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3.94 AVERAGE
3.94 AVERAGE
challenging
dark
informative
reflective
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I wasn’t prepared for the layout of this book. I had expected more of a main story arc that would pull me forward but the scenes were somewhat here and there and jumping in time, and despite the excellent writing I couldn’t get completely immersed in it.
The narrative is so clearly influenced by Dostoyevsky’s years as a prisoner in Siberia and it gives me the chills to think of how a prison camp was then compared to what the facilities are in the present day. And that’s not even mentioning the fact that Siberia is one of the coldest inhabited places upon earth.
Throughout the book we study human behaviour in an environment that does its best to deprive the prisoners of their human worth. We see how the society is built up with its own rules in this miniature world.
There are some rules, made by the guards, that are clearly defined and some rules, created by the prisoners themselves, that are unspoken and difficult to identify. Together they create that special mold that relentlessly forces itself on the inmates.
We see how they are all as different as humans can be, with their own relative sensitivity to punishment, suffering, and labour. We see them work, collapse from the summer heat, get severely beaten, lose their minds completely, and fall into pits of depression. We even see them die.
All is not lost, so don’t throw the book away. Because in all this struggle we find joy in the small things, like haggling for a horse, nurturing hope, caring for an injured bird, and setting up a grand play full of costumes, laughter and joy.
This tiny microcosm shows us facetts of our own world, how we struggle to survive in rules imposed and only vaguely understood. It shows us that we push through the bad times because the good ones will come. The end of the prison sentence, or in our case the end of hard times, is not something we can count down to but the hope will always glow like a hot ember deep within our breasts that we will have our sentence reduced, to be back on our feet and be free once more.
Perhaps this is not something Dostoyevsky wanted to say but it is what I took from it.
The narrative is so clearly influenced by Dostoyevsky’s years as a prisoner in Siberia and it gives me the chills to think of how a prison camp was then compared to what the facilities are in the present day. And that’s not even mentioning the fact that Siberia is one of the coldest inhabited places upon earth.
Throughout the book we study human behaviour in an environment that does its best to deprive the prisoners of their human worth. We see how the society is built up with its own rules in this miniature world.
There are some rules, made by the guards, that are clearly defined and some rules, created by the prisoners themselves, that are unspoken and difficult to identify. Together they create that special mold that relentlessly forces itself on the inmates.
We see how they are all as different as humans can be, with their own relative sensitivity to punishment, suffering, and labour. We see them work, collapse from the summer heat, get severely beaten, lose their minds completely, and fall into pits of depression. We even see them die.
All is not lost, so don’t throw the book away. Because in all this struggle we find joy in the small things, like haggling for a horse, nurturing hope, caring for an injured bird, and setting up a grand play full of costumes, laughter and joy.
This tiny microcosm shows us facetts of our own world, how we struggle to survive in rules imposed and only vaguely understood. It shows us that we push through the bad times because the good ones will come. The end of the prison sentence, or in our case the end of hard times, is not something we can count down to but the hope will always glow like a hot ember deep within our breasts that we will have our sentence reduced, to be back on our feet and be free once more.
Perhaps this is not something Dostoyevsky wanted to say but it is what I took from it.
adventurous
challenging
dark
informative
reflective
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
What can I say…
It was amazing to read another Dostoevsky novel, and this time, it was more of a personal story, something he himself had experienced.
I couldn’t (had a hard time) seeing it as fiction, but rather as a non-fiction, his main character Alekandr Petrovich Goryanchikov, served the author as a way to tell the world the kind of life they had to face while they were incarcerated.
But they’re convicts. Yes they were, but this isn’t about them being convicts, but rather about them loosing any humanity in them.
A great critic and portrayal of 1800’s society from a different perspective.
It was amazing to read another Dostoevsky novel, and this time, it was more of a personal story, something he himself had experienced.
I couldn’t (had a hard time) seeing it as fiction, but rather as a non-fiction, his main character Alekandr Petrovich Goryanchikov, served the author as a way to tell the world the kind of life they had to face while they were incarcerated.
But they’re convicts. Yes they were, but this isn’t about them being convicts, but rather about them loosing any humanity in them.
A great critic and portrayal of 1800’s society from a different perspective.
It's a story about life as a genteel prisoner in Serbia. Why do I find it comforting? Like I have been invited and warmly welcomed to their life. It talked about daily whipping, pain, misery, the reeking, the coarseness of it all. But as it ends, I find myself reminiscing about the book as a comfort read. So weird. I especially liked the chapter about the prison pets.
informative
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
House of the dead-4.5/5
Wow!another brilliant novel,where to begin?
House of the dead is a semi autobiographical and fictionalised account of Dostoyevsky’s time in Siberian prison,we follow our narrator on a ten year long journey ,split into two parts ,accounting his time spent imprisoned.
In terms of plot,it is hard to define within this novel,the book is unlinear in nature and serves more as characterisations of the prison and the convicts within it,rather than serving as a direct path through our narrators time in Siberia,our narrator is probably our least described character within the novel,instead he often reflects upon the nature and disposition of his fellow convicts as well as the affects of prison life on said convicts,within doing this he often meanders onto Dostoyevsky’s classic and notable social commentary ,through this he often explores themes of humanity and freedom,Dostoyevsky does a great job at humanising each convict and forcing readers to reflect on the treatment of convicts as well as the notion of freedom and how it is essential to humanity.I’d like to include this remarkable quote to hilight this theme:
“What will a man not give for freedom?What millionaire,if his neck were being strangled by the noose,would not give away all his millions for one gulp of air?”
Dostoyevsky continuously expands on this theme throughout the book and paints a sprawling and vivid depiction of humanity through his prison observations.There are a number of other important themes that are explored within House of the dead,however those where merely the ones that I personally found to be especially poignant.
For me,I very much enjoyed all the meanderings and social commentary and despite the many years difference I believe so many of these themes still resonate within the present day,I would also like to mention that the writing style is not specifically difficult if anyone where to be hesitant for such reasons,If I had to say anything negative for this novel then I suppose that it at various times could be considered vaguely repetitive ,however I somewhat think that this has to be a given considering the repetitiveness of prison life and it’s atmosphere in of its self.
In conclusion I very much enjoyed house of the dead and would indeed recommend it to any considering picking it up!
Final rating:4.5/5
Wow!another brilliant novel,where to begin?
House of the dead is a semi autobiographical and fictionalised account of Dostoyevsky’s time in Siberian prison,we follow our narrator on a ten year long journey ,split into two parts ,accounting his time spent imprisoned.
In terms of plot,it is hard to define within this novel,the book is unlinear in nature and serves more as characterisations of the prison and the convicts within it,rather than serving as a direct path through our narrators time in Siberia,our narrator is probably our least described character within the novel,instead he often reflects upon the nature and disposition of his fellow convicts as well as the affects of prison life on said convicts,within doing this he often meanders onto Dostoyevsky’s classic and notable social commentary ,through this he often explores themes of humanity and freedom,Dostoyevsky does a great job at humanising each convict and forcing readers to reflect on the treatment of convicts as well as the notion of freedom and how it is essential to humanity.I’d like to include this remarkable quote to hilight this theme:
“What will a man not give for freedom?What millionaire,if his neck were being strangled by the noose,would not give away all his millions for one gulp of air?”
Dostoyevsky continuously expands on this theme throughout the book and paints a sprawling and vivid depiction of humanity through his prison observations.There are a number of other important themes that are explored within House of the dead,however those where merely the ones that I personally found to be especially poignant.
For me,I very much enjoyed all the meanderings and social commentary and despite the many years difference I believe so many of these themes still resonate within the present day,I would also like to mention that the writing style is not specifically difficult if anyone where to be hesitant for such reasons,If I had to say anything negative for this novel then I suppose that it at various times could be considered vaguely repetitive ,however I somewhat think that this has to be a given considering the repetitiveness of prison life and it’s atmosphere in of its self.
In conclusion I very much enjoyed house of the dead and would indeed recommend it to any considering picking it up!
Final rating:4.5/5
informative
reflective
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
N/A
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
dark
reflective
sad
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No