Lolita

By: Vladimir Nabokov

Narrated by: Jeremy Irons

Length: 11 hrs and 28 mins

Publisher's summary

The most famous and controversial novel from one of the greatest writers of the twentieth century tells the story of Humbert Humbert’s obsessive, devouring, and doomed passion for the nymphet Dolores Haze.

"The conjunction of a sense of humor with a sense of horror [results in] satire of a very special kind." —The New Yorker

Awe and exhilaration—along with heartbreak and mordant wit—abound in Lolita, which tells the story of the aging Humbert Humbert's obsession for the nymphet Dolores Haze. Lolita is also the story of a hypercivilized European colliding with the cheerful barbarism of postwar America.

Most of all, it is a meditation on love—love as outrage and hallucination, madness and transformation.

(P)2005 Random House, Inc. Random House Audio, a division of Random House, Inc.

Critic reviews

One of TIME Magazine's All-Time 100 Novels

"Lolita blazes with a perversity of a most original kind. For Mr. Nabokov has distilled from his shocking material hundred-proof intellectual farce…Lolita seems an assertion of the power of the comic spirit to wrest delight and truth from the most outlandish materials. It is one of the funniest serious novels I have ever read; and the vision of its abominable hero, who never deludes or excuses himself, brings into grotesque relief the cant, the vulgarity, and the hypocritical conventions that pervade the human comedy." —The Atlantic Monthly

"Intensely lyrical and wildly funny." —Time

"The only convincing love story of our century." —Vanity Fair

I finally understand why this book is famous

Would you say that listening to this book was time well-spent? Why or why not?

I was painting a room and decided it was finally time to learn why people talk about this book. Now I feel that whole room is contaminated with the ickyness of this story but thankfully I moved to another house. I am glad to understand how pedophiles think (maybe) and I see now how the high writing style and the base plot combined to create something new and interesting when it was released.

Has Lolita turned you off from other books in this genre?

I won't be seeking out any other pedophile stories but I do find this time period in literature very interesting.

What does Jeremy Irons bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?

The reader seems to savor the prose which chimes with the tone of the main character's traits and the writing style. It was a very nice match.

Could you see Lolita being made into a movie or a TV series? Who should the stars be?

yucko

Any additional comments?

I'm glad my memories of this story are enmeshed in the paint of a house that I no longer live in but I took away what I needed from the story.

Wonderful Reading

If you could sum up Lolita in three words, what would they be?

Disconcerting, Provoking, Unique

Who was your favorite character and why?

Lolita - who else?

Have you listened to any of Jeremy Irons’s other performances before? How does this one compare?

I have watched Jeremy Irons in Lolita, but I have not heard him read another book.

Did you have an extreme reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

I think everyone has an extreme reaction to Lolita. It is very thought provoking.

Any additional comments?

The subject matter is difficult, but the way this book is written makes it unlike any other book ever written.

A horrifying story beautifully written

The well known story of a well-educated pedophile and the 12 yr old girl that becomes his life's obsession. Nabokov has the uncanny ability to write gorgeous prose about a vile subject. The reader will catch himself enjoying the narrator's wit and style only to be checked when another despicable act is casually mentioned. Acted superbly by Jeremy Irons.

Everything an audio book should be!

Unbelievable writing and a stunning narrator. I'm sure I'll listen to it again. Jeremy Irons is wonderful and Nabokov's prose is out of this world!!

Gets into your psyche like a Lovecraft Horror

Eerie narrator, captures Humbert Humbert as I imagined him. First time I've ever felt I could feel empathy for a character who identifies as a child rapist. I think I'm going to go watch a whole lot of BDSM triple x porn now to try and feel pure again.

Mesmerising

The contrast between the beautiful way he writes and the horrible things he writes about, is absolutely wonderful. The narrator takes this to a whole new level!!

Excellent!

excellent book! I really like the way Jeremy Irons read this novel. I have to admit as I began reading or listening to this book I was really not liking being in the mind of a freak character but the book is so well written and the story so unfolding that it really was a great book to listen to!

chilling narration by Irons

What did you like best about this story?

Nabokov's illustrative language is magnificent. I read that he collected butterflies and his writing was inspired by the intricacies of the wing patterns. I still can't believe his first language was Russian.

What about Jeremy Irons’s performance did you like?

He gives life to Humbert Humbert and you he makes excellent use of his stage acting talents. The character is almost sympathetic until you are reminded of what he is doing. Lolita's voice was a surprise.

If you were to make a film of this book, what would the tag line be?

Young love

Fantastic Performance & Novel

Love this novel, and Irons' performance is amazing! Fantastic read. Banned for no reason. Sigh

Not what I expected

Growing up, Lolita was always one of those "taboo" books. After listening, I thoroughly enjoyed the performance. No swear words at all. Very well read. Not about a sexy young thing throwing herself around. Not really any sex in the book at all. I would recommend this to anyone willing to see a different point of view.