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4.31 AVERAGE
4.31 AVERAGE
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
sad
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
my biggest project book of 2025 thus far. enrapturing and engrossing. on the whole, surprised at how fluently and easy to read it was (at least on the level of the sentence), but it is incredibly dense, verbose, and low-in-plot. i completely understand how this is an "important book". it felt like a perfect snapshot of that exact time in russian society. excited to read more dostoevsky!
“Oh, I know, I know that heart, that wild but grateful heart, gentlemen of the jury! It will bow before your mercy; it thirsts for a great and loving action, it will melt and mount upwards. There are souls which, in their limitation, blame the whole world. But subdue such a soul with mercy, show it love, and it will curse its past, for there are many good impulses in it. Such a heart will expand and see that God is merciful and that men are good and just".
This is just one of the many passages in those brilliantly beautiful novel that broke me down in tears. Dostoyevsky has found the heart of grace, and the pulse of it beats so strongly throughout the whole story. I spent 6 months slowly journeying through this book, and every second was worth it. This is one of the stories that will stay with me for the rest of my life.
This is just one of the many passages in those brilliantly beautiful novel that broke me down in tears. Dostoyevsky has found the heart of grace, and the pulse of it beats so strongly throughout the whole story. I spent 6 months slowly journeying through this book, and every second was worth it. This is one of the stories that will stay with me for the rest of my life.
Loveable characters:
Complicated
I did it!!!! Wow this was a big book project. I loooooved it. Russian characters are wild and so dramatic. And this was a really gorgeous exploration of a lot of themes I like to think about. I’m still thinking a lot about that ending. I was wondering why the story of ilyushechka kept coming up, but it felt very right and beautiful to end there. Was it really even about the brothers? Was it about the murder? Or was it just about family and friendship and the divinity of all that? Who knows…i gotta stop writing this
dark
emotional
reflective
slow-paced
I loved this book. I find it fascinating that the plot on the back of the book says it’s a murder mystery. But I’d argue it’s a deep psychological novel about a dysfunctional family… with a bit of murder mystery. Incredible book, specifically the entire section on elder zosima and the grand inquisitor. Favorite quote is “what is hell? It is the suffering of being unable to love”
slow-paced
I have a ton of thoughts atm and no way to properly order them but i will say that this is BY FAR my favorite of dostoevsky’s novels - he lets go of his harsh denunciation of the changing world and his absolute insistence on orthodoxy, and in doing so creates a gentle, profound, even joyful book. i still very much disagree with his politics and some of the philosophy he lands on, but the journey to these conclusions exhibits some of what is probably the best (and definitely most thoughtful) writing since shakespeare. this is the ultimate existential novel, and i have officially come around on dostoevsky.
Bro could’ve cut the book in half. Don’t get me wrong, his prose was beautiful, but every chapter felt artificially lengthened just so he could flex his prose. I feel like at least a quarter of the book could be cut just from a character saying shit like “oh goodness how I debase myself, but gentlemen, listen to my point that I will repeat three times over!!!” I get that the book had a very salient point to make about religion, what with the state of Russia in the late 19th century with the decline of spirituality and the rise of science. That point was well made. As for people saying the book is a great insight into the banality of evil, I would have to say that bro already made that same point much better with crime and punishment 14 years prior to this book!!!!
All of this being said, the murder, trial, and events surrounding them were very interesting and compelling. Smerdyakov’s character was infinitely complex, and every chapter where Ivan was rambling about some shit I left it with some great moral questions on my mind. I love Aloysha and want to be his buddy. It was brilliantly written, I just wish big D could’ve gotten to the point quicker.
All of this being said, the murder, trial, and events surrounding them were very interesting and compelling. Smerdyakov’s character was infinitely complex, and every chapter where Ivan was rambling about some shit I left it with some great moral questions on my mind. I love Aloysha and want to be his buddy. It was brilliantly written, I just wish big D could’ve gotten to the point quicker.
Okay so 2 days after finishing this book I’ve finally gathered my thoughts on this beast of a novel but still I have no idea how to even begin to describe how masterful this book is. I really wish I hadn’t read the stage adaptation before finishing this (but I had to for my theater org ://) but still there was so much that was left out in the play that this still made such a huge impact on me and even tho I already knew everything that was going to happen, I was still constantly waiting for the chance to pick this book up again and continue reading. Also I’m only now realizing Alyosha is my age???!? I really didn’t expect to like Alyosha as much as I did just bc I’m not a fan of religious people but damn that boy was so lovely but I liked him because he wasn’t the perfect Christian boy and that he did struggle against his faith quite a lot especially since he was always being told that he was still a Karamazov and therefore drawn to temptation. Also Smerdyakov is such a fascinating character, probably the most interesting out of all of them, which is saying a lot because everyone was so complex. This book is lit rally the ultimate character development book!!!! Looking back on it now, I’m honestly struggling to wrap my head around the fact these characters are fictional. After reading this I honestly thought I would end up in a reading slump because it was so long and heavy, but it just made me even more excited to read + I had the really strong urge to start crime and punishment or notes from underground
The Brothers Karamazov ended up the target of my annual foray into classical Russian literature, following Anna Karenina by Leo Tolstoy from last year. My limited research into the novel had led me to believe that this was to be considered a "fun" or "darkly comedic" novel in comparison to other comparable novels of the era or Dostoyevsky's other famous work Crime and Punishment. I don't know if I could quite classify it as either of those nominations but it does have a tempestuous spirit and energy written within it that just makes me imagine an author crunched over at their desk furiously scribbling over some ink-stained manuscript lit by a flickering candle.
Giving even a simple summary of the plot would be a difficult affair, but the core of the book follows the three Brothers Karamazov and their and relations with their father Fyodor. There is Dmitri (Mitya), who is the eldest brother, and was born to Fyodor's first wife. There is Ivan (Vanka), who was born to the second wife. Then there is Alexei (Aloysha), the youngest who is also born to the second wife. Fyodor is murdered and almost everyone besides the brothers believes it is Dmitri that committed the murder. Essentially, the book follows the events leading up to the murder and the trial of Dmitri and the aftermath. There is a hint of a murder mystery or crime novel here but giving it that classification seems trite.
The characterization work may be the richest I have ever encountered in writing. The moment to moment inner thoughts are detailed and feel startlingly true. Each character feels fully realized from the moment they are introduced by the narrator. The plotting can be sparse at times as the novel is filled with parables, monologues, and other bits of adjunct info both big and small that serve as touchpoints for the arguments and views of the characters and it features many famous sequences that are oft-referenced in other literature such as The Grand Inquisitor or Ivan Karamazov's debate with a devil. There is little satisfying, straightforward plot resolution at times and the book can frequently be quite frustrating to read as the subject matter can switch between opaque biblical references and flowery philosophizing on a sentence to sentence basis. Much of the minutia may have gone over my head but the general reasoning can still be sussed out if one takes the time.
The Brothers Karamazov may be the most ambitious book I have ever read. There is a scope within the pages that eclipses the mere confines of an enormous word count or any simplified synopsis of the events that occur. Every rambling paragraph, every seemingly superfluous sentence, every interjected analysis contains a purpose; whether that purpose constitutes as a meaningful piece of plot or an opportunity for Fyodor Dostoyevsky to expatiate upon views of morality, religion, the state of free will or other such topics can remain up for debate. The historical import of the book and the literary prowess at play here is evident and worthy of reading.
Giving even a simple summary of the plot would be a difficult affair, but the core of the book follows the three Brothers Karamazov and their and relations with their father Fyodor. There is Dmitri (Mitya), who is the eldest brother, and was born to Fyodor's first wife. There is Ivan (Vanka), who was born to the second wife. Then there is Alexei (Aloysha), the youngest who is also born to the second wife. Fyodor is murdered and almost everyone besides the brothers believes it is Dmitri that committed the murder. Essentially, the book follows the events leading up to the murder and the trial of Dmitri and the aftermath. There is a hint of a murder mystery or crime novel here but giving it that classification seems trite.
The characterization work may be the richest I have ever encountered in writing. The moment to moment inner thoughts are detailed and feel startlingly true. Each character feels fully realized from the moment they are introduced by the narrator. The plotting can be sparse at times as the novel is filled with parables, monologues, and other bits of adjunct info both big and small that serve as touchpoints for the arguments and views of the characters and it features many famous sequences that are oft-referenced in other literature such as The Grand Inquisitor or Ivan Karamazov's debate with a devil. There is little satisfying, straightforward plot resolution at times and the book can frequently be quite frustrating to read as the subject matter can switch between opaque biblical references and flowery philosophizing on a sentence to sentence basis. Much of the minutia may have gone over my head but the general reasoning can still be sussed out if one takes the time.
The Brothers Karamazov may be the most ambitious book I have ever read. There is a scope within the pages that eclipses the mere confines of an enormous word count or any simplified synopsis of the events that occur. Every rambling paragraph, every seemingly superfluous sentence, every interjected analysis contains a purpose; whether that purpose constitutes as a meaningful piece of plot or an opportunity for Fyodor Dostoyevsky to expatiate upon views of morality, religion, the state of free will or other such topics can remain up for debate. The historical import of the book and the literary prowess at play here is evident and worthy of reading.