2.24k reviews for:

The Idiot

Fyodor Dostoevsky

4.04 AVERAGE

banannies's review

5.0

dark funny hopeful reflective slow-paced

darliejane's review

3.5

slow-paced

Plot or Character Driven: Character

Strong character development: Yes

Loveable characters: Yes

Diverse cast of characters: Yes

Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

abbybic's review against another edition

5.0

challenging dark emotional funny reflective sad tense slow-paced

Plot or Character Driven: Character

Strong character development: Yes

Loveable characters: Yes

Diverse cast of characters: Complicated

Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

pzdrnk's review

5.0

---

I have an almost irrational love for Russian literature, it tortures me with its emotionally intense, painfully long narratives of sorrow and human frailty, yet I can’t stop coming back for more. The Idiot is no exception. Dostoevsky masterfully builds the story of a man deemed an “idiot” simply because he lacks cunning and malice. That’s exactly why I keep returning to Dostoevsky - he runs me through a gauntlet of despair for days until I get to the last 3 sentences of the book when he inevitably resurrects the dead and makes the whole book worth while.

aithop's review

5.0

emotional inspiring reflective medium-paced

Plot or Character Driven: Character

Strong character development: Yes

Loveable characters: Yes

Diverse cast of characters: Yes

Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

gmpipicella's review against another edition

2.5

challenging dark slow-paced

Plot or Character Driven: Character

Strong character development: Yes

Loveable characters: No

Diverse cast of characters: No

Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

---

Complesso, enorme, a tratti noioso. La prima parte scorre che è una meraviglia e non si raggiunge quel livello fino alla quarta parte. Insomma, la parte in mezzo mi ha assonnato parecchio. Considero Delitto e Castigo il mio romanzo preferito, quindi sono bello deluso da questo.

stesaalsole's review

4.0

---

Non ho mai provato tanta pena e compassione per un personaggio come l'ho provata per il principe Myškin. Per tutta la durata del libro, mi sono sempre rifiutata di chiamarlo un "idiota" e anzi, mi sentivo quasi offesa quando veniva definito tale. Pensavo: "se una persona come lui, buona fino al midollo e semplicemente ingenua, viene definita un idiota, dove andrà a finire il mondo?". Eppure, verso la fine del libro, mi sono ritrovata più volte a pensarlo. Come si può essere tanto ingenui e insofferenti? Basta Myškin, sei stato preso in giro abbastanza! L'ingenuità potrebbe anche essere considerata come un buon (o almeno accettabile) tratto caratteriale, ma la stupidità no.
Ed è proprio per questo che questo libro mi rimarrà per sempre impresso nel cuore, se non anche per gli innumerevoli discorsi e ragionamenti di un uomo buono, che si è fatto fregare più di qualche volta.

mdrose's review against another edition

4.25

challenging dark emotional reflective sad medium-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

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Mental illness, Suicide attempt

Moderate: Child abuse, Sexual violence, Toxic relationship

Minor: Terminal illness

hanadorn's review

4.75

adventurous challenging dark emotional funny informative reflective sad tense medium-paced

Plot or Character Driven: Character

Strong character development: Complicated

Loveable characters: Yes

Diverse cast of characters: Yes

Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

santemis's review

5.0

dark sad tense slow-paced

Plot or Character Driven: Character

Strong character development: Yes

Loveable characters: Yes

Diverse cast of characters: Yes

Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes