After an early crush with a girl named Annabel, Humbert grows up attracted to young preteen girls that he calls nymphets. At the time he moves to the US he is 40ish, has been divorced by a wife who cheated on him, and has been in a number of mental hospitals. He rents a room from a woman Charlotte Haze, and is thrilled to find that her daughter Dolores (who he calls Lolita) is a 12-year-old nymphet. He woos and marries Charlotte in order to be closer to her daughter. When Charlotte dies in a freak auto accident, Humbert seduces Lolita and takes her on a year-long trip across the US in which he repeatedly has sex with her. They settle for a year in Beardsly where Lolita goes to school where Humbert shows a good bit of jealousy for any boy Lolita hangs out with. Soon they on the road again. This time Humbert is convinced a detective is following them, and he slowly starts to lose his mind. When Lolita disappears, Humbert traces their steps before settling in New York. Three years later he receives a letter from Lolita saying she got married, is pregnant, and needs money. Humbert tracks her down and demands to know who she disappeared with. She tells him about Clare Quilty, an attractive but sexually perverted writer, who followed them. Humbert goes to Quilty's house and kills him. The book is told in the first-person as Humbert's confession, written just before going on trial for Quilty's murder.

Nabokov is an excellent writer. His prose is lyrical, and witty. The book is full of clever (although sexual) puns. My favorite parts of the book were towards the end when Humbert really begins to lose his mind.

The subject-matter was very hard for me, and really it took three attempts to finish this novel. Nabokov being such a talented writer really puts you in the mind of a pedophile, and that is not a pleasant experience.

Read something more light-hearted or at least something less morally corrupt.

Vladamir Nabokov was born in Russia, but his family escaped the Bolshevik Revolution by moving to Germany. He subsequently lived in France, US, and Switzerland. He wrote in Russian and English. I read the short stories of Nabokov and is one of my favorites. I wish I could write prose like he does.

I don't recommend this book unless you are really into Nabokov's writing. It is a one-time read.

My feelings on this novel were expressed in this poem - "Invalid Item" .

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Created Oct 18, 2007 at 1:14pm • Submit your own review...