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4.16 AVERAGE
4.16 AVERAGE
Hmmm.. how ~do~ I feel about this one? 🤔
I think my review will be tainted by the fact that I had just read Dostoevsky's "The Brothers Karamazov" two months ago. Both books are, obviously, written with a similar type of speech. I think I've realized that a lot of the dialogue Dostoevsky includes in his novels would be written in modern novels as "X continued to rant feverishly in order to hide from the truth of recent events" and the remainder of the book would describe the plot events. In Dostoevsky's novels, he doesn't skip a WORD of the anxious monologue characters are experiencing. I truly enjoyed that format in BK, once I coupled my reading with the audiobook and heard more of the expressions. However, I did not make that choice for this novel, which I do regret.
In terms of the plot itself, it was very hard to become fully committed to the characters (for me) because I disliked our MC, Raskolnikov so much. Additionally, a lot of the side characters introduced were horrible people (Svidrigailov, Pyotr...). I think Raskolnikov never consciously experiencing remorse for his actions, but through his "fevers" he is unconsciously experiencing his guilt, makes for a unique character development.
This one gripped me in some places and really lost my attention in others. I think there was a lot of social commentary in the bulk of the dialogue regarding 1860s Russia, and I had not done enough research to truly appreciate what Dostoevsky was attempting to convey. Overall, an interesting, feverish and moody vibe read. But I would pick BK over C&P 🤗
I think my review will be tainted by the fact that I had just read Dostoevsky's "The Brothers Karamazov" two months ago. Both books are, obviously, written with a similar type of speech. I think I've realized that a lot of the dialogue Dostoevsky includes in his novels would be written in modern novels as "X continued to rant feverishly in order to hide from the truth of recent events" and the remainder of the book would describe the plot events. In Dostoevsky's novels, he doesn't skip a WORD of the anxious monologue characters are experiencing. I truly enjoyed that format in BK, once I coupled my reading with the audiobook and heard more of the expressions. However, I did not make that choice for this novel, which I do regret.
In terms of the plot itself, it was very hard to become fully committed to the characters (for me) because I disliked our MC, Raskolnikov so much. Additionally, a lot of the side characters introduced were horrible people (Svidrigailov, Pyotr...). I think Raskolnikov never consciously experiencing remorse for his actions, but through his "fevers" he is unconsciously experiencing his guilt, makes for a unique character development.
This one gripped me in some places and really lost my attention in others. I think there was a lot of social commentary in the bulk of the dialogue regarding 1860s Russia, and I had not done enough research to truly appreciate what Dostoevsky was attempting to convey. Overall, an interesting, feverish and moody vibe read. But I would pick BK over C&P 🤗
Getting to the end of a Russian novel always feels like a major achievement. There are so many reasons that make each one I've read so far difficult and rewarding endeavors.
I think the first barrier is that they were often written as serials or published in sections, which often leads to them being unreasonably long. Just looking at the size of the physical book is daunting.
The second barrier is the language and the naming conventions used. Each one has a plethora of characters that all go by three or four different names that seem RADICALLY different to my eye due to how Russian honorifics are structured or maybe they are just nicknames. For example, the main character in Crime and Punishment goes by Raskolnikov most of the time but will often be called Rodion Romanovich, Rodya, Rodenka, and Rodka throughout the book. Keeping the various characters and names can be a chore but thankfully there is a list at the start of the book you can refer back to.
The third barrier to enjoying these books is trying to distill what they are actually talking about most of the time. Characters will go on multi-page rants with little back-and-forth on a regular basis, which gives the books thrumming, manic energy. There are a lot of highfalutin ideas being tossed around that are often internal critiques of the mid-1800s Russian order. There is some fun in trying to translate that over to bigger themes though. Crime and Punishment really breaks down to the duality between committing a utilitarian crime for the perceived greater good of society and the actual physical and mental toll that carrying on with that violent crime actually takes on a man but there are a lot of side characters that will make guest appearances and talk about other random semi-relevant ideas as well.
Combined, these barriers make most Russian novels hard to recommend to a casual reader just looking for something light. It took me three tries to even get through Crime and Punishment, the last time even involved me re-reading the first 250 pages of the book. Raskolnikov is an especially hard character to empathize with for most of the book which makes it an even more difficult read, he pushes away others and acts irrationally in ways that are designed to frustrate the reader. The middle section of the book has some repetition and tedium baked in before the bigger picture and drama really drops towards the last third of the book. Overall, there is some intrinsic thrill in trying to challenge yourself but it is definitely just that, a challenge. I'd recommend Anna Karenina or The Brother's Karamazov first over Crime and Punishment but I definitely ended up enjoying this more than I had originally thought I would by the end.
I think the first barrier is that they were often written as serials or published in sections, which often leads to them being unreasonably long. Just looking at the size of the physical book is daunting.
The second barrier is the language and the naming conventions used. Each one has a plethora of characters that all go by three or four different names that seem RADICALLY different to my eye due to how Russian honorifics are structured or maybe they are just nicknames. For example, the main character in Crime and Punishment goes by Raskolnikov most of the time but will often be called Rodion Romanovich, Rodya, Rodenka, and Rodka throughout the book. Keeping the various characters and names can be a chore but thankfully there is a list at the start of the book you can refer back to.
The third barrier to enjoying these books is trying to distill what they are actually talking about most of the time. Characters will go on multi-page rants with little back-and-forth on a regular basis, which gives the books thrumming, manic energy. There are a lot of highfalutin ideas being tossed around that are often internal critiques of the mid-1800s Russian order. There is some fun in trying to translate that over to bigger themes though. Crime and Punishment really breaks down to the duality between committing a utilitarian crime for the perceived greater good of society and the actual physical and mental toll that carrying on with that violent crime actually takes on a man but there are a lot of side characters that will make guest appearances and talk about other random semi-relevant ideas as well.
Combined, these barriers make most Russian novels hard to recommend to a casual reader just looking for something light. It took me three tries to even get through Crime and Punishment, the last time even involved me re-reading the first 250 pages of the book. Raskolnikov is an especially hard character to empathize with for most of the book which makes it an even more difficult read, he pushes away others and acts irrationally in ways that are designed to frustrate the reader. The middle section of the book has some repetition and tedium baked in before the bigger picture and drama really drops towards the last third of the book. Overall, there is some intrinsic thrill in trying to challenge yourself but it is definitely just that, a challenge. I'd recommend Anna Karenina or The Brother's Karamazov first over Crime and Punishment but I definitely ended up enjoying this more than I had originally thought I would by the end.
moze gdyby 35% ksiazki nie bylo zbedne zapamietalabym co sadzilam o reszcie
For a book that's mainly men expounding about exactly what kind of dick they are whilst women who are smarter than them are rendered ineffectual by society and conditioning, this is kind of a bop. Could have done without the more florid and dramatic bits and, whatever Dostoyevsky's plans for Raskolnikov were in a future book he, (Raskolnikov) is still just an incel who didn't deserve his semi-happy ending. Still, glad to have read it.
dark
tense
slow-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
dark
reflective
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I had to read this my senior year in High school (8 years ago)and I am thinking that I need to re-read it. I remember that I didn't really like it probably because I was so young and immature. I need to give this another try. I just remember every paragraph going on and on and on. It seemed to drag. Must re-read.
dark
sad
tense
medium-paced