Captivating - audio at its best!

This book makes the best of audio: I found myself completely wrapped up in it. Read perfectly by Jeremy Irons, the novel is thrilling, beautiful and shocking all at the same time. It is wonderfully written and Irons voices the language with accomplished skill. Given the subject matter (an exploitative and abusive relationship between a middle-aged man and an attention-seeking young girl), I was surprised at how funny and touching the novel was, and how much I didn't want it to end. Nabokov manages to captivate without titillating, and brings you into his character's mind without ever condoning what he does. This is one that I'll be listening to - and reading - again and again.

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13 people found this helpful

Endured rather than enjoyed

From a literary point of view of course Lolita achieves a remarkable level of artistry, its honesty and knife blade balanced ambiguity are the work of a rare genius.
But the sympathies of the actual author are not in evidence and this I feel is an unfair omission, are the appeals to
the oft mentioned jurors endorsed by the non-fictional chronicler? we are left to guess while he subjects us to hour upon hour of unfiltered exposure to the mind of his revolting protagonist. I felt that his true voice lurked and leered in the finely crafted first- person prose with an unhealthy interest in the discomfort of his readers and for that I hate him and his book.

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1 person found this helpful

A literary masterpiece performed beautifully! Hugely entertaining!

A stunning tour de force of writing performed perfectly by Jeremy Irons. Nabokov styles each sentence and phrase with uncommon skill weaving a sad, difficult story of dark obsession satiated to tragic effect making sure we tour H.H.’s fractured psyche on a post war American road trip with the object of his warped sensibilities. Darkly funny and not a jot of sympathy or rationalisation for the protagonist this book is a must, I can’t think of a better written novel.

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Beautifully written and perfectly performed.

A book I kept on the shelf for sometime due to the subject matter. Not what I expected although sometimes still difficult to read. Hard to empathise with Humbert even when he pens, with great eloquence, the beauty he sees in Dolores Haze. The book is his memoir so you cannot escape his sordid desires and justifications. However it is beautifully written and the story so compelling. The characters are colourful and rich, painted from Nabokov's deep literary palette. Descriptive chapters pull you into their time as you struggle to find your own perspective.

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Wonderfully narrated

Poetic touching rendition. I enjoyed every minute and kept replaying some parts. Rich and vivid descriptions.

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Masterpiece

Up there with all time classics - no one could narrate this better than Irons. Well worth the credit, time and effort (because it does take its toll)

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just amazing.

both the narration and prose are some of the best i've come across! Irons and Nobakov, the perfect duo

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Great

I had once considered Lolita to be my favourite book and revisited the annotated version once every couple of years. It was a fantastically narrated, perversely humorous and insanely witty romp. Definitely worth a listen.

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classic

Well narrated, excellent book. As controversial today as it was when published; though classic title and well written regardless of personal opinions on the choice of topic.

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difficult subject yet beautifully written

to my surprise I loved this. it is a treatise on the obsessive nature of love and the fact that the lover creates in his mind the love.

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