This is not a comfortable book to read, and it is not meant to be.

Nabokov's novel is not endorsing pedophilia, but it is exploring its effects on all concerned.

Books shouldn't be banned just because they deal with difficult subjects.

This book has talented writing, but the plot gets more bizarre. For the life of me, I cannot understand what a 40 something year old man would see in a 12 year old girl! Gross.........I guess I do get skittish around this.

Vladimir Nabokov is a maddeningly talented writer. This book could easily be called literature. However, it's subject matter is distasteful to a lot of people, myself included. I have read the book, and have immense appreciation for Nabokov's stylistic skill, but I can see why it was banned. I'm not saying it should have been banned, but there are some obviously controversial elements. The major one is that it depicts an affair between a middle-aged man and a 12- or 13-year old girl. There is no question as to the level of intimacy in their relationship, but the really uncomfortable part about the book is its delving into the psyche of a man (a pederast really) who is not attracted to any female above the age of sixteen. Immensely talented writer, but don't bother with this if you get skittish around such subjects.