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suneaters's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
In all seriousness, it’s a powerful exploration of family trauma, greed, guilt, and faith with a satirical overtone—don’t let anyone say Dostoevsky was gloomy! He posits important questions to the reader.
Can your daddy issues make your a murderer? Is that really the devil? Can you try to make your family come together before
I liked how it ends without resolving everything.
The religious overtones are also very interesting. Alyosha is considered this pure being, so much so that Rakitin spends basically the entire novel trying to shake his faith whether by poking fun at elder Zosima's decaying corpse or trying to introduce him to Grushenka. Alyosha is clearly the author's thought of what people should be like with his innate goodness and love of mankind. He resolves any doubts he has with his simple faith and his belief in the goodness of mankind. He does good and tries to help bring his family together after. He isn't naive or innocent and while his brother sees suffering as a reason for atheism or a cruel God, Alyosha sees it as a resolve to try to put goodness out into the world.
Ivan is religiously and spiritually conflicted. He oscillates between a belief in a Machiavellian being and atheism. This turmoil from his own cold sophistication and eventual overthinking skepticism eventually leads to
Mitya tries desperately to overcome his own jealous and angry nature to become a better man.
Graphic: Abandonment, Murder, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , and Suicidal thoughts
Moderate: Child abuse and Child death
Minor: Alcoholism, Antisemitism, and Ableism
caitlynhm's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Graphic: Blood and Violence
Moderate: Physical abuse, Death of parent, Toxic relationship, Child death, Alcoholism, Murder, and Death
Minor: Sexual violence, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Injury/Injury detail, Ableism, Infidelity, Domestic abuse, Suicidal thoughts, Religious bigotry, Panic attacks/disorders, Mental illness, and Animal death
gracchian's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
You will become well-acquainted with the cast of characters imagined by Dostoevsky. You will hate almost all of them, but this hate will be followed by pity, and, in the end, you will rest somewhere in the nest Dostoevsky has built for you—a space above the dizzying drama of the tragedy, wherein you hold no grudges, pity all, and wish only to see that love expressed by all. You will be betrayed and wronged by the characters in this book, and you will forgive them even as they betray you. You will learn what it is that Dostoevsky is trying to portray in Alyosha, or in the monastic Zossima, and you'll be offered a seat at their divinely virtuous table. The book truly brings you into it, and becomes a lived transformation for the reader who attentively follows it—and, it must be said, it is very difficult indeed to not attentively follow Karamazov when it gets going.
Graphic: Death of parent
Moderate: Alcoholism, Child abuse, Suicide, Toxic relationship, Blood, and Grief
Minor: Child death
There is not an ounce of violence glorified in this book. Though there are infinitely heavy subjects brought to the reader's attention, Dostoevsky's message is clear: the one salvation is to love one another, to forgive one another even when one has been wronged, and to aspire to some higher purpose beyond oneself.imrath's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Graphic: Suicidal thoughts, Bullying, Child death, Terminal illness, Grief, Infidelity, and Schizophrenia/Psychosis
Moderate: Murder, Animal death, Pregnancy, and Alcohol
abbyreadsbigbooks123's review against another edition
1.0
Graphic: Abandonment, Addiction, Animal death, Body horror, Death of parent, Gore, Physical abuse, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Child abuse, Child death, Domestic abuse, Animal cruelty, Self harm, Sexual violence, Alcoholism, Alcohol, Death, Murder, Sexual harassment, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Suicide attempt, Terminal illness, and Violence
emilyplun's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Graphic: Child death, Grief, Murder, Terminal illness, Blood, Bullying, and Suicidal thoughts
Moderate: Animal cruelty, Alcohol, Classism, Violence, and Death of parent
Minor: Ableism, Chronic illness, Mental illness, and Religious bigotry
akka2001's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
Moderate: Child death, Death, Bullying, and Terminal illness
Minor: Abandonment
sigynmoon's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
Graphic: Antisemitism, Murder, Self harm, and Suicidal thoughts
Moderate: Child abuse, Child death, Domestic abuse, Animal cruelty, and Bullying
Minor: Rape and Sexual assault
cnohero's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
Moderate: Child abuse, Child death, and Animal cruelty
Minor: Alcoholism, Addiction, and Death of parent