Lolita

Having taken Mark's advice in the disuss work from abc forum to read Half a Woman by Rachel, it brought Nabokov's unsettling work of genius to the front of my mind.

I wondered what people think of it?

Personally I find it to be one of the most stylistically rewarding books I have ever read. Nabokov created in Humbert Humbert an intelligent, intellectual, devious, witty, self-absorbed, predator. A character who can almost convince you that his behaviour is not dangerous. A character who is so clever with the way he dishes out his story you sometimes forget you are in the company of an arch manipulator.

It is in many places uncomfortable reading.

It is in many places very funny.

It is in many places quite sad.

What a combination.

It took me years to actually pick it up because I was sick of hearing people rave about it. And also i was put off by that terrible film with Jeremy Irons in it when they turned it into a drama. (where was the irony, where was the dark depths?)

I think it is a book that cannot be filmed. It is a perfect example of how a book works differently from a film. Especially a first person narrative; Humbert Humbert thinks one thing and acts out another. He is your perfect untrustworthy narrator.

You could say I rather liked the book.