Sunday, July 26, 2020

The Real Lolita: The Kidnapping of Sally Horner and the Novel That Scandalized the World by Sarah Weinman



I read the advanced reader's paperback edition of The Real Lolita: The Kidnapping of Sally Horner and the Novel That Scandalized the World by Sarah Weinman, which I received for FREE through the Goodreads Giveaway program. 

Below is my honest, unbiased review of The Real Lolita: The Kidnapping of Sally Horner and the Novel That Scandalized the World by Sarah Weinman.

I enjoy reading true crime books and nonfiction books about other books. So with this in mind, I wanted to read The Real Lolita: The Kidnapping of Sally Horner and the Novel That Scandalized the World by Sarah Weinman. The irony is that I've yet to read Lolita by Vladimir Nabokov. I hope to read this classic novel some day... Hopefully sooner rather than later. 

The Real Lolita: The Kidnapping of Sally Horner and the Novel That Scandalized the World by Sarah Weinman combines the true crime genre by chronicling the kidnapping and rape of 11 year old Sally Horner, who was held for almost 2 years by her abductor, Frank La Salle. This book goes on to additionally discuss Vladimir Nabakov's life and his writing of Lolita. Sarah Weinman makes a very compelling case that Nabokov's novel, Lolita, was inspired by the events surrounding Sally Horner's abduction, rape, etc. and sets out to uncover "how much Nabokov knew of the Sally Horner case and the efforts he took to disguise that knowledge during the process of writing and publishing Lolita."

I really enjoyed reading The Real Lolita: The Kidnapping of Sally Horner and the Novel That Scandalized the World by Sarah Weinman. In fact, I was pretty impressed with Weinman's writing overall in that it kept me captivated throughout the entire book from start to finish. I also liked the way in which Ms. Weinman organized her book to keep her readers riveted. Additionally, I found The Real Lolita: The Kidnapping of Sally Horner and the Novel That Scandalized the World by Sarah Weinman to be a quick read.

Below is a summary for The Real Lolita: The Kidnapping of Sally Horner and the Novel That Scandalized the World by Sarah Weinman from Amazon:

“The Real Lolita is a tour de force of literary detective work. Not only does it shed new light on the terrifying true saga that influenced Nabokov’s masterpiece, it restores the forgotten victim to our consciousness.” —David Grann, author of Killers of the Flower Moon
Vladimir Nabokov’s Lolita is one of the most beloved and notorious novels of all time. And yet, very few of its readers know that the subject of the novel was inspired by a real-life case: the 1948 abduction of eleven-year-old Sally Horner.
Weaving together suspenseful crime narrative, cultural and social history, and literary investigation, The Real Lolita tells Sally Horner’s full story for the very first time. Drawing upon extensive investigations, legal documents, public records, and interviews with remaining relatives, Sarah Weinman uncovers how much Nabokov knew of the Sally Horner case and the efforts he took to disguise that knowledge during the process of writing and publishing Lolita.
Sally Horner’s story echoes the stories of countless girls and women who never had the chance to speak for themselves. By diving deeper in the publication history of Lolita and restoring Sally to her rightful place in the lore of the novel’s creation, The Real Lolita casts a new light on the dark inspiration for a modern classic.
I am giving The Real Lolita: The Kidnapping of Sally Horner and the Novel That Scandalized the World by Sarah Weinman a rating of 4 stars out of 5 stars.

Until my next post, happy reading!!

12 comments:

  1. I have read Lolita and found it quite off-putting, but I'm curious as to why Nabokov would "hide" his knowledge of the Sally Horner case? Isn't it quite common to write novels based on real events? It's not as if he was the perpetrator.

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    1. This quote from NPR about Weinman's book should shed light on your question: "Nabokov always denied that Sally's story influenced his novel, which he insisted was all art. 'To admit he pilfered from a true story would be, in Nabokov's mind, to take away from the power of his narrative,' Weinman writes. She argues that recognizing the connection doesn't diminish his remarkable achievement, 'but it does augment the horror he also captured in the novel.' Loaded words like 'pilfered' and 'strip-mined' clearly convey Weinman's attitude. In fact, Nabokov comes across in her book as an insufferable — if brilliantly inventive — snob, aesthete and egotist." https://www.npr.org/2018/09/11/646656280/the-real-lolita-investigates-the-true-crime-story-of-sally-horner

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  2. I think that Lollta was a brilliant work. Until recently I This sounds very much worth the read. It is interesting that Nabokov may have based the book on this case. I think that a lot of great fiction has been based in real incidents.

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  3. Not sure I'm in the mood for this one right now. Cheers

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  4. That's interesting. I had not read of a connection between Nabokov's book and this real case. In fact, I had never heard of the case, but it sounds as though the telling of it in this book made for a compelling read.

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    1. It was definitely an interesting read... I'd learned that Nabokov struggled for years to finish writing Lolita. It seems like the Sally Horner case helped him flush out and finish writing Lolita.

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  5. It has been many years since I've read Lolita. As disturbing as it was, it was an engaging read. It would be interesting to read The Real Lolita.

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    1. You may end up liking The Real Lolita then. :-) Happy reading!!

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  6. I had heard of this book when it came out. So glad you read and reviewed it. The connection with Lolita and Nabokov is intriguing to me.

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    1. I love true crime books... So it was intriguing to learn a real life true crime case could be connected to Lolita.

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