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Pale Fire

Vladimir Nabokov

Why we're reading this: Places mentioned in book are fictitious locations that represent actual locations in the US.
[close] Places mentioned in book are fictitious locations that represent actual locations in the US.

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Feb 01, 2012 Kent Winward rated it really liked it

Shelves: novel

This is the type of book that has so much depth that merely reading it seems inadequate. Fictitious poet and poem, critiqued by a mad man and jokes for the erudite. Snobbery, mockery and iambic pentameter rule.

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Jan 16, 2012 Nanosynergy rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: reviewed, fiction, favorites, literature, 1001-boxall, fiction-1960s, 2012read, read-ml100, metafiction

"Pale Fire" is both the title of the book and the title of the book's 999-line poem written by fictional poet John Shade. The book's forward and long, detailed commentary and notes, presumably about the poem, are written by the equally fictional Charles Kinbote who basically makes this book all about himself rather than the poem or its author.

Had no idea what to expect when I picked up this novel. This was just the next book on the Modern Library's 100 Best Books of the 20th Century. The book cr ...more

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Feb 15, 2019 Fee rated it it was amazing

Shelves: 2019-top-five, favourites

I LOVED this book. Good grief. I am such a sucker for an unreliable narrator.

Pale Fire is an unfinished Poem by the recently deceased John Shade, and is presented here with an introduction, commentary, and exhaustive index by his friend, Charles Kinbote.

Or is it? Who knows.

I was aware that this book was held in very high regard but I had no idea how funny it would be! The pompous and witty Kinbote keeps us entertained throughout with his unbelievably far reaching footnotes and his direct appea ...more

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