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4.04 AVERAGE
4.04 AVERAGE
Simultaneously brilliant and frustrating, Dostoevsky gives us a classic Romantic hero in the real world to show that such heroes can't possibly exist. The language is gorgeous and the characters are well-rounded and fascinating - at least when Dostoevsky doesn't have an axe to grind. The book falls short of 5-star perfection because the author can't help but inject his politics into the plot, which leads to embarrassingly two-dimensional strawman characters around the middle of the novel that read like a modern political cartoon, not characters who came from the mind of one of the greatest Russian writers of all time. When Dostoevsky hunts for the heart of the human condition, all of these complaints are left by the wayside, and The Idiot becomes the immediate, necessary piece of Romantic deconstructionism it so needs to be, but you have to wade through the author's occasional forays on the pulpit in order to get to such moments.
challenging
reflective
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
challenging
dark
emotional
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
dark
emotional
reflective
slow-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
Interesting commentary on Russian aristocratic society, social norms, and mentality in the 1800s. Dostoyevsky's pontification on 'ordinary people' felt quite relevant/current, as did some of the interpersonal dynamics (among siblings and acquaintances especially). The dialogue felt genuine and primary characters and supplementary characters alike seemed to have impressively identifiable voices. The novel overall poses thought-provoking questions about morality, both romantic and criminal, which would be great food for conversation.
Less interestingly, the plot was pretty slow-moving, really picking up in the last 100 pages. And I found the vocabulary somewhat outdated but otherwise readable for a modern-day Russian speaker!
Less interestingly, the plot was pretty slow-moving, really picking up in the last 100 pages. And I found the vocabulary somewhat outdated but otherwise readable for a modern-day Russian speaker!
ամեն ինչ սարսափելի խորն էր, տխուր, միաժամանակ քրքջալու չափ ծիծաղելի, խելագարության աստիճանի հանճարեղ էր ու խեղված, մինչև վերջին ոսկորը խեղված
էդպիսին ա հեղինակն ինքը ու էդպիսին պիտի լիներ իր ձեռքի տակից դուրս եկած ցանկացած բան
էդպիսին ա հեղինակն ինքը ու էդպիսին պիտի լիներ իր ձեռքի տակից դուրս եկած ցանկացած բան
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
funny
lighthearted
reflective
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
The author has portrayed a truly beautiful soul as promised. Many things to learn from it. Gonna read it again some day.
This book probably came across me at the wrong time. I even feel a little guilty that I could not fall in love with Dostoevsky's great creation. A book about people, their relationships, and about trying to understand the motives of their actions.
3 out of 5.
3 out of 5.