Jeremy Irons Books

Jeremy Irons is the perfect choice to read this Audiobook of the "infamous" Lolita. Iron's reading is a perfect pairing with Nabokov's writing, the richness of the language comes through even though you are not settled into your easy chair by a crackling fire with a decent vintage opened at your side.

It is pairings such as this that gives one hope that more Audio books will be prepared with equal care, unabridged, and enriching the listener's experience.

"LOLITA---LIGHT OF MY LIFE- FIRE OF MY LOINS---MY SIN, MY SOUL.
LOOO---LEEE---TAAA.
The tip of the tongue taking a trip of three steps.
LOOO--LEEE--TAAA" -Hubert Hubert-

Humbert Humbert is an intellectual, a teacher, fluidly articulate, a lover of books, a poet, and good looking. One could say he has it all. But there's one little problem, Hubert Hubert happens to be a pedaphile.

Nabokov is so brilliant, the reader will empathize with Hubert Hubert in some strange way, because he
will make them...justifying why Hubert Hubert does the things he does. And the reader will try to justify his perversion, too.

Hubert Hubert is a child molester, a monster, a pervert, a stalker, evil, and sick. And he is appalled, even by himself. This is the reason Nabokov has named him Hubert Hubert (One is good-one is evil).

"IF ONLY SHE SAW THE MONSTERS BEHIND THE EYES,
I AM THE DEVIL'S PLAY THING" Hubert Hubert

Hubert Hubert is obsessed with young girls (Nymphets) as he so elequently calls them. He is sexually attracted to Lolita most of all, and married her mother to get close to her. (Naughty boy).

His thoughts are written so beautifully and deliciously the way he feels for Lolita, that the reader neglects, at times, to see his perversion and sins. Hubert Hubert describes Lolita's knees, her legs, her skin, her hair, how it
drapes over her apple fresh cheeks. How lovely. How pretty. How wicked.

Hubert Hubert descibes Lolita's mother (his wife)like this: "Being with her was like thrashing inside a decaying forest"

Shame on you, Hubert. She's only 35 years old! You dirty, dirty old man.

Hubert Hubert speaks in third person through several parts of the book...because Hubert Hubert cannot even bear himself--for he is a demoralizing, warped, sick individual. And the reader will still fill empathy for him

"I am the Devil's Plaything. I am a Monster."

Hubert Hubert trys desperately to become the doting step-father, giving Lolita what she wants, getting involved in school activites, protecting her from the big bad world.

But he forgets one thing....

Hubert Hubert does not protect her from Hubert Hubert.

Vladimir Nabokov is a genius, and Lolita has so many levels of beauty, metaphor, and lushness, one cannot find any inmperfection within it.

Lolita will horrify the reader and delight the reader at the same time. How the heck to Nabokov do that?

Nobody could have read this book as Irons did--the sexuality rolls of his tongue like a kind of poison.

***Not too many books can compare to this Lolita. A true, unbelievable classic.

the scariest thing about this book is that you don't see it coming. you pick up the book thinking you're going to be repulsed by the whole thing. it's pedophilia! but instead you find yourself nodding along, agreeing, sympathizing with humbert's totally horrible viewpoints. you find yourself wanting to be more like lolita so someone will love you like that. you find yourself laughing when the narrator wants you to laugh, feeling sorry for him when dolores finally escapes. it's utterly convincing to anyone who's ever been obsessed with anything... like diving into another world.



it's incredibly well written, but i don't think i would recommend this book to anyone. i think instead that it's the first book i've read that should carry a warning label. "listening to this book will seduce you."

Nabokov's story of HH and his obsession with little Lolita is one of the most amazing books of all time. The audio version read by Jeremy Irons is absolutely the best audio book I've ever heard. Jeremy Irons played the role of HH in one of the movie adaptations of the book, and he reads this first-person narrative fully in character. I cannot think of another actor who could have captured the essence of this book the way Irons did. I purchased the audio version to listen to on my iPod on a trip, and I kept listening to him read the story even when I was taking breaks from the road. Just as it is hard to put the book down, it is hard to stop listening to this audio book. Once you get past the introduction to the book (I didn't catch the name of who read that; it was a different voice, unless Irons was just doing a character), you won't be able to stop.

I had read Lolita many years ago in my college student garret and was entertained, a bit appalled, thought I was able to "get" HH, but mainly I was amazed by the language. I can remember rereading sentences just to feel the commas. BUT, hearing it read by Jeremy Irons is a whole different thing. He is an absolutely amazing actor. It is CREEPY and the incredible language becomes his own completely, rather than feeling in any way, like Nabokov's intellectual exercise. Just describing Iron's speech, his sibillant esses, makes me shudder. I had to stop around CD 5 (near Salina, Kansas, as I drove from SF to the East Coast with Tyler the dog) because the person and the story were now so sordid and disturbing.
Then, staying with my cousin in Bethesda, I was in a room with the usual suspect college student books (Camus, Pynchon, Vonnegut, a used copy of Introduction to the Principles of Earwax) and sure enough, there was Lolita. It was ~benign and fascinating once again, until I pushed myself to imagine Iron's voice. Then I put it back on the shelf and washed my hands.

This is a good book for anyone who likes self-referential fiction. It's written like a Victorian novel, but with a fantastic modern narrator who plays around with the story in places and laments how difficult it is to write novels. I recommend it particularly to anyone who has read or studied Victorian fiction.

The starting point for each of Fowles' books - The Collector, The Magus and The French Lieutenant's Woman - is the same. The lead female character emotionally dominates the leading male character, who is a hard-headed dude too obtuse to learn from his repeated mistakes. And, as other reviewers have noted, it's difficult to even like many of the players in this book because they're nothing more than low lifes with selfish and malicious intentions. The development of this simple story springs from (and I realize I'm being trite here) an engaged man, Charles, talking with a single woman, Sarah. And without any adult supervision. Imagine that! But I guess that's the way things were in the 1860s. So, if you can put aside the screwed-up attitudes about relationships during the Victorian era and instead appreciate the mind games that the characters play with each other, you'll find this a pretty good, but dreary, read (I thought The Magus was better). However, it's tough to understand that while Fowles writes so well for more than 400 pages, he can't finish his work by providing a more satisfying (not necessarily happy) ending. A disappointing conclusion, to be sure, but so was the ending in The Collector and The Magus.

All the depth and perspicacity of a Victorian novel, told from a late 20th century perspective. Brilliant.

The French Lieutenant's Woman is a delicious grab bag of a novel in which nestles some great magpie type thieving from 19th Century poetry, scientific, and social and literary documents (Marx, Darwin, Hardy, Clough, Tennyson, Arnold and many more) are all draped around the edges of this narrative). It is a real brain feast for anyone interested in high Victorian Britain, and the mores and hypocrisies that lay within (this was a society where the legs of pianos were covered up lest gentlemen become aroused by them, yet had more brothels per head than almost any other society in any part of the world before or since).

Fowles was a great and strange novelist of the curiously fallow middle part of the 20th Century in British letters, the period where Evelyn Waugh was moved to commend the lonely souls who kept the flame of literature burning through the quiet years. A scholar of Victorian England himself, he collected many rare books from the period, and worked diligently at his home in Lyme Regis, away from the bustle of literary salon London to produce big books that challenged novelistic convention. Drawing on French existentialist theory (rather heavy handedly it must be said), he offers a tragic portrayal of two 19th Century lovers: Charles Smithson, a dilletante, rather effete upper class man who struggles with intimations at a freedom that flowered in 1960s England (the time the novel was written) yet for his age were freedoms buried underground. He struggles with the responsibilities of age, and loss of liberty (perennial issues) and encounters the mysterious Sarah Woodruff on a cliff top. Is Sarah a tragic heroine, done a great injustice by the social snobberies of the time, or is she a sly manipulator of Charles's emotions? Fowles plays with these issues, and the narrative in a pyrotechnic, multi-ended conclusion that results in the novel being a curious fusion of 19th Century social realist baggy monster and cunningly playful 20th Century metafiction. Doesn't quite come off, but worth a read.

This book is better identified for what it is not, than for what it is.

It is not a time period romance novel. It is not a mystery. It is not a "woman's novel." It is not a "man's novel." It is altogether different.

Intellectually, it has plenty to offer. It delivers over 60 poems to the reader. It delivers historical analysis of the concepts and collisions of thought emanating in England during the 1860's. And, amid, that colliding backdrop, Fowles tells us, ". . . every Victorian had two minds." "It is a schizophrenia seen at its clearest, its most notorious, in the poets. . ."

Schizophrenia and Fowles are not strangers. Anyone who has read "Magus" will see some similar twists and turns in this novel - just when the protagonist should "get it", he seems to lead his neck out further and get himself into more trouble, into more sexual allure.

But, unlike "Magus", this protagonist - Charles Smithson - doesn't keep going back to the snake pit to be bitten again and again and again.

Like "Magus, the protagonist, a grown and educated man, seems to be a little boy when it comes to his emotions. Like "Magus", the protagonist leaves his betrothed for the "other woman." And, like "Magus", the other woman is not the answer.

Fowles is a great writer. He can fool you and lure you. In this story line, Fowles will lead you in one direction and jive back pages later to catch you off guard - Fowles' schizophrenia-style of writing. This book also includes a few different endings, to reflect indecision by the author on how to end the novel or to deliver the reader to adopt an ending which he or she may choose to be "best" for this book. I enjoyed this unique application of writing, many others have found it to be a weakness.

At times, this book moves slowly, but at the end it speeds up quickly - like a postscript for the last 50-80 pages. All in all, this is a very good novel, which will entertain and teach its readers about England in that Victorian age.

I just love the way Josephine Hart writes. This book is the first one I couldn't put down. Absolutely mesmerizing.

The story of Damage is a great story, but it was fairly predictable. However, I still like the ending, how the protagonist fades into bright white seclusion. The story is powerful but without sophistication of writing style and is sometimes even a little dull. Whether it's intentional or not I cannot decide.

I guess I liked this book so much because the plot was just so unusual. The story was very unique, with classy characters that have a dark side. A classic all that glitters is not gold story with a disturbing twist. The main character comes to realize things about himself he never knew existed and makes the most uncompromising sacrafices to satisfy his new found obsession.

I relate more to love stories like this: I've seen enough "damage" over my lifetime from passionate relationships to feel at home here.

The author doesn't spend too much time analyzing the destructive power behind the narrator's desire for his son's fiance. How could she? How can anyone explain that mysterious but all-consuming passion that overwhelms some people?
There are so many betrayals at the heart of DAMAGE but yet you don't end up hating the narrator. Somehow a middle-aged British doctor and politician, a successful family man, is helpless and destitute by his passion.
Not guilty by reason of insanity.
And I accepted that.

Josephine Hart's "Damage" is an old trope redone poorly. Middle aged man finally feels "alive" because of some forbidden lust. Then, as the formula demands, he and others pay the consequences. In the end, with its lifeless characters and painfully predictable trajectory, it's a big "So what."

Strong points:

The author's prose is very easy to read, which, in itself, is a greater achievement than some might imagine.

It's short, you can read this in a single sitting, 2 maybe 3 hours max. It may be a harmless way to waste time while waiting at an airport or to lull yourself to sleep on the plane.


Neutral point:
Makes no demands on the reader. You do not have to bring any special expertise or experience to this tale in order to get everything out of it. (In fact, too much imagination, wide ranging interests, or life experience will likely destroy any interest in reading past the first few pages.)

Now for the bad points:

This tale is very thin, even thinner than the book itself. It may have worked as a short story but should have never gone much beyond 10 pages. It just doesn't have the legs to support itself.

The characters are so flat and lifeless that the reader is given no reason to care about any single one of them. Maybe this reflects the flat, lifeless existence of the narrator before (and, as far as I can tell, after) he discovered lust, but it doesn't work at all for me.

The narrative voice is supposed to be that of a 50ish man but it sounds like an inexperienced school girl giving her impression of adult male lust. The voice was so jarring, so off putting, that it was a struggle for me to maintain an image of the narrator as a male. I'm not kidding, I re-read some of the initial paragraphs several times to see if I had missed some gender cue. Then I briefly wondered if the guy's "dark" secret had something to do with a belated discovery of homoerotic inclinations or trans-sexuality. No such luck. In a few pages I realized the inapposite voice simply reflected the author's significant limitations. But that girlish voice in a grown man's body was really bothersome.

The author sprinkles the text with little phrases that I suppose are intended to sound profound or insightful but instead come across as trite, gratuitous posturings.

The writing style is tedious and repetitive. Start reading paragraphs at random and they all sound pretty much the same. If this is supposed to represent the repetitive nature of obsession, it doesn't work. Instead, it is soporific.

There is no momentum, neither forward, backward, nor sideward. The only movement in the story comes from physically turning the pages.

The cover blurbs use words such as "noir", "erotic", "scandal" and "obsession" to describe the novel but there was no such substance to be found between the covers. Oh, sure, the narrator tells you that it is a tale of awakening lust and tragic obsession, but his promises don't deliver. Medical textbooks have more dramatic sexual descriptions than this thing does.

Then there is the over-the-top sign off at the end. Without "spoiling" the pathetic final lines by quoting them, I don't think that the reader needs to be condescended to. I can't tell whether the author is intending to instruct mentally dense readers or whether she intended to create a warped sense of sympatico between author, reader, and characters by adding such self-aggrandizing drivel at the end.

This is a book best suited for those with the mindset of the stereotypical, adolescent girl who hungers for doomed passions but settles for cheap romance novels while waiting for real life to come her way.

[edited to fix typo]

The Civil War: Iron Man trade paperback includes the Iron Man issues (13-14) that were part of the massive crossover event as well as a pair of one-shot issues that served as Civil War epilogue chapters.

Since most of the real Civil War story took place in the Civil War (Marvel Comics) limited series, this collection doesn't really work as a cohesive story. You get an Iron Man/Spymaster side story in issues 13-14, a recap of Iron Man's history with Captain America in the Casualties of War one-shot, and a deeper look into Tony Stark's soul in the Confession one-shot.

While it fails as a "real story" the collection is definitely worthwhile to Iron Man fans if for no other reason than to see what the famed Daredevil team of Bendis and Maleev have done with Iron Man in the Confession one-shot. This story shows a real appreciation for Iron Man's history and clarifies why he made the choices he did during the Civil War Event. Newcomers checking out this book to see Iron Man's perspective on things will benefit from the history lesson in Casualties of War. Unfortunately the Iron Man issues in between the specials are much less important, and seem to exist solely for the shock value of killing off a longtime supporting cast member.

gives an awsome second of view of what was going on in the civil war series. feelings etc...

Great book. More in depth look at the conflict between Tony and Cap. And more of the internal conflict tearing up Tony Stark.

First, I'm not a huge Iron Man fan, though I thought after this book I might become one (alas, not I) because this is what Iron Man should be about, not the suit but the man. And Tony Stark is a weak man (as alcoholics are), but this book really pulled it all out. Loved it, in fact, it is the only Iron Man book I've found so far that I liked. You really see something dark in Stark coming out.

This trade paperback collects four issues that show the Civil War events from Tony Stark/Iron Man's perspective. The 38 page 'Casualties of War' is the highlight: during the Civil War's rising action Iron Man and Captain America meet for a last-ditch reconciliation attempt that respectfully references key episodes in Marvel Universe history. Iron Man #13 and #14 explore Stark's personal and professional motivations for supporting the Superhero Registration Act while tragedy strikes his confidantes Happy and Pepper. Finally, the Brian Michael Bendis penned 'Civil War: The Confession' provides an elegant denouement with two conversations between Cap and Iron Man. Introductions to each issue help explain the overall story but this is best read with other Civil War tie-ins.

Although this is a perfectly adequate play for elementary schools to perform I was disappointed that it was so much shorter than the book and left out alot. The heavy use of a narrator to tell much of the story rather than the actors detracts from this adaptation.

This tale is full of magic, suspense, wonder, and even bugs.
Get half a page in and you already find out where JK Rowling got Harry James Potter's name from (James Henry Trotter is the star of this book). This is such a great book to read to yourself and an even better book to read to your kids. The imagery and the magic are great. The Cloud Men and the rainbow paint are just imaginative enough for little kids to love.
I docked the book a star painfully. It was because Charlie and the Chocolate Factory is so much better than this and there has to be some kind of scale.
James and the Giant Peach is a book you should read; it's a book that tops most peoples' kids' books of all time lists.

This was a great book full of adventure. James had a great life with his parents until they were eaten by a rhinoceros and he was forced to live with his two aunts. His aunts were very mean to him and he was not happy at all with them. One day he met a man who gave him a magic bag of beans. He dropped the bag on his way to his house. The beans caused the Peach Tree to grow very large. James' aunts charged people to come and see the giant peach. James found a hole in the peach and climbed in. Inside the peach James found giant bugs that would soon become his friends. James and the bugs left for an exciting journey inside of the peach.
We thought this book was a great book that was very hard to put down. The whole book left us wondering what would happen next to James. It was full of adventure and would be great to use in the fourth grade for Language Arts, Math, Science, Social Studies, and Health.

This is the first novel I ever read. I still remember way back in second grade when I started reading this book. Oh boy, what a rush! All these images in my head. It's like getting high! This book is extremely interesting and fun to read. This is the perfect book to give to your child as his/her first book.

Roald Dahl has always been one of my favorite children's book authors. His books often are slightly dark, but triumphant in a way that remind you of Lemony Snicket and Harry Potter. In this tale, however, James is an orphan living with horrible aunts. He escapes his horrible existence when he climbs aboard a peach that keeps growing and growing. Delightful in that he gets to live in a peach, and everything in the peach including a worm gets to become James' size as well. Also recommended are Lemony Snicket's Series of Unfortunate Events and the Emily Cobbs Collection.