by Vladimir Nabakov
The most famous and controversial novel from one of the greatest writers of the 20th century tells the story of Humbert Humbert’s obsessive, devouring, and doomed passion for the nymphet Dolores Haze.
“The conjunction of a sense of humor with a sense of horror [results in] satire of a very special kind.”—The New Yorker
Most of all, it is a meditation on love—love as outrage and hallucination, madness and transformation.
Janet Dore –
⭐️⭐️⭐️3/4
“You know, what’s so dreadful about dying is that you are completely on your own.”
This is the story of obsession and pedophilia that was as revolting as I had expected. At best, it was uncomfortable to be inside the mind of a narcissistic pedophile…at worst, utterly disgusting.
Character development was limited to the highly unlikeable pedophile, Humbert Humbert, but was absolutely masterful. In fact, Humbert WAS the story as there was very little action. (It would be fascinating to read a book from Delores’/Lolita’s perspective.)
To add to my negative feelings about Humbert, I found his pompous vocabulary and frequent use of un-translated French irritating. It also created emotional distance between me and this book.
This was one of those books I read purely out of curiosity and a desire to be better educated. Over the years, it has been regularly referenced in books, movies, and even song lyrics and I was missing out on meanings. Now I get it. I am glad I read it…all knowledge is power, but I won’t miss Humbert one bit.