Lolita

Written by:
Vladimir Nabokov
Narrated by:
Jeremy Irons

Unabridged Audiobook

Ratings
Book
284
Narrator
37
Release Date
September 2005
Duration
11 hours 29 minutes
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

One of The Atlantic’s Great American Novels of the Past 100 Years

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.
Reviews
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Anonymous

This is a narsacisstic's dictation of his journey....horrible and horrible for the human soul. Not that the subject is taboo....the deplorable self absorbed, self importance....makes you want to punch him in the face. No matter how well written...it is blah. Weak...

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Edwin Jones

At times titillating, but more often than not, profoundly disturbing. This book is incredibly well written, and Jeremy Iron's reading is nothing but superb. Like Shakespeare's plays, Lolita definitely benefits from being heard rather than read. It is written as a stream of consciousness, with the narrator jumping around from remembrance to remembrance, often going off on semi-related tangents before returning to what he was originally talking about. I would only recommend reading or listening to this book to people who are not uncomfortable with pulling on the skin of a sick individual and walking around for 10 hours or so.

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Gaylord R.

One of the best books I’ve ever read.

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Anonymous

Stunning piece of art. If you love good literature you have to read this timeless masterpiece.

The characters and story are complex and addictive. You get into the story and see all the discrepencies in how people think and act. I cant wait to read it again. Loved it.

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H. Michael R.

Overrated classic, ironically sustained by societal obsession with its subject matter. The prose may be better appreciated in book form than audio.

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Gehan E.

disturbing read. however that's the novel. Well read.

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Natalia.Inez

Wow! Bravo, both to Nabokov and Irons. 10/10. A masterpiece

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MikeCruz

This audiobook is fantastic!

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Milton K.

Who cares how brillant a paedophile is, or the quality of his prose. Triumphallist Nabakov hS the moral valence of a coral reef; the story, the book itself, has blasted lives, forever.

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Anonymous

ubiquitously loquacious unnecessarily verbose and extremely wordy yeah like that. I’m a sex offender but could not relate. I had hoped it might enlighten me to the source of my error but it was foreign

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Anonymous

Lolita is underage with the mind of a woman. Hot!

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Olivia S.

The greatest voice in the world.

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Angie S.

It was good! Fantastically written and beautifully narrorated. Yes it is a distrubing read, but its good to know the perspective of someone people so easily look away because of the weight of the topic. people like Humbet Humbert exist all around us. Before we try them before a grand jury, we must know what goes on in their minds. Then we lock them away, of course. What makes them look towards innocent children? How do children suffer and what happens to them when they become adults. SPOLIER ALERT!! I was happy to read of Dolly Shiller/Haze as an adult but to be honest, not all abused children have her "happy ending". Im glad to have this novel part of my collection.

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Timophey K.

The subject matter, disturbing. The events, disgusting. The story of a deluded pervert's debauchery and a young blossom's mutated bloom threatens to defile the readers themselves. However, if you can bear through this horrible topic to the end and give each character careful consideration, you'll glimpse the tragic shame of humanity and history. As a tale, Lolita is grotesque, in the true meaning of the word: twisted, contorted into a gorgeously strange shape which represents the inner workings of a person's mind. The many types of love, false and true, that one can experience, are sculpted into the story. What makes Nabokov's book great is how it reveals something that most of society would rather avert their gaze from. I believe the public aversion and disgust leads only to a repetition of this tragedy in real life. A refusal to understand and tackle this issue allowing the ugly thing to match the steadfast march of history unfettered. TLDR; Beautiful writing, horrible and disturbing topic and events, and a profound insight into a terrible real-life issue.

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Anonymous

This is perhaps my favorite novel! Despite the deeply disturbing and uncomfortable subject matter, the book is written so absolutely beautifully I continue re-reading it. It is the way that it is written that makes this book so fascinating - not just the lovely prose, but how they affect the reader's perception of what is happening. Additionally, Jeremy Irons does a fantastic job reading!

Very well written. In the top 25 most copies sold of all time. I felt i should read it. Very different than I expected. Excellent narrator.

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Anonymous

Disgusting.

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Anonymous

I did not get very far into the book at all, because the subject matter was so disturbing. It is primarily about a man's obsession with underage girls - going into way too many details of it. It made me sick. I would definitely NOT recommend. Don't rent!

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Nathan

I don't get the trick. People talk about this book being akin to the second coming of the New Testament but I just don't see it. The writing is pretty damn good but essentially it is about an old, perverted jackass who thinks pretty highly of himself.

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Donna Gerard

After Reading "Reading Lolita in Tehran" I decided to read "Lolita". I'm not saying it is not a well-written book. It is. The narrator is superb. But I could not stomach the content of the book. I felt dirty having this book play in my car. The thought of this vile, predatory character skulking after this ordinary seventh grader gave me chills, and not in a good way. I listened up to the part where Humbert got her alone, but I couldn't go on.

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