Transparent Things
by Vladimir Nabokov
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Book Summary Information
Author: Vladimir NabokovEdition: Paperback
Audio: English (Unknown); English (Original Language); English (Published)
Published: 1989-10-23
ISBN: 0679725415
Number of pages: 128
Publisher: Vintage
Book Reviews of Transparent Things
Book Review: "Is All We See Or Seem, But A Dream Within A Dream?"
Summary: 5 Stars
Nothing that Nabokov writes is "transparent." He always is referencing at least two things if not a whole plethora of images and metaphors at once with each line. In this novel, a late one, Nabokov has developed his inimical and sublime writing style. His sentences are virtual perfection. His illustrations are so real and yet so imaginary.
In addition, the story line is very complex. The protagonist is traveling through Europe in a repetition of a trip long gone by. Many things do not come about as he would want them. Each time, for Nabokov's own particular reasons. Sexuality and the lack there of is tantamount to the story. Yet what makes the telling so particularly `Nabokov' is the manner in which he switches from temporal event to temporal event without necessarily giving any indication to the reader that we have come "unstuck in time."
While the book is a rather short 104 pages, the complexity that is built into the story will hold all serious readers of literature in rapt attention. The story moves quickly and it is necessary for the reader to slow down the pace of the reading to make sure that the implications are properly conveyed and absorbed. It truly is a highly recommended example of Nabokov's true literary genius.
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