Rating: 
Summary: OH,DOLORES,DOLLY,LO!!! LOLITA OF MY HEART!!!
Review: Words cannot express the way I feel about this book. I was amazed,dazzled and pleasantly shocked by this extraordinary piece of art. "LOLITA" IS INSIDE EVERYBODY!!! PLEASE, DON'T FIGHT AGAINST YOUR OWN SELVES AND SOULS...
Rating:
Summary: Better the second time
Review: I read "Lolita" years ago and duly considered it funny, sad, thoughtful, literate and heart-rending -- a true classic. Then my wife gave me this annotated version as a gift. I re-read it and found, to my surprise, that the book was even better the second time around. The annotations are insightful and not intrusive. And the book itself is simply astounding. This book made me laugh out loud, it filled my eyes with tears, it gave me goosebumps, it made me think, it made me wonder. DO NOT let other people try to keep you from reading this book because of their opinion of the morality of the plot. The plot? I remember taking my two young daughters to see Disney's "Hunchback of Notre Dame" and watching cartoon characters get laughs by roasting hot dogs over the flames of a burning city and another scene in the same G-rated movie where a clergyman wrestles with his sexual desire for a teenage girl in song and dance. Likewise, the plot of "Lolita" is not morally uplifting. But, I tell you, the words themselves absolutely soar. This is the work of a genius. END
Rating:
Summary: Don't judge Lolita by her lover...
Review: Modern-day Puritans--and let's face it, we still live in a puritannical America when the lurid exploits of the Jon Benet Ramsey case take lead story on the news vs. real stories like the implications of cloning--will somehow still manage to wrinkle an eyebrow when you admit that 'Lolita' is among your favorite works of art. But to say 'Lolita' is 'about' a lecherous old man's cherchez la jeune femme,' le fruit vert' as Nabokov would say, is to say that Moby Dick is 'about ' a fish! As your initial salacious sense turns to laughter at the excellent parody of American- and European moralities, class foibles, and then, finally to open-mouthed awe at the richness of Nabokov's ironic art, you will be compelled to admit, as did one of Appel's army buddies, who picked up the Olympia Press version-- thinking it a steamy companion in a lonely army barracks-- that 'it's goddam lit-a-chur!!!" And you would surely not be alone...
One of my Top Ten I Would Not Be Able to Survive on a Desert Island Without books. And I don't care if you think it's 'dirty,' Mom--you also thought the Magic Flute was 'long...'
Rating: 
Summary: Grossed out
Review: I won't say Lolita is the worst book I've ever read, which is why I've graded it at 2. As a voracious reader, I found the book an interesting piece of literature. I don't agree with the substance, but it IS well-written. However, I would not use the words "beautiful, compelling" etc, as have been used in other reviews. Lolita grossed me out - proper. There is nothing remotely beautiful about an adult man lusting after such a young girl. It's not love, but a sick disease Humbert Humbert suffers from, because Lo is not the first, or the only girl he has lusted after. He sees "nymphs" everywhere. There is nothing remotely beautiful in a story about a man who sits on park benches, orgasming as a young girl reaches for a ball under the bench. It's repulsive, and nauseating. It's all very well to put the blame on little "nymphets", saying that they are born seducers. It's all very well to find Humbert's frank confession witty and humorous. But stop and think. There ARE men like that around, eyeing your daughters, sisters, friends that way - men, sitting apparently harmlessly on a park bench, men in a bus, men walking down the road. It is no laughing matter. I would've thanked Nabokov for bringing this REAL issue to light, had he not tried to make this a beautiful, funny piece of writing. We are talking about mentally deranged men here, child abusers, not men in love. I do not understand how people can read Lolita, and return to re-read the book unscathed.
Rating:
Summary: WHATT?? you dare to look for reviews? JUST READ THE BOOK!!!
Review: I came accross this book a few years back as it was translated to Russian by the author himself. Yet, I was surprised to his own comments, where he appologized to a Russian reader for omitting lots of language specific trcks that were in original English version. Now I am buying this book from amazon.com and rejoyce my soul once more! Or should I say many times more... Now I am proud, I can read it in both languages and even compare. There is one thing that describes this book quite well - one of a kind! You will not ind anything else even close to this. Don't even look. just get this piece and hold your breath to the last page. It deserves a 25!
Rating:
Summary: It's NOT a dirty book!!!!!!!!!!!!
Review: I only recently read "Lolita", after having managed to avoid it for a good twenty-six years. Thank God I picked it up at last! I don't believe in "the Great American Novel" and I've never been able to choose one book as "the best I've ever read"-- before now. Whether or not it qualifies as an American novel (I don't see why not, but as Nabokov was born outside the U.S. others might disagree) 'Lolita' IS the best book I've ever read, hands down, bar none, period. // And yet, every time I recommend it to someone new, they comment, "oh, but that's a sick book. I don't want to read about an old man and a little girl. It's nasty.," or something along those lines. WRONG!!!!!! 'Lolita' is a beautiful, lyrical, funny, compelling, exciting adventure with a narrator who's insanely sane and a heroine one can pity but seldom respect. The plot is unpredictable even if you know the subject matter, and at times the tension generated by dear Humbert Humbert and his little Lo kept me up all night long, reading. // I love this book, respect it, and look forward to reading it many many times. Certainly I'll always find something new-- Nabokov is Joycean in the multitude and depth of his references, with a charming American tilt and sense of fun. :: READ THIS BOOK. I dare you to dislike it.
Rating:
Summary: The wit, the tragedy, the sub-surface context!
Review: A masterpiece
Rating:
Summary: Involution as high literary art: a masterpiece.
Review: I am hoping that all of you have read this incredible tale, and if you have not, I urge you to do so immediately.
Nabokov fills this narrative with brashly erotic images, and
examines the complications involved in living as an author. The process of living one's life through one's own writing,
and trying to live in a society where engaging in what you find valuable is punishable by incarceration, are themes deeply interwoven into the simple fabric of the story. I
don't want to spoil the story for you, so I will not illuminate the plot, but even without a plot, the sheer depth and complexity of the characters and narrative form
would be sufficient to make this a master work. If you have time to read only one novel this month, this should be
the one, and if you have already had the pleasure of reading
Nabokov's Lolita, I recommend reading it again. This is the
type of story that will change your life every time you open
the covers. Happy reading!
Rating:
Summary: The 20th Century's Preeminent S &M "Love" Story
Review: LOLITA is one of the greatest novels written in the English language...that much is indisputable, except by pc-evangelists who are quick to brand characters "heroes" and "villains." The relationship that develops between Humbert and Lolita is an odd one, nevermind their age differences. Their relationship is one of an S/M variety, as each character's pleasure and empowerment depend upon the other's sexual frustration and vulnerability. And arguments can be tossed both ways, as to which character tortures and preys upon the other.But nevermind this barrage of psychoanalysis: read LOLITA for yourself and decide. After all, LOLITA is about much more than sex: it deals with post-war sensibilities, relations between America and Europe, censorship, etc. It's one of the most beautiful, wickedly funny novels of the 20th century. Nabokov details so much about American culture at this time--more so than in many other novels I've come across. (Also, the annotations are a pleasure in themselves, especially if you're a literary buff who likes guessing the origins of character names and likes pondering the significance of particular cultural/literary allusions.)
Rating:
Summary: Buy it.
Review: "Lolita, light of my life, fire of my loins, my sin, my soul, my Lolita." If there's such a thing as a "top ten" for 20th century lit, this book easily makes the cut. Appel's annotations are judicious and informative-- he's a wit in his own right, and his love for Nabokov (a former professor) is evident. This is the version to read-- Nabokov's genius and Appel's diligence meld nicely to enhance an already great work.
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