Beyond the Book

Ada, or Ardor: A Family Chronicle, by Vladimir Nabokov, was published in 1969. It tells the story of two lovers, Van and Ada Veen, who meet as teenagers, believing they are cousins; they later find out they share the same mother and father. It takes place in the late 19th century in the imaginary Antiterra - a kind of alternative Earth. Upon its publication, The New York Times called it "a love story, an erotic masterpiece, a philosophical investigation into the nature of time."

Read more about Ada:

• New York Times review
• Wikipedia page
• The geography of Antiterra
• The full text of Ada, with extensive annotations
  Article by Marnie Colton

  This article is from the October 20, 2010 issue of BookBrowse Recommends. Click here to go to this issue.

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