100 Books in 2018

74/ look at the harlequins by vladimir nabokov

read: 14.10.18 - 21.10.18

book: Look at the Harlequins

author: Vladimir Nabokov

blurb: 'Look at the harlequins ... Play! Invent the world! Invent reality'.

This is the childhood advice given by an aunt to Russian born writer Vadim Vadimovich, who emigrates to England, then Paris, then Germany and then the US, and, now dying, reconstructs his past. He remembers Iris his first wife, Annette his long-necked typist and Bel his daughter, as well as his own bizarre 'numerical nimbus syndrome'.

review: I haven't been reading much recently, I can't seem to make myself do it which is a shame. But despite this reading slump, which has now reached dire measures, I couldn't not enjoy this fantastic book by Nabokov. He has such a way with characters, they all seem to share the same self-assured, confident humour which oozes through the pages, and the way he describes emotion is first-class.

I will admit that I didn't follow the story all the way through, but that may also be due to the fact that I read it in very sporadic bits and therefore didn't fully immerse myself in the story. It isn't my favourite Nabokov novel, but I still really enjoyed reading it and it was a great addition to my collection of his novels.

rating: 8/10