# Lolita by Vladimir Nabokov 4 Hacker News commenters recommended Lolita by Vladimir Nabokov and 1 criticized it, November 2025 to November 2026. It was recommended in 4 of 13 months. **Verdict:** Recommended for its unreliable narrator, its handling of a controversial subject, and its prose. One critic found the appeal hard to see. ## Why people recommend it - Unreliable narrator held in contempt (2 comments): "the novel is written from the perspective of an unreliable narrator, that Nabokov very clearly holds in complete contempt" ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46377934)) "an example of a book that explores a complex controversial topic, with an unreliable narrator" ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46959257)) - Explores a complex controversial topic (1 comments): "an example of a book that explores a complex controversial topic, with an unreliable narrator" ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46959257)) - Opening lines praised as pure form (1 comments): "The opening lines of Lolita are pure form." ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=49037300)) ## Alternatives hackers recommend - [Crime and Punishment by Fyodor Dostoevsky](https://hackerapproved.com/p/crime-and-punishment.md): 39 recommend - [The Brothers Karamazov by Fyodor Dostoevsky](https://hackerapproved.com/p/brothers-karamazov.md): 28 recommend - [Infinite Jest by David Foster Wallace](https://hackerapproved.com/p/infinite-jest.md): 26 recommend - [The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald](https://hackerapproved.com/p/great-gatsby.md): 24 recommend - [Atlas Shrugged by Ayn Rand](https://hackerapproved.com/p/atlas-shrugged.md): 23 recommend ## Where to get it - [See price on Amazon](https://www.amazon.com/dp/0241638437?tag=hackerapprove-20) (affiliate link) - [Bookshop.org](https://bookshop.org/a/130825/9780241638439) (affiliate link) ## Cite as Hacker Approved, "Lolita by Vladimir Nabokov", https://hackerapproved.com/p/lolita/ (counts from 1,795,640 Hacker News comments, November 2025 to November 2026).