Nabokov’s Gift

I know the title is a cliché, but having read "The Gift" by Vladimir Nabokov, I can confidently say that I attest to Nabokov having a truly underrated gift. I won't delve much into the book's content or my thoughts in this review. Instead, I'd like to express my deep admiration for Nabokov and how "The Gift" has become one of my new favourite novels by him.

As an avid reader and fan of Nabokov's intricate storytelling and brilliant prose, I approached "The Gift" with high expectations. And true to form, Nabokov did not disappoint. In this novel, he showcases his unparalleled ability to craft compelling narratives, create complex characters, and intertwine them with layers of symbolism and intellectual depth.

"The Gift" follows the story of Fyodor Godunov-Cherdyntsev, an aspiring writer in emigration in Berlin. Through Fyodor's experiences and interactions with various characters, Nabokov explores themes of art, exile, nostalgia, and the intricacies of human relationships. The novel is rich with literary allusions, wordplay, and Nabokov's signature attention to detail, making it a delightful and intellectually stimulating read.

What struck me most about "The Gift" is Nabokov's mastery of capturing the essence of human emotions. He portrays the longing, the yearning for artistic expression, and his characters' inner turmoil with such precision and sensitivity that it's impossible not to be moved. Nabokov's ability to evoke such profound empathy in his readers is a testament to his exceptional writing gift.

Moreover, "The Gift" serves as a love letter to the power of literature itself. Nabokov's passion for the written word is evident throughout the novel, as he weaves together narratives within narratives, blurring the lines between reality and fiction. His deep understanding and appreciation for storytelling shine through every page, captivating the reader and leaving them in awe.

As with many of Nabokov's works, "The Gift" requires careful attention and a willingness to immerse oneself in its intricacies. It rewards the patient reader with moments of sheer brilliance and intellectual satisfaction. Nabokov's prose is as elegant and enchanting as ever, carrying the reader through discovery and introspection.

In conclusion, "The Gift" is a testament to Vladimir Nabokov's exceptional writing talent. While the title may seem cliché, the novel is far from it. It is a testament to Nabokov's unique and underrated gift for storytelling. If you enjoy his works or appreciate literary brilliance, "The Gift" should find a place on your bookshelf. It has undoubtedly found a cherished place in my heart as one of my new favourite novels by this literary genius.

The mystical story of Kokoro - Natsume Soseki

In the realm of literature, certain narratives possess an enchanting allure, captivating readers with their profound messages and thought-provoking insights. Natsume Soseki's masterpiece, Kokoro, effortlessly falls into this category, intertwining mysticism and simplicity in a harmonious dance. Delving into the depths of human existence, this timeless novel unearths the profound themes of death, family, and love, leaving an indelible mark on the hearts and minds of its readers. Through its elegant prose and poignant storytelling, Kokoro offers a transcendent experience, inviting us to contemplate life's complexities and unravel the enigmatic tapestry of the human soul.

Within the pages of Kokoro, Natsume Soseki unveils a narrative that, despite its mystical essence, remains remarkably simple at its core. The story unfolds like delicate brushstrokes on a canvas, painting a vivid portrait of life's fundamental truths. Death, a looming presence throughout the novel, serves as a catalyst for introspection, pushing the characters to confront their mortality and grapple with the fragility of existence. Soseki skillfully intertwines this exploration of mortality with the intricacies of family dynamics, revealing the profound impact of relationships and the intricate web of emotions that bind us together. Moreover, the novel delves into the enigmatic realm of love, capturing its transformative power and its ability to illuminate the darkest corners of the human heart.

Soseki's prose, elegantly translated, exudes a timeless quality, resonating deeply with readers across generations. The author's mastery lies not only in his ability to create well-rounded characters that pulsate with life but also in his nuanced portrayal of the human condition. As we follow the journey of the protagonist and his encounters with the enigmatic Sensei, we are drawn into a world that is simultaneously familiar and mysterious, where the subtleties of human interaction take center stage.

To read Kokoro is to embark on a soul-stirring expedition, traversing the intricate labyrinth of the human spirit. Soseki's profound exploration of death, family, and love offers a profound reflection on the essence of our existence. The novel's power lies in its simplicity, inviting readers to pause and contemplate life's most profound questions. With each turn of the page, we are transported to a realm where the mundane and the mystical converge, leaving an indelible mark on our consciousness.

In conclusion, Kokoro is a magnificent work of literature that deserves a cherished place on any bookshelf. Its timeless themes and evocative storytelling continue to captivate readers, inviting them to delve deep into the recesses of their own hearts and minds. Natsume Soseki's exquisite prose and his exploration of death, family, and love make this novel a treasure to behold. Whether you seek introspection, profound emotion, or simply an exquisite tale, Kokoro will surely leave an indelible impression, reminding us of the beauty and complexity that resides within the human experience.

I read my first Tolstoy, here are my thoughts.

In preparation to reading Anna Karenina and War and Peace I wanted to first read a short Tolstoy book. But I was not expecting to like this one as much as I did. I read the Death of Ivan Ilyich.

This book is short. So much so that I wad able to read it in just a few hours. But it was filled with absolute truth and pain and beauty that I could not reading.

From the very beginning you know that Ivan Ilyich story ends in his death. From there, Tolstoy develops the how and more painfully, the why. Ilyich’s story is painful, he suffers from a chronic and fatal illness that will kill him but will also make his time on earth painful.

His monotonous life is filled with absurd doctor visits, inconvenient conversation and just the wait of death. For a time that is all there is; waiting death. Ivan does not want that, he wishes to survive. But he won’t. Death is inevitable.

And the realisation of death is more painful that the illness he suffers.

This book filled me with so much dread that it struck me with reality. We are all going to die. Some of us will suffer and that is reality.

It was a beautiful novel that will be with me for a long time. Tolstoy has already become a new favourite author, telling me a story of the inevitability of death and the unjust truth of life.

Dostovoesky at his sweet short spot - White Nights and Notes from Underground

I think that long books are great. They have more space to develop characters, thoughts and plots. But sometimes short books are also great. White Nights and Notes from Underground are great novels to get into your Dostoevsky era.

White Nights

A sweet short novel about unrequited love. A sweet story about love that develops into an inner monologue about guilt and restlessness. What I love about this one is that it’s a great introduction to what will be other longer novels by the same author. Crime and Punishment, for instance, is an excellent psychological thriller. White nights feel like a similar inner monologue. You feel like you want to save this person who keeps getting into deeper and deeper trouble.

Furthermore, it is just great fun. You feel like this story could happen to you even though it is completely dramatic and exaggerated, and it feels, to a point, complete fantasy. How could someone fall in love with a stranger and then that stranger turns their back on them in such a short time?! Well, you feel like you are that same narrator. And you can’t stop yourself from feeling the same pain and the same love for this stranger. Even if it makes no sense.

Notes from Underground

This is slightly more experimental. Still a very psychologically centred story but in a less amorous way. I connected with this one on a more personal level. It takes place, again, in the mind of our narrator. This time he is dead. This time the narrator takes us through a horrible inner monologue about trying to fit in and be understood while being wholly immature and horrible at it. The narrator is painfully oblivious to people not liking him while still trying hard not to be liked. He is the quintessential pick-me.

I loved this one because I could see myself in this terrible narrator. I could see myself when he is trying so hard to fit in without managing to do so and simultaneously being so terrible to the people around him.

Both books are books to be enjoyed in a very short time. You can connect deeply with both narrators, and you can see yourself in them. You will see your flaws reflected in their flaws, and you will surely want not to be them.

The OG Vampire, Carmilla - J. Sheridan Le Fanu

I like gothic tales, I love classics so, Carmilla was the best book to start the fall with.

Carmilla is the original vampire. The stories we now read are all based on her, including Dracula. And although this book is not known by everyone, it’s one of those books that I believe is a must-read.

The plot of the book is perfect. It’s the typical beautiful vampire enters into the life of a normal human, Laura. They have a kinda relationship (keep in mind that this book was published in 1872 so having a lesbian couple is quite surprising!), although it’s obvious that the vampire, Carmilla, doesn’t have the best interest in mind. We get glimpses into Laura’s past, how she once saw Carmilla in a “vision”, we also see how something mysterious is attacking girls in town. And finally we get the undeniable beauty and perfection of Carmilla’s beauty.

Although the plot is not too intricate nor is it long, it’s the perfect length. It’s a short, quick introduction into gothic classics. It has dark and disturbing scenes that really take your breath away. Furthermore, it has perturbing monologues by Carmilla that really shake you to your core. Obsessive, mysterious and grasping words that take the vibes of the story further and further into horror territory.

Again, this is not a story that is difficult, long and deep. It’s a fun short novel to get those Halloween vibes going.

The Virgin Suicides was incredible - Jeffrey Eugenides

In a normal happy American neighbourhood a group of boys look over to the other side of the street where you can find 5 beautiful sisters who are about to kill themselves. So, why would I even recommend this book to you when it is so filled with violence.

The five Lisbon girls are mysterious, beautiful and always move in a group, a group of boys observe then, obsess over them. Suddenly, Cecilia, the youngest, killsl herself and from that moment forward the Lisbon girls are not the same.

Young girls suffer in a world that is still run by men and the Virgin Suicides exactly shows that. Eugenides uses a very special narrator to tell the story of the Lisbon girls: a group of neighbourhood boys. It just shows a perfect example of the women are constantly sexualised and reduced to their beauty. When the young girls are obviously suffering, the boys keep telling us how beautiful they are, how mysterious they are, which boys they are with, what they are doing. They never help them, how they should’ve, for the reason they should’ve. They help them because they are seeing themselves like the savours of the beautiful neighbours, nothing more.

But you might still be asking the reason to read this depressing book. Well, let me elaborate a bit more. The writing is spectacularly beautiful. From the first sentence I was hooked. Eugenides flowers every single sentence with the most mesmerising words, making the girls even more mysterious. He also doesn’t try to dramatise the suicides themselves, he rather focuses on their lives before and how the boys envision them.

Finally, Eugenides is obviously a man but, he still has captured perfectly how it is to be a girl, living in a world where men still are seen a superior, in a world where men so often take advantage of girls and in a world where even in your own home, you can still feel extremely alone.

Of Mice and Men, another great Steinbeck

Of Mice and Men is a scary book about human nature, it follows our two main characters, George and Lennie. Lennie is a child-like giant that follows his friend George on any adventure to find ways to get money to be able to have their own ranch with their own bunnies.

The story we follow takes place when George and Lennie arrive at a new ranch. They make new friends and meet new people but what is most important, Lennie is back around people. He has to be able to not hurt anyone, do nothing bad and if he manages, they will get the money they need to get their bunnies. Soon enough we find that that will be quite impossible…

Steinbeck creates a masterful story about human’s own nature. It takes place in the time of the Great Depression which makes what both main characters represent, really fitting. Lennie represents inarticulate and powerful yearning of all men and George represents domed men wanting to get better and be in a better place (such as heaven). Lennie wants to get a ranch so he can take care of rabbits but he can’t, because he keeps doing bad things that pushes him back. George, similarly, wants money to get to have ranch but, because he is so understanding of Lennie, he never gets there to his own paradise.

In light of what I have just discussed, Of Mice and Men is a great thriller. You expect something to happen because the energy and the dark environment suggests that. How it’s going to happen and when is something you will have to find out for yourselves.

Lo Li Ta - Vladimir Nabokov

Lolita, a modern classic surrounded by haters, lovers and confused people. When I first read Lolita, I was the latter. I felt confused on why this book would have such praise being the topic it is. Then I became a hater. I felt like the prose wasn’t for me, descriptive, long and complicated and the narrator, the famous Humbert Humbert, was horrible. Then I started to wonder: what is it about Lolita? Why is it making me uncomfortable? Is it immoral? Why is it a classic? I had a lot of questions. So I became interested in Lolita, I researched and researched. Trying to find out why this book, that wasn’t bad, but I almost hated to that point – this book that is praised by so many – why it made me feel this way and why other people felt the same way. After some thought, I became a lover of Lolita.

What is wonderful about Nabokov’s masterpiece is the fact that people are so uncomfortable and confused. That was his intentions. He intended for people’s spines to tremble, for you to be uncomfortable in your seat. But his writing won’t let you stop reading. You want to stop reading about Lolita’s horrible story, but you know you can’t because Nabokov’s writing is addictive, strange, complete and ultimately beautiful.

Humber Humbert as a narrator is funny, he tells things from a very personal point of view, it makes you laugh and sometimes smile. But, then, you realize how you’re slowly being manipulated into sympathizing with him. You are starting to understand this predator’s point of view. You are starting to see Lolita as a not-so-good-child instead of a victim. The way he says what she does, the way he shows her actions, are from the point of view of his crazy mind. He is an excellent manipulator, a perfect unreliable narrator. Unless you try really hard to hate him you won’t unless you remember, constantly, that he is not the victim he is trying to be.

Equally, there is a great side-plot going on at the same time. I kept wondering about the reason for this story-telling, why is he in prison, why is he talking about Lolita? Well, the mystery just adds a layer to the whole story. It was fun to keep guessing. It added to the manipulation as you could even go off to forget what we were reading this story for.

In conclusion, Lolita is great, I learned from it, I explored themes that are important to read and, I was manipulated to the core. It’s interesting to see why this book gets so much glorification, hate, and praise all in one. For one, the movies are filmed in such a way that people love the style. And in the other hand, the writing is so intricate, beautiful and delicate that you can really see why people would think that the point of the book is not to make you uncomfortable but, make you feel bad for Humbert. But is it Nabokov’s fault? I think not. When you read a book you have to think critically. Nabokov was creating fiction, he was trying to fool the reader, but you have to be stronger, you have to see that his intentions are no other but to realize that Humbert Humbert is in the wrong and that you are being fooled. What would happen if this was someone in real life? Lolita is still the victim, remember.

The phoniest book is considered a classic? The Catcher in the Rye - JD Salinger

The Catcher in the Rye is considered a classic but should it be one? This “review” is not necessarily a review. I want to take a moment to discuss why The Catcher in the Rye is so "controversial". We should just start by saying that this book is a love or hate story. And for myself, I love it. But, I think I love it because I am young, and this book is not for many adults (excluding the nostalgics, of course).

I have been wondering ever since I read this first, why so many people hate it, and finally, I see why. Holden is a piece of shit. So many people say that the plot is dull or the book is just not good, but I think their issue is with Holden as a character. Salinger creates a character that repeats sentences, insults people, makes numerous mistakes, mistreats people, and is… well, kinda stupid. I can see how he can be seen as infuriating. Or that the plot is "boring" and that nothing happens. I can see that I comprehend it, but I do not understand it. Let me explain why.

Yes, Holden got me rolling my eyes many times. The way he talked about some of the characters. The way he repeated the word phony or how his expressions were "overused". That is what is so wonderful about the book. Think about it, how does a teenager today talk? With social media and society changing, we have also seen a change in language. When I was 16, I am sure I overused words and expressions and even used them two or three times in one sentence. I'm sure you do or did too. I wasn't alive when this book was published, but teenagers those days surely used - and overused- those words. So, why are you mad that this book has an accurate speaking teenager.

I have been wondering ever since I read this first, why so many people hate it, and finally, I see why. Holden is a piece of shit. So many people say that the plot is dull or the book is just not good, but I think their issue is with Holden as a character. Salinger creates a character that repeats sentences, insults people, makes numerous mistakes, mistreats people, and is… well, kinda stupid. I can see how he can be seen as infuriating. Or that the plot is "boring" and that nothing happens. I can see that I comprehend it, but I do not understand it. Let me explain why.

Yes, Holden got me rolling my eyes many times. The way he talked about some of the characters. The way he repeated the word phony or how his expressions were "overused". That is what is so wonderful about the book. Think about it, how does a teenager today talk? With social media and society changing, we have also seen a change in language. When I was 16, I am sure I overused words and expressions and even used them two or three times in one sentence. I'm sure you do or did too. I wasn't alive when this book was published, but teenagers those days surely used - and overused- those words. So, why are you mad that this book has an accurate speaking teenager.