Lolita in Classics Without All the Class

Feb 19, 2013 Manda rated it liked it

Shelves: started-good-ended-ok, o-the-writing-like-poetry, poetry-ness, male-pov, nonsense-is-funny, distracting-prose, other-perspective-protagonist, cant-believe-i-finished, eurasian-culture-influence, taboo-topics

Lolita is a book of mixed feelings. Sympathy for the devil to the nth degree. Going into it, I obviously knew that it was about a pedophile, yet I endeavoured to read it since it is still appreciated as a classic. From the get-go, Humbert Humbert proves to be a charismatic and engaging character. The novel is told as his confession for his actions and with every word he entrances and seduces with a poetic usage of language - you can't help but be taken in with his side of this twisted love story ...more

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Jan 13, 2013 Crystal rated it did not like it

Very, very rarely do I give up on finishing books. But I just could not finish this. It was too disgusting, too disturbing, and I absolutely loathe Humbert Humbert. I just could not read one more word from his perspective. If I had a physical copy of this book (as opposed to having it on my Nook), I would have thrown it across the room. And, rather than store it on my shelf, instead of donating it to a library, I probably would have thrown it into the burn pile.

Yes, the writing was beautiful. B ...more

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Oct 31, 2010 Tessara Dudley rated it did not like it

Shelves: abandoned

I have been trying unsuccessfully to get through this book for four or five years. I am stalled at the halfway point now, because I am just sickened at the narrator and his terrible rationalisation of the rape he has committed --is committing.

My copy of the book says on the back: "The only convincing love story of our century." -- Vanity Fair

Perhaps they read a different book than I did; I, for one, see no love here. ...more

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