Reviews tagging 'Emotional abuse'

Crime and Punishment by Fyodor Dostoevsky

19 reviews

probablytoolate's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional mysterious sad tense slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Grief, Alcoholism, Blood, Terminal illness, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Sexual harassment, and Murder

Moderate: Stalking, Emotional abuse, Chronic illness, Misogyny, Sexual assault, Injury/Injury detail, Gun violence, Rape, Sexism, Adult/minor relationship, Alcohol, Death of parent, Child abuse, and Mental illness

Minor: Fire/Fire injury, Alcohol, and Antisemitism

taqi_hamoda's review against another edition

dark emotional hopeful mysterious sad tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? N/A
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

If you think that you are a morally driven person, I recommend you read this novel. It showcases how difficult and convoluted life can be. It left me speechless, questioning who am I as a person.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Injury/Injury detail, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Physical abuse, Sexual violence, Emotional abuse, Chronic illness, Adult/minor relationship, Animal death, Animal cruelty, Murder, Confinement, Cursing, Death, Domestic abuse, Child abuse, Blood, Death of parent, and Violence

maddalenacesco's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional mysterious reflective sad tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? N/A
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

impossible to be disappointed with this book. there's a crime and there's a punishment. what else could you be possibly expecting???

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Suicide, Infidelity, Adult/minor relationship, Antisemitism, Chronic illness, Death, Death of parent, Panic attacks/disorders, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Mental illness, Sexism, Suicide attempt, Blood, Alcohol, Misogyny, and Suicidal thoughts

toffishay's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional hopeful mysterious tense slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

What a meaty book. I am really in awe of how Dostoyevsky can maintain tension in a 560 page book! It is interesting how the structure of a book can really make or break it. If you are intimidated by the length, I would say take your time and let yourself enjoy it instead of feeling like you need to power through. I think that it was a smart choice to break the book into 6 parts, each of which have chapters, so you have natural breaks that serve the reading experience and the story. One drawback could be that because the book is so long, the back and forth that Raskolnikov goes through in his head can feel a little repetitive at times. But overall, I think it works well for establishing how conflicted he is as a character and how out of control he truly is as well. 

 Raskolnikov's descent is described in such a gripping way and although it is certainly commentary on the times that Dostoyevsky was writing in, I saw a lot of parallels to today. Raskolnikov is an angry young man who thinks he's so much better than everyone else and so much smarter. He thinks that he has a right to his crime and to the purpose that he thinks it will give him. He is living in a world of desolation and personal despair and lashes out at everyone around him. I couldn't help but think that with Raskolnikov's disdain for human life and desire to be better than those around him, that he would have been a mass shooter if he lived today. Seeking that notoriety and committing horrible acts in the process. 

There is also very well-written commentary about relationships between men and women. There are women trapped in horrible relationships with men who continue to treat them badly and bring them low. (Katerina) Women are pushed into making difficult choices, that honestly aren't even choices, as a result of their poverty and their love of their families (Sofya). Women do everything they can to support the men in their lives and are given little to nothing in return (Dunya and Pulkheria). And all of the women in the novel are at the whim and will of men, but the novel is extremely sympathetic to them and is, primarily, on their side.

Vanity and pride are themes that are shown through many of the characters. Vanity is a driver of Raskolnikov's crime. It drives Katerina to embarrass herself publicly, putting herself in a worse physical and financial situation at every turn. Porfriy, the inspector, is driven by pride, at least in part, to find the perpetrator of the titular crime. 

I was surprised by how much love and hope were themes of the book. It definitely addressed crime and punishment, depravity and isolation. But there are instances where people are saved by the love of those around them. Like, I closed the book and felt a little like there is hope even when you are at your lowest. That it is never too late to look yourself honestly in the face and commit to change. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Toxic friendship, Alcohol, Toxic relationship, Suicide, Death, Sexism, Misogyny, Murder, Classism, Alcoholism, Violence, and Sexual harassment

Moderate: Confinement, Chronic illness, Terminal illness, Suicide, Suicidal thoughts, Blood, Sexual violence, Sexual assault, Mental illness, Grief, Emotional abuse, Domestic abuse, and Death of parent

Minor: Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Xenophobia, Gore, War, Adult/minor relationship, Physical abuse, Antisemitism, Pedophilia, Pandemic/Epidemic, Vomit, and Infidelity

nakednames's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional hopeful reflective sad slow-paced

5.0

i love you rodion romanovich raskolnikov

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Alcohol, Alcoholism, Emotional abuse, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Violence, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Death, Addiction, Physical abuse, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Confinement, Panic attacks/disorders, Chronic illness, Classism, Grief, Mental illness, Murder, Cursing, Death of parent, and Domestic abuse

Moderate: Adult/minor relationship, Pedophilia, Stalking, Antisemitism, Child abuse, Rape, Sexism, Sexual assault, Suicide attempt, Misogyny, and Infidelity

Minor: Pandemic/Epidemic, Fire/Fire injury, and Forced institutionalization

the grief is never ending but so is the love

hedvigcallmer's review against another edition

dark reflective tense slow-paced

4.75

Dostojevskijs språk är så vackert, men kära nån, han behöver nog lite terapi (Raskolnikov också, definitivt. Kanske alla karaktärer. Ingen mår bra. Alla mår piss). Även om jag älskade boken, hela sättet den var skriven på, och hur man på så många sätt sympatiserade med en så typisk antihjälte, var den också helt jävla sjuk. Trauma. På riktigt.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Body horror, Alcoholism, Antisemitism, Emotional abuse, Sexual harassment, Suicide, Toxic relationship, Gun violence, Hate crime, Misogyny, Adult/minor relationship, Animal cruelty, Child abuse, Death of parent, Domestic abuse, Murder, Pedophilia, Blood, Animal death, Death, Alcohol, Gaslighting, Suicide attempt, Grief, Mental illness, Rape, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Physical abuse, Racism, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, Violence, and Toxic friendship

tallulah_x's review against another edition

challenging dark reflective slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

Thoroughly enjoyed this book, very dark themes however and you have to be patient with it to feel it’s full affect.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Murder, Suicide, and Animal cruelty

Moderate: Domestic abuse, Sexual harassment, Emotional abuse, and Child abuse

clevermird's review against another edition

dark reflective sad 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

3.0

Installment number ten on my attempt to read the great classics of western literary canon, Crime and Punishment was my intro to the world of Russian literature. I recall saying as I began this one "wow, the first chapter in and I'm already depressed." 

Joking aside, Crime and Punishment tells the story of college dropout Raskolnikov, teetering on the edge of destitution and consumed by a strange mix of depression and lofty philosophical musings. In his half-starved despair, he convinces himself that some murders are morally justified and sets out to prove that theory on his pawnbroker. What follows is a series of intertwined events that will change the lives of everyone involved - and end several of them. 

This was a hard one for me to review because even after spending a month reading it, I'm not sure how I feel about it. I didn't feel like I enjoyed it while I was reading it. The prose is dense, the language complex, and many characters spend a long time monologuing. The subject matter is bleak and gritty. But then, every time I set it down, I found myself wondering what happened next and musing on the characters and motivations. It's a book that makes you feel accomplished when you finish it, one that takes you deep into the interior lives of its characters. It also feels as thought the characters, Raskolnikov in particular, are deeply personal to the author, which adds a layer of richness to the story that I feel like is hard to replicate. 

Overall, not an easy or fun book to read, but one that is a classic for a reason, with a lot to chew on philosophically and some in-depth character study. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal cruelty, Violence, Murder, Alcoholism, and Suicidal thoughts

Moderate: Emotional abuse, Sexual assault, Suicide, Terminal illness, Child abuse, Death of parent, Domestic abuse, Blood, Chronic illness, Mental illness, and Schizophrenia/Psychosis

Minor: Antisemitism and Stalking

madinhoa's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional informative mysterious reflective tense slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death of parent, Body horror, Bullying, Grief, Injury/Injury detail, Sexual harassment, Emotional abuse, Gore, Mental illness, Murder, Suicide attempt, Violence, Suicide, Adult/minor relationship, Blood, Chronic illness, Sexual assault, Cultural appropriation, Death, Pedophilia, Rape, and Religious bigotry

jensjenna's review against another edition

dark emotional reflective sad tense 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

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Animal cruelty, Blood, Child abuse, Emotional abuse, Gore, Death, Mental illness, Murder, Pedophilia, Rape, Injury/Injury detail, Sexual assault, and Suicidal thoughts

Moderate: Suicide attempt and Suicidal thoughts