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Reviews
Fraţii Karamazov by Albert Kovacs, Isabella Dumbravă, Ovidiu Constantinescu, Fyodor Dostoevsky
drees's review against another edition
dark
inspiring
reflective
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
5.0
warro's review against another edition
4.5
An epic saga that centres around the eventful passionate Karamazov family, three iconic brothers spiral through lives in drastically different ways, producing conversations of portent and import in philosophy, theology and ethics. It is a story about life and has Dostoevsky's spirit in every line of it. Albeit draggy at times, especially when detailing the lives of side characters like Elder Zosima and Kolya, Dostoevsky presents a story of great significance on God, morals through arguments, characters' pysche and actions and the overarching narrative that breaks, reforms and challenges the Karamazovs in a full-fledged humanistic way. What striked me the most is the prevalent theme of children in the book, Kolya that desires to be more mature than his age, Ilyushchka's early death, Fyodor's negligent treatment of his children and intergenerational effects in a book that essentialises the Russian zeitgeist of that time. It is not a pageturner, but one that leaves you impacted and stunned, staring at a page.
myaoo's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
slow-paced
5.0
sunfloweronmylap's review against another edition
5.0
I was highly intimidated by this book and put off reading it for a long time. I read many spoiler-free reviews and realized people largely had two popular opinions about this - it is the greatest book ever or they couldn't get past the first 100 pages. I'm someone who hates abandoning books, especially when it is a book as loved as TBK and I'm also someone who deliberates a lot before picking up a book that is over 500 pages.
However, I was positively surprised by how much of a page-turner it was. It still isn't a book you will compulsively read through because you will want or rather be forced to put this book aside and think about faith, God, and morality. At times you will have to reread a few paragraphs or even the whole chapter to completely get it, what I didn't know was how much I'd love doing that. How much I would individually love certain chapters. A review here mentioned how the characters care a lot about a person's opinion on God and immortality and they do. Even the young ones. For us, small talk is asking about the weather and for the characters in this book, it is deliberating upon and debating about the existence of God and immortality. I was again surprised by how interesting, how far from boring those conversations were, and how much I loved those in comparison to the other parts which didn't have those deliberations.
Also, those philosophical debates are not all that this book offers you. Right after 50% of the book is when the real plot begins. The murder. That is when it becomes a fast-paced whodunnit followed by an exciting courtroom scene. And that is when you start compulsively flipping through the pages. You cannot stop.
And then the genius Dostoevsky tops it off with some of the best-written characters I have ever come across. There are characters you love, characters you love to hate, characters you sometimes hate and sometimes love and characters you pity.
In short, this is a perfect blend of philosophical debates, well-written characters, a perfect murder mystery, and a scandalous love triangle. I will now start my journey of compulsively recommending this book to everyone and spreading my love for it.
However, I was positively surprised by how much of a page-turner it was. It still isn't a book you will compulsively read through because you will want or rather be forced to put this book aside and think about faith, God, and morality. At times you will have to reread a few paragraphs or even the whole chapter to completely get it, what I didn't know was how much I'd love doing that. How much I would individually love certain chapters. A review here mentioned how the characters care a lot about a person's opinion on God and immortality and they do. Even the young ones. For us, small talk is asking about the weather and for the characters in this book, it is deliberating upon and debating about the existence of God and immortality. I was again surprised by how interesting, how far from boring those conversations were, and how much I loved those in comparison to the other parts which didn't have those deliberations.
Also, those philosophical debates are not all that this book offers you. Right after 50% of the book is when the real plot begins. The murder. That is when it becomes a fast-paced whodunnit followed by an exciting courtroom scene. And that is when you start compulsively flipping through the pages. You cannot stop.
And then the genius Dostoevsky tops it off with some of the best-written characters I have ever come across. There are characters you love, characters you love to hate, characters you sometimes hate and sometimes love and characters you pity.
In short, this is a perfect blend of philosophical debates, well-written characters, a perfect murder mystery, and a scandalous love triangle. I will now start my journey of compulsively recommending this book to everyone and spreading my love for it.
salemlockheart's review against another edition
5.0
"The awful thing is that beauty is mysterious as well as terrible. God and the devil are fighting there and the battlefield is the heart of man."
there are no words to describe how i feel about this book. i'll start by saying that this is the longest i've ever taken to read any novel, ever. (nine entire months). it was a long process, though it was as hard as it was rewarding, as it always is with dostoevsky's work.
this book was long. very long. but it was perfect. when i first started it, i was intimidated. it's not the longest book i've ever read, but it's the longest classic i've ever read. once i got to the end of the book, i wanted more. it felt like 400,000 words wasn't enough. what about ivan and dmitri and katya?
there are a lot of questions i had that went unanswered, though i know it was purposeful. this book was incredible. i don't want to say that it changed my life, but i really feel like it did. (let me be dramatic). i'm going to lay awake at night and think about ivan. this book is going to be ingrained into my skull.
i particularly liked alyosha and ivan's relationship. alyosha as the incredibly religious god-sees-all type, and ivan as the; there is no god. if there is a god, he is cruel and unjust and undeserving of worship.
"I think the devil doesn't exist, but man has created him, he has created him in his own image and likeness."
i saw a lot of myself in a lot of these characters. minus the murdering their father... obviously. but ivan and dmitri's hatred for theirs was something i felt personally. i know there's nothing that can be said that hasn't been said already, but wow.
i had a lot of fun annotating this book. unpacking alyosha's relationship with his father was interesting, and in turn unpacking ivan's relationship with smerdyakov. doestoevsky puts so much thought into fleshing out every character he writes. giving them their own moral compass, and ideals, and wants, and needs, etc. it never fails to amaze me.
there are no words to describe how i feel about this book. i'll start by saying that this is the longest i've ever taken to read any novel, ever. (nine entire months). it was a long process, though it was as hard as it was rewarding, as it always is with dostoevsky's work.
this book was long. very long. but it was perfect. when i first started it, i was intimidated. it's not the longest book i've ever read, but it's the longest classic i've ever read. once i got to the end of the book, i wanted more. it felt like 400,000 words wasn't enough. what about ivan and dmitri and katya?
there are a lot of questions i had that went unanswered, though i know it was purposeful. this book was incredible. i don't want to say that it changed my life, but i really feel like it did. (let me be dramatic). i'm going to lay awake at night and think about ivan. this book is going to be ingrained into my skull.
i particularly liked alyosha and ivan's relationship. alyosha as the incredibly religious god-sees-all type, and ivan as the; there is no god. if there is a god, he is cruel and unjust and undeserving of worship.
"I think the devil doesn't exist, but man has created him, he has created him in his own image and likeness."
i saw a lot of myself in a lot of these characters. minus the murdering their father... obviously. but ivan and dmitri's hatred for theirs was something i felt personally. i know there's nothing that can be said that hasn't been said already, but wow.
i had a lot of fun annotating this book. unpacking alyosha's relationship with his father was interesting, and in turn unpacking ivan's relationship with smerdyakov. doestoevsky puts so much thought into fleshing out every character he writes. giving them their own moral compass, and ideals, and wants, and needs, etc. it never fails to amaze me.
kozmickiples's review against another edition
5.0
najvecih 5/5, plakala sam i u deliriju citala pogotovo zadnjih nekoliko knjiga.... sto drugo ocekivati od dostojevskog?!
aoyenhi's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
hopeful
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
“But now, for one brief moment, let’s pretend what might’ve been.”
Dostoevsky’s best, easily. Part 4 and the epilogue had me in tears.
There are so many wonderful moments that I don’t think I’ll ever experience anywhere else. Some of my favorites:
- - Zosima, bowing suddenly before Dmitri,
- - Ivan’s speech to Alyosha, and obviously the Grand Inquisitor,
- - Alyosha kissing Ivan right after,
- - “But to us, sir, you are like a small child…”
- - The dehumanizing interrogation sequence—“I’m the wolf, and you’re the hunters, let the chase commence.”
- - A lovely scene with a puppy (it was so magical that I don’t want to share more),
- - Ivan’s nightmares,
- - Dr. Herzenstrube’s testimony,
- - Dmitri in the epilogue.
It is unfortunate that this book is weighed down by so much anti-semitism, christofascist sympathies, Russian nationalism, all with a little bit of thinly veiled misogyny... if it wasn’t for these themes (which comes up during part 4 more than any other part IMO), I would have it in me to agree that this is one of the best novels ever written.
I’d also say your enjoyment of this novel hinges on whether or not you consider Dmitri to be a sympathetic character. If you’re 200 pages in and you hate him, consider shelving it… I definitely sympathized with and even liked him, but he can be a lot. I can easily see why people might hate him, but I don’t know how enjoyable the book would be if you can’t stand the guy.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Religious bigotry and Antisemitism
Moderate: Violence and Misogyny
Minor: Rape
The way Dostoevsky speaks about Poland and Polish people is horrible, and yet pales in comparison to how he writes about Jewish people. Disgusting. And there is liberal use of the g-slur for Romani people. Dostoevsky is sympathetic to all of his characters and their plights…except for atheists, socialists, and the aforementioned populations described here.