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4.04 AVERAGE
4.04 AVERAGE
challenging
dark
mysterious
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
challenging
dark
informative
reflective
sad
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
challenging
dark
funny
reflective
slow-paced
Great story but I'm just couldn't slog my way through the slow pace. I keep trying Russian Lit and failing miserably.
dark
slow-paced
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
So many rave about the classics. I found this one to be tedious as I do most classics. Myshkin, the main character, is a kind, genuine, and simple soul who suffers from epilepsy. He has arrived fresh from a clinic in Switzerland, where he was being treated for the same, and lands right in the middle of Petersburg society, where his character is plunged into the madness of human vanity and depravity. Everyone sees him as some sort of idiot when he is the only one who exhibits any sign of sanity. The author inserts massive amounts of filler that does nothing but postpone the forward momentum of the story. The ending does nothing but depress the reader. Not worth the time it takes to read it.
I'm mixed about this book, but I've decided to come down on the 3 star side rather than the 4 star side. But before I get into that, I'd like to thank my friend and bookpal Nick for reading with me. Reading with a friend is always nicer than reading alone :D
So, why 3 stars? WELL. The easiest answer to that question is that it isn't Brothers K or Crime and Punishment (C&P). Both these books are what I call masterful and while Dostoevsky has real talent, this book falls a bit short. But that isnt all of it. A significant portion of my rating comes from my own preferences and comedy is always a mixed bag for me (just ask my friends-I recently had to admit to my brother and sister-in-law that I just don't like comedy because I couldnt come around on Veep). At any rate, in reading more about Dostoevsky's oeuvre, it was made clear to me that an essential part of his writing *is* comedy, especially his early works. The Idiot is by no means a purely comic novel, but it is a fusion of the fantastic and masterful psychological realism present in Brothers K and C&P AND what Avsey calls "madcap" comedy while not going completely over the edge. If we wanted to, we could blame this on D's emulation of Gogol, but don't let that sound critical of D since, as Avsey puts it, everyone mostly agrees if he is imitating Gogol, its grand and unique in its own right (but again this pertains more to his purely comic works, not the Idiot). And to put more of a point to it, while some of the humor is nice and enjoyable, the hysterics of characters wore on me by the end *laughs maniacally*.
So what can you get outta this book? WELL. The first half is pretty great, even with the criticism I've laid out and has a nice balance to it, setting up what you know must come-an unhappy ending for everyone, especially our poor idiot. Avsey has plenty to say about Christ-like figures in the novel and the prince, above all, is meant to suffer for his forthright and naive mien. But to talk in a bit more practical terms...the second half of the novel seems to lose sight of even that goal and get lost in the charming digressions that were fine enough in the first. The third part in particular made me wonder if the story would come back around to the prince at all, or go in some other direction. And if you've heard the book has a murder, well may I just say don't hold your breath waiting for it.
So while my most critical comment might be the cliche, it loses the forest for the trees, I have to concede to a certain extent that D does this on purpose because in a way, the book is about the digressions and only meant to return to the *ahem* crucifixion of Christ *ahem* at the end. I'd also like to say that although I grew tired of the comedy, the book is enjoyable to read regardless.
Now the big one: Is it worth reading? WELL. If you're a fan of D, probably. But even as one who greatly admires him, it pales in comparison to the two other works I've mentioned. So I'd say, just make sure you've read those first. And maybe dip your toe in the water of the more comic Dostoevsky by reading The Double. Or Gogol's The Nose, at the very least. If you're not, or coming new to D, this is a 650-page book in which you must at once stretch your heart out in sympathy to this beloved, humble, yet intelligent and to-be-crucified idiot, I would really recommend starting somewhere else first, unless you have the context of other Russian novels of the day or similar contemporary works.
So, why 3 stars? WELL. The easiest answer to that question is that it isn't Brothers K or Crime and Punishment (C&P). Both these books are what I call masterful and while Dostoevsky has real talent, this book falls a bit short. But that isnt all of it. A significant portion of my rating comes from my own preferences and comedy is always a mixed bag for me (just ask my friends-I recently had to admit to my brother and sister-in-law that I just don't like comedy because I couldnt come around on Veep). At any rate, in reading more about Dostoevsky's oeuvre, it was made clear to me that an essential part of his writing *is* comedy, especially his early works. The Idiot is by no means a purely comic novel, but it is a fusion of the fantastic and masterful psychological realism present in Brothers K and C&P AND what Avsey calls "madcap" comedy while not going completely over the edge. If we wanted to, we could blame this on D's emulation of Gogol, but don't let that sound critical of D since, as Avsey puts it, everyone mostly agrees if he is imitating Gogol, its grand and unique in its own right (but again this pertains more to his purely comic works, not the Idiot). And to put more of a point to it, while some of the humor is nice and enjoyable, the hysterics of characters wore on me by the end *laughs maniacally*.
So what can you get outta this book? WELL. The first half is pretty great, even with the criticism I've laid out and has a nice balance to it, setting up what you know must come-an unhappy ending for everyone, especially our poor idiot. Avsey has plenty to say about Christ-like figures in the novel and the prince, above all, is meant to suffer for his forthright and naive mien. But to talk in a bit more practical terms...the second half of the novel seems to lose sight of even that goal and get lost in the charming digressions that were fine enough in the first. The third part in particular made me wonder if the story would come back around to the prince at all, or go in some other direction. And if you've heard the book has a murder, well may I just say don't hold your breath waiting for it.
So while my most critical comment might be the cliche, it loses the forest for the trees, I have to concede to a certain extent that D does this on purpose because in a way, the book is about the digressions and only meant to return to the *ahem* crucifixion of Christ *ahem* at the end. I'd also like to say that although I grew tired of the comedy, the book is enjoyable to read regardless.
Now the big one: Is it worth reading? WELL. If you're a fan of D, probably. But even as one who greatly admires him, it pales in comparison to the two other works I've mentioned. So I'd say, just make sure you've read those first. And maybe dip your toe in the water of the more comic Dostoevsky by reading The Double. Or Gogol's The Nose, at the very least. If you're not, or coming new to D, this is a 650-page book in which you must at once stretch your heart out in sympathy to this beloved, humble, yet intelligent and to-be-crucified idiot, I would really recommend starting somewhere else first, unless you have the context of other Russian novels of the day or similar contemporary works.
dark
reflective
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
emotional
reflective
sad
medium-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
Rarely do books touch the soul, but with Dostoyevsky it’s to be expected.
I can’t remember the last time I read a book that weighed on me so heavily as this one. I don’t even know what to write as a review. The Prince’s character is undoubtedly the purest, most beautiful soul you’ll ever read about, and to see him navigate 19th Century Russian society was as enriching as it was crushing. The end left me with a sad feeling that’s going to take a while to fade, but the imprint of this reading experience will remain with me till my last breath.
5/5
I can’t remember the last time I read a book that weighed on me so heavily as this one. I don’t even know what to write as a review. The Prince’s character is undoubtedly the purest, most beautiful soul you’ll ever read about, and to see him navigate 19th Century Russian society was as enriching as it was crushing. The end left me with a sad feeling that’s going to take a while to fade, but the imprint of this reading experience will remain with me till my last breath.
5/5