Reviews tagging 'Suicidal thoughts'

The Brothers Karamazov by Fyodor Dostoevsky

15 reviews

gwenswoons's review against another edition

challenging dark funny mysterious tense slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

This book is just so completely magnificent - funny, wild, unusual at every turn and in every detail. I made it through my college Russian major, somehow, without reading any Dostoevsky, and this was such a joy this winter. It took up 4 months(!!) of my life, and made me laugh out loud more than almost any book I can remember. So complex, strange, and peculiarly Russian in the best way. The translation (by Pevear and Volokhonsky) is so wonderfully idiomatic and Russian-feeling in cadence, diction, atmosphere, structure. I just loved loved loved.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Body horror, Animal cruelty, Alcohol, Terminal illness, Suicide, Grief, Suicide attempt, Sexual assault, Animal death, Blood, Bullying, Toxic friendship, Child abuse, Child death, Chronic illness, Toxic relationship, Infidelity, Injury/Injury detail, Medical content, Mental illness, Sexism, Sexual harassment, Death, Classism, Alcoholism, Death of parent, Gaslighting, Gore, Emotional abuse, Forced institutionalization, Murder, Suicidal thoughts, Stalking, Violence, and Xenophobia

mangopassion555's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional mysterious reflective sad slow-paced

• 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? Yes

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death of parent, Murder, and Suicidal thoughts

Moderate: Physical abuse, Grief, Suicide, Child abuse, Violence, Abandonment, and Antisemitism

janainthebooks's review against another edition

challenging dark reflective tense slow-paced

• 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? Yes

4.0

it is evident that Dostoevsky built in several stories, that are not integral to the plot nor the message of the book, making it at times appear to be loosing the central thread. Nonetheless, the philosophical ideas embodied in the main characters and the complexities of even the side characters make for a deeply psychological, sociological and thought-provoking story. Truly a masterpiece!

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Murder, Death of parent, and Child death

Moderate: Blood and Alcoholism

Minor: Suicidal thoughts

verpissdich's review against another edition

dark emotional inspiring reflective medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.75

Translator's prose neither too dense not too colloquial.

The Grand Inquisitor section (Ivan's Peom) is very thought provoking.

Alyosha's character development after the death of father Zossima, or perhaps significant lack thereof, also thought provoking.

I found the recounting of Father Zossima's life through the narrator and Alyosha's recollection highly tedious, but nonetheless illuminating, especially in its parallels to Dmitri's transformation after his arrest. I also found it slightly difficult to get through Dmitri's interrogation while at the inn, and his presumed guilt is infuriating to read through although this is clearly intentional.

In general, an enjoyable examination of human nature.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Rape, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Terminal illness, Chronic illness, and Toxic relationship

toffishay's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional hopeful mysterious reflective sad tense slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

A momentous book! I don't know when I'll get around to reading this again because it's a monster of a book, but I want to read it again and again. The exploration of the this family and the turmoil and triumphs of the brothers was more than I ever could have hoped for. It's detailed and heartbreaking; I was laughing out loud on second and then, by the next chapter, I was on the verge of tears.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Murder, Child death, Classism, Death, Physical abuse, Toxic relationship, Death of parent, and Emotional abuse

Moderate: Injury/Injury detail, Infidelity, Suicide, Violence, Domestic abuse, Suicidal thoughts, Terminal illness, Abandonment, and Blood

Minor: Alcohol, Confinement, Grief, Religious bigotry, Adult/minor relationship, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Pregnancy, Gaslighting, Xenophobia, Antisemitism, and Racism

julianh's review against another edition

emotional reflective slow-paced

• 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? Yes

4.5

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Death, Death of parent, Suicidal thoughts, Murder, Child death, Suicide, and Toxic relationship

Minor: Antisemitism, Racial slurs, Racism, and Schizophrenia/Psychosis

cowardlyteaman's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional reflective sad slow-paced

• 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? Yes

5.0

This was definitely worth the while, even if it took me a long while.

It's very slow paced, and sometimes you might think to yourself «Okay, but how does this affect the plot.» Fair point, definitely, but to me personally, such scenes meant everything in the parallel situations of these characters and for Dostoyevsky to explore some of his philosophy, which I think he has the right to with such reflections. Also, as my dad so rightfully reminded me, this book was written in a period where people had the time to read. Not meaning that they weren't as busy as we are now, but simply that their attention spans had not been abused such as ours have due to various categories of modern entertainment.
There is no shame in this, but it's important to note that if you're wanting to read this. I, too, found it boring at times, because no, I genuinely could not care less about Father Zosima.

And on the note of characters I couldn't care less about, we have Alyosha. Yes, I see Dostoyevsky praising and loving him, but I found him pretty whiny, actually. He was about as relevant as an emotional support animal, to be quite honest. That is until the epilogue, where I appreciated his part of the whole journey.

My favourite character was Mitya, though Ivan stands as a close second, and I'm not ashamed to admit that it is because I found them sexy. Not only because I found them sexy, but it was undeniably a factor in there somewhere, and I am young and gay, so who can blame me. Still, they were both fantastically written characters, both with depth and interesting plot lines.

Yes, my review has been mostly about the characters and what I thought of them, but they are the plot after all. However, I want to add finally that I noticed how the synopsis of the book leads with the murder of Fyodor Pavlovich, when that doesn't «come up» until a good... 500 pages in? A bit odd, but I suppose that was what brought the entire piece to a conclusion.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Violence, Blood, Bullying, Suicide, Child death, Emotional abuse, Mental illness, Murder, Panic attacks/disorders, Alcohol, Child abuse, Death, and Death of parent

Moderate: Grief, Abandonment, and Adult/minor relationship

Minor: Racism, Addiction, Antisemitism, Alcoholism, Suicidal thoughts, and Racial slurs

suneaters's review against another edition

challenging dark mysterious reflective slow-paced

• 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

A pivotal case study in family dynamics and the manifestations of parental failures upon children in adulthood, all culminating in the bitter but ultimately satisfying truth of who killed the Karamazov patriarch. Daddy Issues™️. Alyosha best boy confirmed. 

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

your bastard half-brother kills your father because he mistakenly thought your other brother wanted him to and your other other brother is set up as the fall guy?

 

I liked how it ends without resolving everything.

We don't know if they're going to help Mitya escape and we don't know if Ivan will end up with Katerina after all or if Grushenka will decide she loves Mitya after all. We end with the funeral of a young boy called Ilyusha who fell ill at some point after seeing Dmitri beat up his military captain father instead of with some grand conclusion on the story of Ivan, Aleksy, Dmitri, and Smerdyakov. We don't know if Marfa and Grigory have been spoken to by Ivan or Alyosha after Smerdyakov confessed to Ivan.

 

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

his vivid hallucination of the Devil and his spiral into madness.

Mitya tries desperately to overcome his own jealous and angry nature to become a better man.

His and Ivan's optimistic endings can be seen as authorial optimism for the outlook of mankind overall.

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Content Warnings

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

challenging dark emotional mysterious reflective tense slow-paced

• 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

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Content Warnings

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

imrath's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional mysterious reflective slow-paced

• 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

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Suicidal thoughts, Bullying, Child death, Terminal illness, Grief, Infidelity, and Schizophrenia/Psychosis

Moderate: Murder, Animal death, Pregnancy, and Alcohol