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Lolita

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Lolita

By: Vladimir Nabokov
Narrated by: Jeremy Irons
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About this listen

Lolita, light of my life, fire of my loins. My sin, my soul. Lo-lee-ta: the tip of the tongue taking a trip of three steps down the palate to tap, at three, on the teeth. Lo. Lee. Ta.'

LOLITA is the story of Humbert Humbert, poet and pervert, and his obsession with twelve-year-old Dolores Haze. Determined to possess his 'Lolita' both carnally and artistically, Humbert embarks on a disastrous courtship that can only end in tragedy.

Initially, Nabokov was unable to find an American publisher willing to take the book on. It was finally published in Paris in 1954 but its notoriety spread quickly. Graham Green, in an interview in THE TIMES later that year, called it 'one of the best books of 1954'. When G.P. Putnam's Sons published in the US in 1958, it was a bestseller; the first book since Gone with the Wind to sell 100,000 copies in the first three weeks of publication.

©1955 Vladimir Nabokov (P)2005 Random House Audio Classics Fiction Genre Fiction Literary Fiction Witty
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I loved it. Jeremy Irons brought something to the book that I could never imagine anyone else bringing. it is a dark and twisted story, highlighting the horrible reality we live in. You feel sympathy for a monster, that kind of writing is un matchable, and Jeremy Irons makes it even more chilling.

wow

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Fantastic narration, really brings to life the inner workings/malfunctions of the main characters mind and helps you see him in all kinds of different light as he goes through his American cross-country journey. Divided neatly into roughly hour long chapters too, which is great.

A great audiobook.

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Jeremy Irons narrates this classic beautifully. This is one of the most well written books ever.

Amazing writing wonderfully performed

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The reader is great, full of nuance and character. Story is pretty good aswell, well worth the purchase

Great reader

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Jeremy Irons reading this is perfect. He makes it such a performance that comes alive in the listeners eyes.

Performance amazing!

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A very daring book which attempts to explore the workings of the pedophile mind.
Cleverly crafted in such a way that the reader is left wondering how much of the narrator’s words are true & how much is part of his psychosis! ‘Lolita’ forced me to educate my children beyond the world of ‘stranger danger’.

Dark & disturbing but a must read for young women everywhere!

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great performance by Jeremy Irons. a really confronting and conflicting story but wordsmithed so elegantly

Beautiful written albeit a heinous topic and story

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A lot of audiobooks fall into the issue where it feels like we're just being told the story. The experience isn't any different to the voice in your own head narrating it. Jeremy Irons sets a whole new bar for audiobooks as he embodies Humbert Humbert in his narration. His inflection, his tone, his speed of delivery depending on the passage. Everything comes together. At no point did it feel like this was an audiobook. It felt like a man telling you his story. And considering how deeply this tale is of one man's point of view, I can think of no novel more fitting of this level of engagement by its narrator. It deepened my appreciation of this already sublimely written novel. For that I can only say, Jeremy Irons, bravo!

Jeremy Irons is Humbert Humbert

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What did you like most about Lolita?

Jeremy Irons voice

Would you be willing to try another book from Vladimir Nabokov? Why or why not?

probably not. Reading through classics at the moment and he doesnt feature often.

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

A great voice for naration

Was there a moment in the book that particularly moved you?

not really.

Any additional comments?

The story was interesting without being thrilling, a good book perhaps but not a great book. I feel the tag of "classic" is unjustified.

A great naration of an OK book

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A classic, beautifully written and filled with emotion both by the author and the narrator.

One of the best books of all time

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