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4.31 AVERAGE
4.31 AVERAGE
"Oh, we are too good and beautiful, but only when we ourselves feel good and beautiful."
Oh my goodness, what a journey of a book, genuinely. I remember feeling super intimidated about even starting this book because not only was it considered a classic, but it was a HEFTY book (985 pages what the hell). I can say though that after finishing it, I think my reading comprehension's gotten way better and I'm more open to reading more classics after it (my copies of crime and punishment and to kill a mockingbird staring at me rn...)
I'm giving TBK a rating of 4.3/5 stars! I didn't realize what I was getting into until I was about a hundred or so pages in! It was giving Keeping Up With the Kardashians (or should I say...Karamazovs...) x Murder Mystery x Religious Themed mashup and I was into it! So many themes, so many characters and an overarching plotline that just begs for the answer to one question at the end of the day: "Is there any worth in being a good person?"
Seeing how all the characters in the story interacted with one another was such a delight. I think among the three, I have a slight bit of favoritism towards Ivan only because of how entertained I was by his entire character development. Mitya is a close second, only because he's such a simple-minded asshole that despite being a bitch it's somewhat "easy" to root for him in a sense. Alyosha is someone who represents the good that can still be found in that era of Russia, someone who tries their best to find the good among the ugly, which I believe is a core theme to the story. Dostoyevsky, bless his yapper heart, writes with meaning and strength and knows how to drive certain ideas home, something which I appreciated a lot as I flipped through page after page.
A lot of the reviews I've seen hated the ending, and I can see why. (To me, at least) it's pretty obvious that Mitya was not guilty, although he was still convicted. This can be compared to how Christ himself was nailed on the cross to die for our sins, and seeing as how the central themes of Christianity and God and morality were featured multiple times throughout the book, I found it very much fitting. Watching how Alyosha, Ivan, Katya, and Grushenka grapple with the concept of Mitya as a whole was also very fun because they all had different portrayals of him, as a former lover, as a brother, as a son, and so much more.
This lowkey might be one of the longest reviews I've written on here, but I'll give it a pass since it's also one of the longest ones I've read. I won't sugarcoat, this book was dragging in so many areas, and some days it even felt like a chore to finish a chapter, but finishing it felt so good, even more so because of how complex and fulfilling the story was. Looking forward to reading both more classics and more from Dostoyevsky!
Oh my goodness, what a journey of a book, genuinely. I remember feeling super intimidated about even starting this book because not only was it considered a classic, but it was a HEFTY book (985 pages what the hell). I can say though that after finishing it, I think my reading comprehension's gotten way better and I'm more open to reading more classics after it (my copies of crime and punishment and to kill a mockingbird staring at me rn...)
I'm giving TBK a rating of 4.3/5 stars! I didn't realize what I was getting into until I was about a hundred or so pages in! It was giving Keeping Up With the Kardashians (or should I say...Karamazovs...) x Murder Mystery x Religious Themed mashup and I was into it! So many themes, so many characters and an overarching plotline that just begs for the answer to one question at the end of the day: "Is there any worth in being a good person?"
Seeing how all the characters in the story interacted with one another was such a delight. I think among the three, I have a slight bit of favoritism towards Ivan only because of how entertained I was by his entire character development. Mitya is a close second, only because he's such a simple-minded asshole that despite being a bitch it's somewhat "easy" to root for him in a sense. Alyosha is someone who represents the good that can still be found in that era of Russia, someone who tries their best to find the good among the ugly, which I believe is a core theme to the story. Dostoyevsky, bless his yapper heart, writes with meaning and strength and knows how to drive certain ideas home, something which I appreciated a lot as I flipped through page after page.
A lot of the reviews I've seen hated the ending, and I can see why. (To me, at least) it's pretty obvious that Mitya was not guilty, although he was still convicted. This can be compared to how Christ himself was nailed on the cross to die for our sins, and seeing as how the central themes of Christianity and God and morality were featured multiple times throughout the book, I found it very much fitting. Watching how Alyosha, Ivan, Katya, and Grushenka grapple with the concept of Mitya as a whole was also very fun because they all had different portrayals of him, as a former lover, as a brother, as a son, and so much more.
This lowkey might be one of the longest reviews I've written on here, but I'll give it a pass since it's also one of the longest ones I've read. I won't sugarcoat, this book was dragging in so many areas, and some days it even felt like a chore to finish a chapter, but finishing it felt so good, even more so because of how complex and fulfilling the story was. Looking forward to reading both more classics and more from Dostoyevsky!
challenging
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
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
challenging
reflective
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
adventurous
challenging
dark
mysterious
reflective
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Loveable characters:
Complicated
challenging
dark
reflective
tense
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:
Yes
challenging
dark
emotional
inspiring
reflective
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
challenging
emotional
inspiring
reflective
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
My favorite Dostoyevsky book so far, but like Crime and Punishment, an at times grueling affair peppered with rich moments. For me, the best parts were not integral to the main plot at all, like the biography of Zosima, Kolya and Aloysha’s debate, and Ivan’s delirious visit from the devil.
This far, I can say that Fyodor Dostoyevsky, for all his insightful characterization, is simply not going to live as one of my favorite authors
This far, I can say that Fyodor Dostoyevsky, for all his insightful characterization, is simply not going to live as one of my favorite authors
medium-paced
a long thesis about religion, russia and murder.
this is the pure essence of dostoyevsky (even the epilepsy)
definetly not an easy read although very rewarding. his writing conveys emotion maybe not as boldly as pure action books but the despair and depressive mood was present everywhere.
this is the pure essence of dostoyevsky (even the epilepsy)
definetly not an easy read although very rewarding. his writing conveys emotion maybe not as boldly as pure action books but the despair and depressive mood was present everywhere.