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Lolita cover art

Lolita

By: Vladimir Nabokov
Narrated by: Jeremy Irons
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Publisher's Summary

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

What listeners say about Lolita

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    3 out of 5 stars

Fabulous narration of a very difficult book

Jeremy Irons is a great narrator and he did this book very well. But it's a difficult book to listen to because the protagonist frequently slips into both French and Latin. There's also so much wordplay that is easy to miss in the audiobook version.

Obviously there's also the whole pedophilia thing, but if you're considering picking up Lolita I'm going to assume you're already aware of that...

In any case, while Irons' performance was outstanding, I still don't recommend the audiobook because of the difficulties mentioned above.

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6 people found this helpful

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Sublime.

Now THIS is how to do an audio book. Mr Irons - simply magnificent. Highly recommended.

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5 people found this helpful

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Made me feel sick

A beautifully written and well performed piece of art with a monsterous and revolting subject matter. I've barely been able to put it down.

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3 people found this helpful

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Disturbingly lovely

Jeremy Irons was the perfect narrator for this novel. Truly superb.

Although the content was quite taboo, it almost forces the reader to question their definition of love and who you can love.

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3 people found this helpful

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Books like these make you appreciate there is a difference between literature and trash

Irons' performance is flawless. The book is simultaneously eloquent and harrowing. Not at all a pornographic celebration of pedophilia but its condemnation without a hint of any moralistic heavy handed judgment. That task is left completely to the audience.

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2 people found this helpful

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wow

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.

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Beautiful written albeit a heinous topic and story

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

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Perfectly creepy narrator

What did you like best about this story?

Jeremy Iron's performance was brilliant. His deep drawl gave life to Humbert and showed perfectly the poetic nature of the book. While it's still hard to get over the content of the story, it is so well written that you are willing to keep listening/reading.

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Jeremy Irons should read everything to me.

This was a book that I’ve struggled to read despite the beauty of the prose - for some reason I just couldn’t get into the cadence of Humbert Humbert - but Jeremy Irons was able to pull me in and I was completely absorbed.

The humour and horror of the novel is brought to life so vividly that I truly think this is the pinnacle of the audiobook experience.

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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Exceptional

Exceptional performance of this mesmerising and stylish descent - humorously and deeply tragic

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