Reviewing the Book Review
As the publication celebrates its 125th anniversary, Parul Sehgal, a staff critic and former editor at the Book Review, delves into the archives to critically examine its legacy in full.
Credit...Leigh Wells
Feb. 26, 2021
Halfway through “Lolita,” Humbert Humbert — relaxed, triumphant and a mere pinch of pages away from his downfall — stops to extol the wonders of America. He has dragged his 12-year-old quarry on a road trip across the country, a perversion of a honeymoon. He slips into French to marvel at all they have seen. “
Nous connûmes,” he purrs, borrowing “a Flaubertian intonation” —