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4.04 AVERAGE
4.04 AVERAGE
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.
Let's just get this out of the way: I'm a piece of shit who stopped reading at the end of Part II. Having said that, it's clear as day what a great book The Idiot is — it's just not right for who I am right now, though I plan to return (and return again) to it within a decade. Simply reading Part I, however, has left a clear impression on my self and knowledge of art and literature. The symbolic idiot appears everywhere!
challenging
dark
emotional
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
The 3 stars are definitely not because of the story, which I found beautiful and heart-wrenching at the same time. It also has nothing to do with the writing (of course), which I found beautiful as well. It also wasn’t because of the parts about politics or some of the seemingly random stories within the book (the part about the 60 monks made me laugh out loud and I reread it twice ;)). The thing I struggled with was the unpredictable and sometimes seemingly unexplainable behavior of some of the characters. This made it hard for me to feel a connection with them and since the connection with the characters is the most important part of the reading experience for me, this disappointed me a little. I will definitely try another of Dostoyevsky’s books though, because I do connect with his beautiful writing style and I’ve become curious about his other stories!
dark
emotional
sad
tense
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
One of the defining books on humanity, a sort of Russian Forrest Gump. The Idiot here is meant to be a christ like figure of purity, a character not corrupted by human evils. Too innocent to see the world in any way other than goodness. But here I think Dostoyevsky failed, his character ‘The Idiot’ feels not like someone who doesn’t understand the world, but more like somebody who especially does. He has seen the world, matured in situations where he has had that opportunity, he acts well and not mindlessly. Surrounded by Russian society, it seems that in the stories he tells, (of the executed man) and things he has experienced he merely has a perspective on the world outside of petty, individual struggles. ‘Crime and Punishment’ had the message: ‘Someone who cannot live honestly, will barely live’, and this novel the message, ‘Someone who has not lived, cannot live honestly’
One of the defining books on humanity, a sort of Russian Forrest Gump. The Idiot here is meant to be a christ like figure of purity, a character not corrupted by human evils. Too innocent to see the world in any way other than goodness. But here I think Dostoyevsky failed, his character ‘The Idiot’ feels not like someone who doesn’t understand the world, but more like somebody who especially does. He has seen the world, matured in situations where he has had that opportunity, he acts well and not mindlessly. Surrounded by Russian society, it seems that in the stories he tells, (of the executed man) and things he has experienced he merely has a perspective on the world outside of petty, individual struggles. ‘Crime and Punishment’ had the message: ‘Someone who cannot live honestly, will barely live’, and this novel the message, ‘Someone who has not lived, cannot live honestly’
challenging
emotional
funny
reflective
sad
medium-paced
One of my favorite books!! The beginning is a bit slow, but one you get past that, it's so captivating. Has great philosophical question posed, a bit humourous and dramatic, and I love the characters, not despite their flaws, but because of it.
Content Warnings
Minor: Chronic illness, Infidelity, Sexism, Slavery, Terminal illness, Blood, Religious bigotry, Murder
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