"You can always count on a murderer for a fancy prose style"
Book Details:
School & Library Binding: 336 pages
Publisher: Turtleback; 1st Vintage International Ed edition (April 1, 1997)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0613706250
Review:
I have read enough reviews with cautious admissions that the reader enjoyed Nabokov's
Lolita. I am not going to be cautious. I loved it! Sure, it was not subject matter that I found particularly appealing, and our society does--and must, I think--hold pederasty in the highest contempt. However, this was a fantastically written novel, and I think everyone should be required to read it.
I won't give away much of the plot through my review because I believe this is the first book on the list that everyone MUST read, and I am fairly certain that many people avoid it. I initially wanted to read it before the arrival of the next baby, simply because I thought people would frown upon a newly delivered mother reading
Lolita. Surely, there is some stigma attatched to the book.
On the other hand, most people will gladly watch
Law and Order: SVU or other incarnations of the series, all of which are significantly more explicit than
Lolita. There were no incredibly explicit scenes, no "pornography" or anything like it. In fact, reducing
Lolita to the pederasty is akin to describing a gourmet dinner of filet mignon to "beef and vegetables." Nabokov's masterpiece is far too rich, nuanced, and developed to be painted with such a broad brush.
I could wax on and on about my thoughts on the book: the richly developed characters, the clever plot, the brilliant prose, but, suffice it to say, I thoroughly enjoyed
Lolita. It was the first book on the list that I have "loved," and I hope there are more like it.
Summary
Was this a good read?
You bet! Fantastic!
Would I recommend it?
Without reservation.
Would I read it again?
And again, and again, and again.
