Group Read, January 2019: Ada

Happy New Year! Our first group read of 2019 is Ada by Vladimir Nabokov. Please join in the read and post any comments on this thread.

about a third of the way through and a bit bewildered... not enjoying it much. I get that it's super clever (websites like http://www.ada.auckland.ac.nz/ show me that) but I'm just bored.

I took the first step of getting this from the library, but I'm in the middle of two long books so I'm not sure I'll get to it any time soon.

I have never read any of his books, so am planning to start with Lolita. May not get to this, plus there is not a copy in the whole state's library systems! I will have to see what people think before I choose to buy it.

if you don't start with Lolita, you might never make it through any of his. They are dense as anything. The guy was too much of a genius for this planet.

Looks like I may be the only one then!

>5 arukiyomi: I have Ada lined up for my next read after a flurry of non list holiday reading. I rated Lolita 4.5/5 when I read it a few years ago so hoping that I get something out of this book.

I also am planning to read Ada this month.... but have another book to finish up first.

Lolita made it to my rarely opened Hall of Fame. Ada might make it to my Hall of Infamy. I'll finish it off early next week although my fully-fledged review is going to be offset by about 10 others I've completed in the last month or so.

I've made a start on this. Early days but it takes me back to my early reading of Ulysses - (too) clever word play and sly references which are a bit too much like hard work to enjoy. I did smile at variation on the usual opening disclaimer "with the exception of...all the persons mentioned by name in this book are dead"

I'm in now! Just purchased a hardback 1969 (which I am thinking may be a first edition, but not fussed) on Ebay for cheaper than the new paperback.

I found it wonderful when I read it. I'm a fan of Nabokov and had read many of his works prior to embarking on Ada mind

I am about 75 pages in. This is my 3rd book by Nabokov and I have got Pale Fire to read on my Kindle. I found Lolita a good read, but incredibly creepy at times. I read Pnin over the Summer and found it rather funny.

I'm about half way through now and have warmed to it. There is a lot of clever humour in it and it is quite easy to follow after the confusing opening chapters (my school boy education is sufficient to follow the French sentences). Like Lolita though you feel like you shouldn't really be enjoying it due to the uncomfortable subject matter at its core.

I finished the book this evening and have to say I enjoyed most of it. Parts were a bit over my head (the fourth section on the nature of space and time for example), the central relationship between Ada and Van was initially uncomfortable (though matured later on) and the Penguin paperback cover I had needed to be discretely hidden while I was reading this on the train! However there was much rich and clever language to enjoy, and I'd give this 3/5.

That is a similar opinion to mine- he has a great turn of phrase, but there were chunks that required at least 5 reference books or dictionaries to get.

I finished it a couple of days ago. Hated every minute of it. He's trying to be funny all the way through but it's just a boring as hell trail of literary dad jokes as far as I'm concerned.

And then he tries to show how intellectual he is with a chapter on time.

Yawn.

The worst thing of all for me is that I can see where Pynchon got his ideas from... it's almost like he simply took the baton out of Nabokov's slowly cooling dead hand.

To finally find out who is responsible for what Pynchon has inflicted on us was bad enough. But to find out it was NABOKOV was almost unbearable.

O horrible. Most horrible.

>16 arukiyomi: I enjoyed the book more than you but I know what you mean re Pynchon. There was a moment during my reading (I think it was during the transatlantic boat trip) when I said to myself “this is Pynchon!”. Fortunately this was only a passing thought and I was able to continue. Your comments made me laugh though.

I'm late to this party and only 75 pages in, but I can see I'm not the only one frustrated with a text which just wants to do too much (often just touching upon subjects in interposed sentences) besides the main story. I'm not sure reading a translation is any help either.