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Compassionate and necessary, Sarah Weinman's The Real Lolita is more than a true-crime achievement. It's a literary rescue mission, bringing to life the tragic real-life case that forms the dark heart of Nabokov's classic. You'll never read Lolita the same way again. --Robert Kolker The Real Lolita is a tour de force of literary detective work. Not only does it shed new light on the terrifying true saga that influenced Nabokov's masterpiece, it restores the forgotten victim to our consciousness. --David Grann Spine-straightening. . . . Weinman's sensitive insights into Horner's struggle play in stunning counterpoint to her illuminations of Nabokov's dark obsession and literary daring, and Lolita's explosive impact. --Booklist Weinman tells Sally's tragic story as it has never been told before, with sensitivity and depth. --Publishers Weekly Part true crime story, part literary mystery. . . . Gorgeously written, The Real Lolita reads like a novel and will thrill and captivate readers. --Popsugar Gripping. --Elle Weinman's gripping work of true crime challenges a culture that privileges artistic genius over a child's life. --Huffington Post A riveting blend of true crime, historical investigation, and literary analysis, Sarah Weinman adds another dimension to this already complicated context. --Buzzfeed Utterly engrossing. . . . Weinman's obsession becomes the reader's obsession. . . . We develop boundless compassion for this once little girl, along with a deep empathy and sorrow for the story of her life. --Los Angeles Review of Books Superb. . . . Weinman has compassionately given Sally Horner pride of place once more in her own life, a life that was first brutally warped by Frank La Salle, and then appropriated by one of the most brilliant writers of the 20th century. --Washington Post Riveting. . . . Scrupulously researched. . . . Nearly 70 years after Sally Horner's death, Weinman's dark and compulsively readable book will make readers aware of the absence of a nearly forgotten girl's voice in discussions of one of the great works of American literature. --Los Angeles Times The Real Lolita stands out for its captivating mix of tenacious investigative reporting, well-chosen photographs, astute literary analysis, and passionate posthumous recognition of a defenseless child who -- until now -- never received the literary acknowledgment she deserved. --NPR.org [Weinman's] real achievement is evocatively relating the story of a girl who--like her fictional counterpart--was no temptress...but the victim of a sexual predator. . . . [She] has brilliantly filled out her subject's ghost. --Entertainment Weekly [A] gripping tale of a long-forgotten victim whose ordeal also echoes the more recent cases of Elizabeth Smart and Jaycee Dugard. --People Superb. . . . A compelling investigation. . . . Weinman has evocatively reconstructed Sally's nightmare. --Fresh Air Gripping. . . . Glimpses into Nabokov's process will tantalize die-hard fans, and true crime aficionados will relish Weinman's assiduous reporting. --O Magazine The achievement of [Weinman's] impressive literary sleuthing is to bring to life a girl whose story had been lost. --New York Times Book Review Sarah Weinman's captivating, heart-rending The Real Lolita offers both nuanced and compassionate true-crime reportage and revelatory cultural and literary history. It will, quite simply, change the way you think about Lolita and 'Lolitas' forever. --Megan Abbott Sarah Weinman delivers a thoroughly riveting and heartbreaking narrative that weaves the very best of true crime writing with the darker elements of literary inspiration. --Gilbert King A tantalizing, entertaining true-life detective and literary story. --Kirkus Reviews Sarah Weinman unearths the case of Sally Horner, a schoolgirl who was kidnapped in 1948. . . . Weinman argues that the road-trip and school details provided Nabokov with the scaffolding he needed to finish Lolita. . . . She's essentially clinched the case. --The Atlantic Weinman describes the heart-wrenching crime and shows how [Nabokov] quietly wove aspects of it into his famous Lolita. --AARP Magazine Fascinating. . . . Weinman's book works brilliantly as both detective narrative and cultural history. . . . She gives us brilliant insight into a tragic story, but also a nuanced, empathetic look at the young girl at its center. --Nylon Magazine In this stunning work of investigative journalism, Sarah Weinman resurrects the Horner case and uncovers its deep connection to Lolita. --Refinery29 Heartbreaking and sobering. --NY Daily News A sensitive look at the troubling crime that influenced Vladimir Nabokov's most notorious book; Weinman writes with insight and empathy about both the famous author and the now-forgotten girl whose story intrigued him. --Boston Globe

Compassionate and necessary, Sarah Weinman's The Real Lolita is more than a true-crime achievement. It's a literary rescue mission, bringing to life the tragic real-life case that forms the dark heart of Nabokov's classic. You'll never read Lolita the same way again. --Robert Kolker The Real Lolita is a tour de force of literary detective work. Not only does it shed new light on the terrifying true saga that influenced Nabokov's masterpiece, it restores the forgotten victim to our consciousness. --David Grann Spine-straightening. . . . Weinman's sensitive insights into Horner's struggle play in stunning counterpoint to her illuminations of Nabokov's dark obsession and literary daring, and Lolita's explosive impact. --Booklist Weinman tells Sally's tragic story as it has never been told before, with sensitivity and depth. --Publishers Weekly Part true crime story, part literary mystery. . . . Gorgeously written, The Real Lolita reads like a novel and will thrill and captivate readers. --Popsugar Gripping. --Elle Weinman's gripping work of true crime challenges a culture that privileges artistic genius over a child's life. --Huffington Post A riveting blend of true crime, historical investigation, and literary analysis, Sarah Weinman adds another dimension to this already complicated context. --Buzzfeed Utterly engrossing. . . . Weinman's obsession becomes the reader's obsession. . . . We develop boundless compassion for this once little girl, along with a deep empathy and sorrow for the story of her life. --Los Angeles Review of Books A sensitive look at the troubling crime that influenced Vladimir Nabokov's most notorious book; Weinman writes with insight and empathy about both the famous author and the now-forgotten girl whose story intrigued him. --Boston Globe Riveting. . . . Scrupulously researched. . . . Nearly 70 years after Sally Horner's death, Weinman's dark and compulsively readable book will make readers aware of the absence of a nearly forgotten girl's voice in discussions of one of the great works of American literature. --Los Angeles Times [Weinman's] real achievement is evocatively relating the story of a girl who--like her fictional counterpart--was no temptress...but the victim of a sexual predator. . . . [She] has brilliantly filled out her subject's ghost. --Entertainment Weekly Superb. . . . A compelling investigation. . . . Weinman has evocatively reconstructed Sally's nightmare. --Fresh Air Sarah Weinman's captivating, heart-rending The Real Lolita offers both nuanced and compassionate true-crime reportage and revelatory cultural and literary history. It will, quite simply, change the way you think about Lolita and 'Lolitas' forever. --Megan Abbott Sarah Weinman delivers a thoroughly riveting and heartbreaking narrative that weaves the very best of true crime writing with the darker elements of literary inspiration. --Gilbert King A tantalizing, entertaining true-life detective and literary story. --Kirkus Reviews Sarah Weinman unearths the case of Sally Horner, a schoolgirl who was kidnapped in 1948. . . . Weinman argues that the road-trip and school details provided Nabokov with the scaffolding he needed to finish Lolita. . . . She's essentially clinched the case. --The Atlantic Weinman describes the heart-wrenching crime and shows how [Nabokov] quietly wove aspects of it into his famous Lolita. --AARP Magazine Fascinating. . . . Weinman's book works brilliantly as both detective narrative and cultural history. . . . She gives us brilliant insight into a tragic story, but also a nuanced, empathetic look at the young girl at its center. --Nylon Magazine In this stunning work of investigative journalism, Sarah Weinman resurrects the Horner case and uncovers its deep connection to Lolita. --Refinery29 Heartbreaking and sobering. --NY Daily News Superb. . . . Weinman has compassionately given Sally Horner pride of place once more in her own life, a life that was first brutally warped by Frank La Salle, and then appropriated by one of the most brilliant writers of the 20th century. --Washington Post The Real Lolita stands out for its captivating mix of tenacious investigative reporting, well-chosen photographs, astute literary analysis, and passionate posthumous recognition of a defenseless child who -- until now -- never received the literary acknowledgment she deserved. --NPR.org [A] gripping tale of a long-forgotten victim whose ordeal also echoes the more recent cases of Elizabeth Smart and Jaycee Dugard. --People Gripping. . . . Glimpses into Nabokov's process will tantalize die-hard fans, and true crime aficionados will relish Weinman's assiduous reporting. --O Magazine The achievement of [Weinman's] impressive literary sleuthing is to bring to life a girl whose story had been lost. --New York Times Book Review

Sarah Weinman's captivating, heart-rending The Real Lolita offers both nuanced and compassionate true-crime reportage and revelatory cultural and literary history. It will, quite simply, change the way you think about Lolita and 'Lolitas' forever. --Megan Abbott Sarah Weinman delivers a thoroughly riveting and heartbreaking narrative that weaves the very best of true crime writing with the darker elements of literary inspiration. --Gilbert King A tantalizing, entertaining true-life detective and literary story. --Kirkus Reviews Sarah Weinman unearths the case of Sally Horner, a schoolgirl who was kidnapped in 1948. . . . Weinman argues that the road-trip and school details provided Nabokov with the scaffolding he needed to finish Lolita. . . . She's essentially clinched the case. --The Atlantic Part true crime story, part literary mystery. . . . Gorgeously written, The Real Lolita reads like a novel and will thrill and captivate readers. --Popsugar Gripping. --Elle Weinman's gripping work of true crime challenges a culture that privileges artistic genius over a child's life. --Huffington Post A riveting blend of true crime, historical investigation, and literary analysis, Sarah Weinman adds another dimension to this already complicated context. --Buzzfeed Heartbreaking and sobering. --NY Daily News A sensitive look at the troubling crime that influenced Vladimir Nabokov's most notorious book; Weinman writes with insight and empathy about both the famous author and the now-forgotten girl whose story intrigued him. --Boston Globe Superb. . . . Weinman has compassionately given Sally Horner pride of place once more in her own life, a life that was first brutally warped by Frank La Salle, and then appropriated by one of the most brilliant writers of the 20th century. --Washington Post Riveting. . . . Scrupulously researched. . . . Nearly 70 years after Sally Horner's death, Weinman's dark and compulsively readable book will make readers aware of the absence of a nearly forgotten girl's voice in discussions of one of the great works of American literature. --Los Angeles Times The Real Lolita stands out for its captivating mix of tenacious investigative reporting, well-chosen photographs, astute literary analysis, and passionate posthumous recognition of a defenseless child who -- until now -- never received the literary acknowledgment she deserved. --NPR.org [Weinman's] real achievement is evocatively relating the story of a girl who--like her fictional counterpart--was no temptress...but the victim of a sexual predator. . . . [She] has brilliantly filled out her subject's ghost. --Entertainment Weekly [A] gripping tale of a long-forgotten victim whose ordeal also echoes the more recent cases of Elizabeth Smart and Jaycee Dugard. --People Superb. . . . A compelling investigation. . . . Weinman has evocatively reconstructed Sally's nightmare. --Fresh Air Gripping. . . . Glimpses into Nabokov's process will tantalize die-hard fans, and true crime aficionados will relish Weinman's assiduous reporting. --O Magazine The achievement of [Weinman's] impressive literary sleuthing is to bring to life a girl whose story had been lost. --New York Times Book Review Compassionate and necessary, Sarah Weinman's The Real Lolita is more than a true-crime achievement. It's a literary rescue mission, bringing to life the tragic real-life case that forms the dark heart of Nabokov's classic. You'll never read Lolita the same way again. --Robert Kolker The Real Lolita is a tour de force of literary detective work. Not only does it shed new light on the terrifying true saga that influenced Nabokov's masterpiece, it restores the forgotten victim to our consciousness. --David Grann Spine-straightening. . . . Weinman's sensitive insights into Horner's struggle play in stunning counterpoint to her illuminations of Nabokov's dark obsession and literary daring, and Lolita's explosive impact. --Booklist Weinman tells Sally's tragic story as it has never been told before, with sensitivity and depth. --Publishers Weekly Weinman describes the heart-wrenching crime and shows how [Nabokov] quietly wove aspects of it into his famous Lolita. --AARP Magazine Fascinating. . . . Weinman's book works brilliantly as both detective narrative and cultural history. . . . She gives us brilliant insight into a tragic story, but also a nuanced, empathetic look at the young girl at its center. --Nylon Magazine In this stunning work of investigative journalism, Sarah Weinman resurrects the Horner case and uncovers its deep connection to Lolita. --Refinery29 Utterly engrossing. . . . Weinman's obsession becomes the reader's obsession. . . . We develop boundless compassion for this once little girl, along with a deep empathy and sorrow for the story of her life. --Los Angeles Review of Books

Author Information

Sarah Weinman is the author of Scoundrel and The Real Lolita and, most recently, is the editor of Evidence of Things Seen: True Crime in an Era of Reckoning. She was a 2020 National Magazine Award finalist for reporting and a Calderwood Journalism Fellow at MacDowell, and her work has appeared in Vanity Fair, the Atlantic, Esquire, and New York magazine. Weinman is the Crime & Mystery columnist for the New York Times Book Review and lives in New York City.

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