. She was Dolly at school. She was Dolores on the dotted line. But in my arms she was always Lolita. This is my favorite part of the book. It makes me want to cry at the sheer beauty of the words. BRAVO Lolita!

Rating:
Summary: muy buena lectura
Review: esta novela es buenisima, sugiere muchas cosas y no dice casi nada por eso se salva de ser material pornografico, porque todo se lo deja a la imaginacion del lector aunque todos sabemos la fuerza que tienen las ninfas en el despertar del sexo y la inabilidad de H H para protegerse de ese poder. este libro como todos es un viaje, pero este es un viaje a un sitio escabroso para muchos hombres, la conciencia del deseo que da la vida enfocada hacia los ninos y convertido en manipulacion. disfrutenla chicos. LUIS MENDEZ

Rating:
Summary: Not the greatest "American" novel.
Review: Lolita, though mainly set in America is also set in France. Nabokov is Russian and it was written in English so I cannot see how it can ever be considered the "greatest American novel". That point aside, I feel this novel is greatly misunderstood. As a sixteen year old female I can see the adult world that surrounds me with a childish perspective. I feel H.H had the same perspective throughout the book. He is trapped in the past, back in his own youth, when he was in love with a girl that later died. His constant search for this girl leads him to Lolita and after SHE seduces him, she runs off with another older man, that she'd had before H.H had come along. This is not your average twelve year old girl.

Though this book's subject matter should not be taken lightly, it is often misunderstood and the entire point of the book missed. Anyone who has read the book will have found in the end, H.H loved Lolita. It was not just the perverse, sickly desire he felt at the begining. Even when she is pregnant and past it in the nyphet stakes he is in love with her. They both die. So for all of the people who think this novel is a look at how fun sex is with under-aged girls they should be pleased. With both sinful characters dead, the message should die to? As the movie with Jermemy Irons proves this is a sad story of one-sided, ill-fated love and lust that in the end, ends with death. This is NOT an American story, it is NOT America's greatest novel, it is a book whose message is misunderstood, misused and mistreated. Read the book and decide for yourself.

Rating:
Summary: One of the most brilliant novels of the century
Review: The annotated version is well worth reading the second or third time you read Lolita. It's loaded with symbolism, spoonerism and a whole lot of stuff that most people will natuarally pass over. Check out the relevence of the number 342.

Rating:
Summary: A Disturbing and Fascinating Tragedy
Review: What many people do not understand about this story is that it is less about pedophilia and sex than about obsession and psychological power. Though it is clearly wrong for a middle-aged man to have a sexual relationship with a young girl, I must remind you that, no, he was NOT a child molestor. Instead, Humbert is a troubled man consumed with unexplainable feelings for this girl--he feels she is his angel, his Beatrice, the one being that seems to surpass all around her. Such characters of divine perfection are common to anyone with knowledge of literature. I remind you once again that this is a tale of that one perfect thing that we always strive to reach, but which always manages to slip through our fingers.

Rating:
Summary: THE BEST AMERICAN NOVEL EVER WRITTEN
Review: For years I did not read LOLITA because of the subject matter. WELL!! Because the new film of the book came out last year I bought and read it, and the result is that I believe it is the best American novel ever written, albiet it was written by a Russian expatriot--and English was his second language! This book is almost poetic. It is very funny. It is a love story. It is a detective story. It is a psychological study. It is a travelogue of the U.S. backroads in

the '50s. It is a criminal's confession. It is a legal defense. It is the story of a pedophile. It is all of the above, and still is very sad. I loved it, and almost re-read it as soon as I finished the last page. Instead, I bought Nabakov's bio and read ABOUT it and about him. Then, of course, I had to read his other books. . . He was truly a genuis, and quite an entertainer.

Rating:
Summary: Good book, sometimes confusing
Review: While I enjoyed this book immensely, there were times when I just did not understand what the heck Nabokov was talking about. Am I alone in this?

Rating:
Summary: lolita--poetic novel, amazing vision
Review: forget the abhorent subject matter and read this book. it sums up obsessive passion better than any other work i know. and the image of 1950's americana is astounding.