Reviews

Идиот by Fyodor Dostoevsky, Fyodor Dostoevsky

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zilberbetch's review against another edition

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emotional funny lighthearted reflective sad

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

5.0

anettmarii's review against another edition

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3.0

teada on, et härra Dostojevski pidi iga antud romaani osa ajalise piiranguga kirjastusele esitama, oi esimesed kolm osa venisid ja viimases hakkas tegevustik hüppeliselt lendlema – jääb mulje, nagu oleks härral ise "Idioodist" kõrini saanud.

ometigi pani Dostojevski sõnadesse midagi, millele ma pole verbaalset kuju osanud anda; kitsamalt sõnapaar "originaalsuse iha" oli see, mis mind kummitama jäi.
neljas osa, esimene peatükk: "... kuigi ta oli tervenisti, pealaest jalatallani originaalsuse ihast nakatatud. Aga see liik on esimesest palju õnnetum (minu enda kommentaar: esimene siis vaimselt piiratute liik, jutustaja kohaselt jagunevad inimesed kaheks: vaimult piiratud ning << märksa arukamad >>). See'p see ongi, et kui a r u k a s << harilik >> inimene peabki ennast vahetevahel (aga võib-olla ka kogu eluaeg) geniaalseks ja originaalseks inimeseks, säilitab ta oma südames ometi kahtluseussikese, mis sunnib arukat inimest lausa meelt heitma; kui ta lõpuks ka alistub, siis juba sootuks mürgitatuna sissepoole pöördunud auahnusest."

genocforal's review against another edition

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2.0

This is the first novel of Dostoyevsky’s that I was consistently asking myself, “Where is this going?” By the time I made it to the end, I was as apathetic to it as I was at the beginning and the middle.

While Dostoyevsky is an insightful genius when it comes to his observations of humanity, this book does not appear to have material capable of carrying its length.

Dostoyevsky claimed to be trying to illustrate what would happen if a “truly good person” were to inhabit the world. One of his tropes when it comes to goodness appears to be that “goodness” means naïve, religious, and full of childlike compassion (as can be seen in Alyosha in his epic, The Brothers Karamazov). He does not seem capable of writing a character who is both full of grace and justice.

Aside from some strikingly brilliant illustrations of female vanity, and the depravity individuals who take advantage of the naïve, this book drags by comparison of the author’s other brilliant works.

barca_journal's review against another edition

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challenging dark emotional mysterious reflective tense slow-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

5.0

camicarreno's review against another edition

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3.0

Me demoré una eternidad en leerlo. No puedo decir que es malo, pero tampoco que me encantó. A ratos me gustaba mucho y a ratos me perdía (y aburría) en las anécdotas y discusiones eternas de los personajes.