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4.04 AVERAGE
4.04 AVERAGE
So, this is my 6th Annual "Red October" reading challenge, the completely made up event where I dig in to some Russian literature. This year I selected two books, first the biggest Dostoyevsky novel that I haven't yet read, "The Idiot", and second an example of Soviet era science fiction, "Roadside Picnic" by the brothers Arkady and Boris Strugatsky.
"The Brothers Karamazov" has long been my favorite Dostoyevsky novel, which opinion remains unchanged after finishing "The Idiot", which slides neatly into second place behind it. There were some fascinating and intriguing characters in this novel, led by the so-called idiot himself, Price Myshkin. What a fascinating young man. You know how sometimes your children get you in trouble because they repeat something they heard you say confidentially to exactly the wrong person? This is Prince Myshkin's default setting. But it's not because he wants to ruffle feathers, it's just the opposite. Without a hint of guile in his entire being, the Prince simply doesn't comprehend that you shouldn't repeat certain things to certain people. It is this very innocence that - spoiler ahead! - is his downfall in the end, when his gut reaction to Nastassya's unhappiness causes him to completely alienate Aglaya, the person that perhaps could have brought him true happiness.
Speaking of the ending, I must say that it left me a little underwhelmed. While I was not able to predict - more spoilers! - the momentous event of the conclusion (I kept thinking to myself, "now this person is going to do himself in", "now that person is definitely going to throw herself in front of a train", never envisioning a murder instead of a suicide) I would have loved a little more "epilogue" to tie up everybody's loose ends.
"The Brothers Karamazov" has long been my favorite Dostoyevsky novel, which opinion remains unchanged after finishing "The Idiot", which slides neatly into second place behind it. There were some fascinating and intriguing characters in this novel, led by the so-called idiot himself, Price Myshkin. What a fascinating young man. You know how sometimes your children get you in trouble because they repeat something they heard you say confidentially to exactly the wrong person? This is Prince Myshkin's default setting. But it's not because he wants to ruffle feathers, it's just the opposite. Without a hint of guile in his entire being, the Prince simply doesn't comprehend that you shouldn't repeat certain things to certain people. It is this very innocence that - spoiler ahead! - is his downfall in the end, when his gut reaction to Nastassya's unhappiness causes him to completely alienate Aglaya, the person that perhaps could have brought him true happiness.
Speaking of the ending, I must say that it left me a little underwhelmed. While I was not able to predict - more spoilers! - the momentous event of the conclusion (I kept thinking to myself, "now this person is going to do himself in", "now that person is definitely going to throw herself in front of a train", never envisioning a murder instead of a suicide) I would have loved a little more "epilogue" to tie up everybody's loose ends.
challenging
dark
emotional
reflective
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Holy F this book is off the hook. I admit at times it was dreadfully boring and all I thought was "Come on, Princey, pick a girl already" but then that passes and the ending is just wild.
Should be titled "The Idiots." The lack of a single likable character made it extremely difficult for me to finish the book. I usually enjoy Dostoevsky but reading this was unpleasant drudgery.
This one started off really well, or maybe I started off strong because I felt good about reading a classic. By about halfway through it got a bit tougher, then by the end I was just glad to be done. That said, I think the subject matter just wasn't really to my interest so much. I remain interested in Dostoevsky's other works, but this one, while quite funny at times, just didn't really score with me by the end.
Any given day, I'd prefer Dostoyevsky's lowlives over Tolstoy's aristocrats.
challenging
dark
reflective
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Loveable characters:
Yes
emotional
informative
reflective
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
Grāmata sarakstīta 4 daļās. Pirmās 2 daļas 2.5 zvaigznes, ļoti daudz sarunu, nekādu notikumu un sajūta, ka būs salkans (romaņķika), bet uz priekšu liek lasīt, jo klasika, nevar būt, ka kkas tāds var kļūt par klasiku un tad pierodot( sadraudzējoties) ar tēliem grāmata kļūst interesanta (kkas tur ir). Iesaku!
In a word, tragic. There are so many other reviews on here that do the book justice and I cannot, will not match that here. All I can say is that this story pulled my spirits into the trenches and made me wonder, "Do good people like Myshkin?" Does being 'good' even matter. The answer this book shows. No.