book review english mademoiselle

The Book Club| Lolita

"It was love at first sight, at last sight, at ever and ever sight."

Lolita by Vladimir Nabokov - 3/5

So this book is something that when I first read over a year ago scared me, but then I read the words that filled the pages and that all changed. It is no secret that this book is pretty controversial, given it's subject matter, despite this Lolita is one of the books that has changed my life. And no it is not a 'five star' book but it doesn't have to be. Nabokov's writing contains layer upon layer of meaning, and during this re-read I came out with a different view point on the book than I did last time. So many questions are raised, was Humbert Humbert totally a fault or did his Lolita provoke and manipulated him into his actions.

"And the rest is rust and stardust."

The thing I love most about this book is undoubtedly the writing, the story is told in a conversational style from Humbert's point of view after the events have been concluded. There is definitely something about the way he transgresses through different points that reminds me of Dickens. As well as this the character reminds me of Meursault in The Outsider, as he feels alienated by his own emotions to the rest of society. For the read this is not said explicitly to begin with, but you feel apart from him as he regularly thinks in french throughout the book. And while I do know a bit of french there were somethings that I would have needed to look up to understand the meaning.

"Human life is but a series of footnotes to a vast obscure unfinished masterpiece"

There are so many questions that I had at the end of the book, is this all a fabricated story created by Humbert to gain sympathy from the reader? Who was to blame for the murder? And would I convict him if I was on the jury?


XO, Miriam

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