Josh Ray’s Reviews > Pale Fire > Status Update
Josh Ray
is on page 73 of 315
Slow going on Pale Fire the past few days because I wanted to really engage with the titular poem. The cantos all come together into something poignant, personal, frequently beautiful, and occasionally funny. I think that Nabokov didn't have to work so hard for this book to work, but it's all the better for it. Some bits have me dreading Kinbote's commentary, and some have me excited for a laugh.
— 13 hours, 51 min ago
Like flag
Josh’s Previous Updates
Josh Ray
is on page 52 of 315
Reread Canto One and read Canto Two. Canto Two suddenly has me dreading reading that f---er Kinbote's commentary on it
— Sep 25, 2026 12:48PM
Josh Ray
is on page 39 of 315
This is such a bizarre concept for a book, and I'm already loving it. Dr. Kimbote is one of the most accidentally hilarious narrators I've ever read. The book had been so damn funny so far that I was surprised that Canto One of the poem was actually beautiful and sad and touching.
— Sep 24, 2026 06:59PM