The Enchanter can only be described as a precursor to Lolita. Simply put, it is the story of a middle-aged man, who lusts after a young girl (who fits Lo's description with her nimble legs and chestnut brown hair). Her manages to seduce the mother, who dies rather suddenly and unexpectedly, takes the girl out of town with him, on a vacation. In her sleep he tries to touch her-and then she runs away screaming.
Sudden, blatant ending? Don't be surprised. This book lacks all the charm, wit and grace that Humbert Humbert presents to us in Lolita. Furthermore, the man, mother and girl's names are never revealed, nor is his profession, nor really anything else, apart from physical descriptions.
That is not to say that this is by any means a "bad book"; it is rather short and an easy read. It is just not Lolita, as we are so used to.
Having said that, fans of Nabokov and Lolita should not miss. It allows us to see how a great novel was built, and it is fun to notice the similarities between the two.
Sudden, blatant ending? Don't be surprised. This book lacks all the charm, wit and grace that Humbert Humbert presents to us in Lolita. Furthermore, the man, mother and girl's names are never revealed, nor is his profession, nor really anything else, apart from physical descriptions.
That is not to say that this is by any means a "bad book"; it is rather short and an easy read. It is just not Lolita, as we are so used to.
Having said that, fans of Nabokov and Lolita should not miss. It allows us to see how a great novel was built, and it is fun to notice the similarities between the two.
