Most Helpful Customer Reviews
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6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Glorious, nefarious, sardonic, 24 Oct 2006
Lolita probably does not need much of an introduction. In the unlikely event you have never heard of this tome, made into a movie twice, the title gives a substantive hint. I will summarise just in case. Humbert Humbert is a rakishly good looking man with eyes only for nymphet's; pre-teen girls of a certain character. Delores Haze is the primary object of his affection which the story mostly tracks after a preamble designed to give you same idea of Humberts substance; nefarious and sardonic. The entire story is written in the first person as a narrative by Humbert in the form of a memoir.
The book opens with a forward credited to John Ray and then launches into the story. My oh MY! We could go into the moralities, but to read this through moral eyes is to waste your time and put you at the irreverent hands of Nabokov.
Taking this for what it is then! It is a gloriously satirical look at the frailties of our minds, manipulated by a plot cleverly woven through a beginning that magically tells you all, a middle that horrifies while enticing you, and an end that turns the whole thing on its head. Having finished this, so enthralled, my first impulse was to turn back to the very beginning and go again. Not for any weakness in the structure but to find everything in certainty I had been told but dismissed as irrelevant and of course to spend more time with these endearing, vivid characters.
Pro's - Written by a master of multiple languages, it is rivetting, horrific, charming, funny and poignant. A tale with prose that is almost poetry. Even if your going to view this through moral eyes anyone with a love of words is going to come out of this enriched.
Con - Nabokov was an aspiring American Writer at the time of writing this. His unfamiliarity with American geography shows during a brief section towards the middle, sounding a little like he is describing post cards.
A must read for my mind.
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8 of 9 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
The best novel of all time?, 14 May 2006
Narrowly beating Salinger's immortal 'Catcher', Nabokov's Lolita is arguably the best work of fiction yet written.
Firstly the reason it can claim this rare distinction over Salinger's masterpiece is quite simply, that it is better written. The language is more mellifluous, the narration all the more superb and the power of his conveyance is unrivalled. All this despite being Nabokov's SECOND language! The second reason it can lay claim to the honour of 'best novel' is due to the originality of the story and the complexities of the fictional characters. Like all great works of fiction Lolita draws the reader in, slowly but surely - there is no escape. If you intent to read this work and remain a spectator think again. There are no seats in the Gods for this performance, all seats are 'ring-side' and you WILL find yourself spattered when the blows land. Reading Lolita takes you on a roller-coaster ride inside the psyche of one person a (wo)man that exists in all human beings, whatever you crave, desire or lust after be it physical, material or spiritual the readers sure to recognise themselves in Humbert darkest shadows.
In reading Lolita it is easy to be led off course into the rough and to loose site of the flag. A simple tale of lust this is not and anyone arriving at such a conclusion is sure to have missed the point - maybe they never got out of the rough - never got a clear look at the flag? Lolita is a complex, thought-provoking self-analysis of one immensely intelligent, neurotic and probably insane man. And though we might be inclined to point our fingers or hide behind twitching curtains, gossiping with righteous indignation about the pedophile monster illuminated in the pages before us; again, to reach such an elementary conclusion is to have been deviously led astray. Maybe that is the conclusion he wants us to draw, the box all ready in which to place the though. To accept such an idea would be to let Humbert of the hook and relinquish him from pouring out his true heart and sole, an act that would leave him naked, paper thing and vulnerable. For Humbert is no a ordinary pedophile per se. (firstly define pedophile) he is an aesthete of some regard, a hopeless romantic child who never outgrew the love or loss of his childhood sweetheart, and who remains that child locked in the cage of an adult's body, forever in search of her scent. Lolita is not his love, his life as he once pondered his love is the past, his innocence his childhood he is eternally in seek of that moment one summer when he first encountered Annabel and first realised he was alive.
What is interesting to note in the novel is the multitude of layers present throughout. Humbert's own voices are numerous and span the spectrum of mental states. Sometimes deluded, sometimes psychotic, sometimes insane and occasionally rational we are given a veritable tour of Humbert's psyche. Peeling the layers away we also find a disparity between what Humbert would like to do (has he the chance, etc.) and what he actually did. One cannot help but feel that numerous comments penned in respect of his sexual exploits were simply he ego breaking forth in boastful prowess. The real Humber too nervous to do other than sit in the dark smoking cigarettes, watching Dolores sleep.
This is ultimately an immensely complex and profound work. A novel that really hits its mark. It needs to be approached with an open mind and a steady aim, for if you go of course or let your emotions run wild you will not enjoy the ride. And a memorable ride it is.
In many ways this book reminded me of another fantastic work 'American Beauty', in both works there are more than the occasional parallel drawn and in both works the author undoubtedly sets out to question our self-righteous Victorian pseudo moral principles. Principles we all charter and guard so dearly as if to prove by our distaste that we are upstanding citizens.
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5 of 6 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Don't die before you have read this, 22 April 2006
Lolita explores the themes of possession, love, desire, and control in a way that no other novel or psychological textbook can equal. It is a complex novel, but one that is enjoyable to read, as it exists on many levels. It can be enjoyed for the story, or it can be analysed to examine the actions of Humbert Humbert. It is literally one of the classics you cannot live without reading.
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