Rating: - Interesting insight under Lolita
Ok, I'll admit it, I am another Nabokovian and my curiosity was spurred when I found out VVN's screenplay was published by vintage. My real curiosity was in what kind of insight the screenplay could offer to VVN's original novel, and it did render some of that insight. This is a fun read, not as delightful as the novel by any stretch of the mind but it is still very delightful. What makes it so insightful is the fact that the screenplay is meant for view, not necessarily to be read, and using the points that Nabokov emphasizes in the explanations of the scenery, behaviorisms, and so forth, again are extremely helpful to anyone trying to get a better grasp of the novel. In working on a piece of criticism on VVN's earlier novel The Defense, I actually used the screenplay because the Annabelle Lee theme is emphasized more than in the novel and is easier to use in a critical study.

As a work of art, it is most certainly a great piece by itself, but to readers who are expecting this to be another masterwork like the novelized Lolita or Pale Fire, this pales in comparison.