Rating: 
Summary: A Heartbreaking Masterpiece . . .
Review: I had never heard of Lolita until I saw the recent Adrian Lyne production with Jeremy Irons. Nabakov was trying to prove something when he wrote this book. It is not overrated. It is not pornographic. I do not condone that Humbert is a pediophile. But the important thing to remember is that Lolita seduced him, not the other way around. No, that does not mean that Humbert had the right to rape and abuse her--nobody ever does. But Lolita knows what she is doing. She may even have such low opinion of herself, that she thinks she deserves what she gets. Lolita has learned the dark, dangerous side of sex at the tender age of twelve. I have toyed with the idea of love in this story. For the most part, Humbert is in lust with Lolita. But in his sick, twisted way, he does love her in the end--when she is no longer the nymphet, the fire of his loins. Married and pregnant, Lolita is still desired by Humbert. Lolita does not love Humbert. She cares for him, but does not love him. The end is especially tragic. Nabakov was a brilliant writer--this should be taken for much more than its face value.
Rating:
Summary: excellent
Review: This is not a love story. Read "Pale Fire" for an idea of Nabokov's method of writing. We get so caught up with H.H.'s narrative and the violent ending of the book, that we forget about the most important person: Lolita. What happened to her? What is the story from her point of view? Is she not a human being too, as her Mother and the others...? Or are they part of an entertainment, the type we want -- torrid, action filled, mindless but seemingly fun; the prurient fantasies that have so desensitised people that children now take to killing one another with guns.
Rating:
Summary: A modern reality of how love can be blind and innocent.
Review: Vladimir Nabokov's Lolita is a seductive, loss of innocence, love story. Best portrayed by a mad man's desire and obsession of a fourteen year old child. Humbert understands his love for Dolores is forbidden, but his ever lasting infatuation blinds him from what is wrong with a relationship with an adulescent. Dolores is a promiscuous, self-absorbed little girl, the fire of Humbert's Loins. I would recommend this book to adults, who are willing to feel sorry for Humbert.
Rating:
Summary: nearly missed it!
Review: it's notorious reputation almost made my die-hard ultra-religious mother burn that book! the incident made the book all the more interesting for me!
Rating:
Summary: Mesmerizing
Review: Lolita, like Pale Fire, subtly and irresistibly lures the reader into the mind and world view of an unreliable but savvy narrator, while giving a kind of "rescue-me" code to the reader from the author's view of the book's events. Lolita, while on surface irritatingly demanding and bratty, becomes beloved and tragic and Humbert Humbert declines into his own pool of excuse and rationalizing. A dreamlike book one can't leave, even after it's finished and it rests back on the shelf.
Rating:
Summary: Shocking yet intriguing.
Review: My first reaction to the main character was shock and disgust. Yet as I continued reading, I was unable to put the book down. I found myself commiserating with the main character which seemed absurd at the time. Wonderful book in exploring the mindset of a lunitic.
Rating:
Summary: Lolita, light of my library.......
Review: One of the most beautifully-constructed novels of the Twentieth Century, it is also one of the most misunderstood. When published in the 1950s, bluenoses criticized "Lolita" for its allegedly frank sexuality. Today, people look at it askance because of our increased sensitivity to child abuse and molestation. In addition, it was written by a Dead White European Male (not to be confused with White Widowed Male). Unfortunately, conservative and liberal critics scrutinizing the surface of "Lolita," as well as those panting maniacs looking for titillating stuff, demonstrate and appalling ignorance of Vladimir Nabokov's "intentions" (almost as shaky a term in his world as "reality").We may read "Lolita" through the perspective of nymphet-obsessed Professor Humbert, but Nabokov himself described Humbert as a "vain and cruel wretch who manages to appear 'touching.'" (See "Strong Opinions," Page 94, Vintage International Edition.) Furthermore, anyone familiar with Nabokov's other works knows of his penchant for unreliable narrators, such as Charles Kinbote in "Pale Fire." We can label Humbert as yet another member of that pesky legion. Of course, Humbert commits the crime of pedophilia, but the legal transgression is not the worst thing he does to Dolores Haze, the titular "Lolita." At least initially, there seems a mutual attraction between Humbert and Dolores. (But then, perhaps Dolores simply wanted to find someone to side with her against her mother. And look who's telling the story.) Unfortunately, Humbert carries the relationship too far, robbing Dolores of her freedom and humanity by turning her into a simple, two dimensional sex toy he has labelled "Lolita." Of course, Humbert also abuses Dolores physically, smacking her when she doesn't "behave" and forcing himself sexually on her. Looking at all this, I'm a little surprised that a feminist writer hasn't started work on "Dolores' Diaries......" Pedophilia and solipsism aren't the only themes covered in "Lolita." Since Nabokov portarays the erotic scenes and sensual images with a modesty based on artistic sensibility (rather than prudery), your standard pedophile seeking simple stimulation would probably end up bored by Nabokov's writing. Unless, of course, there happen to exist pedophiles also titillated by mythical and literary allusions; puns and anagrams that transcend linguistic boundaries; catalogues of quotidian life; parodies of Freudian psychology, popular culture, etc.; arcane and esoteric trivia; the melting pot of "high" and "low" culture; the bizarre coincidences that supplant the standard symbolism of most literature at that time; and so on. Of course, "Lolita" is very funny, despite its narrator's moral deficiencies. Humbert's comments on certain subjects (such as Freudian psychology, pseudo-intellectual pretentions, pointless scientific studies, etc.) and his sardonic asides are absolutely hysterical. And the final showdown between Humbert and perverted playwright Clare Quilty is a great study in dark humor, almost reminiscent of the cartoon confrontations between Elmer Fudd and Bugs Bunny. Nabokov has given us one of the greatest literary works of the century. In "Lolita," he took American colloquial English and manipulated in far more creative ways than many writers actually born in the United States. And after finishing the book, don't miss Nabokov's own commentary on "Lolita," where one finds the best-argued and most unique (not to mention funniest) argument against pornography. It was many years ago when Nabokov died. (I was a child.) I wish that Nabokov has lived at least as long as Van Veen in "Ada," commenting on the culture and writing more books on the same par as those from hs late American period. A man who was "hip" while maintaining a bemused detachment from trendiness, what would he have made of shopping malls? Political correctness? Cable television? Alternative music? The Internet? Jerry Springer? Millenialist jitters? Or some of this decades greatest scandals, near-Nabokovian events in themselves, like Joey Buttafuoco (of course), Lorena Bobbitt, O.J. Simpson, Bill and Monica? Wherever he is (Heaven, Hell, Nirvana, Anti-Terra), I would like to thank Nabokov for providing us with a compelling and unique model of how to read, write, and perceive life.
Rating: 
Summary: A VIRTUOSO WITH WORDS
Review: Visceral, ecstatic, the words themselves drip with lust. They instill desire in the reader's own heart. But more so in the first half of the book.
Rating:
Summary: I'm a woman and I think this book is amazing...
Review: so there! I found it a beautifully written love story and it IS a love story. There are many kinds of love, not all of them pure and beautiful. At the end when he realized he loved her even if she wasn't a "nymphet" anymore, pregnant with another man's child...he still loved her! He overcame his deeply ingrained perversion because of the love he had for ONE nymphet - no longer a nymphet but a tired young pregnant wife - certainly no longer his taste...but he still loved her. A beautiful book.
Rating:
Summary: it is the best book i have ever read!!!
Review: Well, i read it in Russian but i think it is as good in English as in Russian. It is just perfectly written. And my opinion isn't an exception. You can't even imagine how people love Nabokov in Russia (Ukraine where i live is Russia in fact). A few days ago there was a radio talk show about this book (not exectly about the book - about how much time you have spent on it and how many times you have reread it). Guess what they told. So read it - you won't be disappointed!
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