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sunny_not's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
reflective
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
3.5
Although it was quite complex and multilayered I felt that it could've been shorter. Since it was incredibly long it was not as impactful as I hoped. Also I thought that the ending was just weird. After so much darkness and hopelessness all is resolved with the power of love? What was that? Also the misogyny was quite awful especially during the part before the confession scene
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child abuse, Child death, Death, Emotional abuse, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Gore, Addiction, Adult/minor relationship, Death of parent, Sexism, Toxic relationship, Alcohol, Mental illness, Alcoholism, Animal cruelty, Blood, Domestic abuse, Injury/Injury detail, Medical content, Misogyny, Murder, Panic attacks/disorders, Physical abuse, Racism, Sexual harassment, Stalking, and Violence
ky0nai's review against another edition
dark
hopeful
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Murder, and Animal cruelty
Minor: Pedophilia, Gore, Child abuse, Blood, Animal cruelty, Suicide, Physical abuse, Misogyny, Child death, Body horror, Adult/minor relationship, Suicidal thoughts, and Animal death
theclassiclibrarian's review against another edition
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Murder, Animal cruelty, and Schizophrenia/Psychosis
Moderate: Suicide, Suicide attempt, Sexual assault, Misogyny, and Child abuse
Minor: Rape
laurenvoice's review against another edition
challenging
dark
reflective
sad
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
It was hard to decide which star rating to give this book. Crime and Punishment is a fascinating read, yet, at the same time can be quite dull!
I read this edition of Crime and Punishment alongside listening to the Audible edition read by Will Poulter. First and foremost, it has to be said that Poulter gave a marvellous performance of Crime and Punishment. Poulter played each character well and can keep the reader engrossed throughout this Russian classic.
However, it did not occur to me that this Penguin Vintage Classic edition would be translated differently to the Audible edition. This was rather silly of me to think they would be translated the same. Anyway, it is quite easy to get two different interpretations of the book but it is easy, however, to know that this book was about a crime and indeed a punishment.
Crime and Punishment to my surprise was much more graphic than I expected it to be, and of course, the crime was not as I would have expected. Raskolnikov drove himself insane, but, it seemed he never felt guilt for the crime he committed. It was a rather odd read, but, it was an important read, nevertheless.
Dostoevsky talked a lot about psychology in this story, and for someone who has studied Forensic Psychology and Criminal Psychology, I am shocked that this book was never recommended. This book would be a good read for those that study or are interested in psychology, especially in the fields of forensics, criminal psychology, and criminology. As Crime and Punishment discusses many philosophical debates concerning crime, justice and society.
Furthermore, it was also interesting from a feminist point of view, how Dostoevsky talked about women. Although this book does have a patriarchal air about it, there were scenes that showed the reader that demonising and abusing women and children was in itself a criminal act. In one scene, for example, Raskolnikov tried and gave money to protect a young girl that had clearly been assaulted by some men. We also saw how Marfa Petrovna had cleared Dunya's name after accusing her of seducing a married man, when it was in actual fact, a man trying to take advantage of Dunya. Finally, we also saw the disgust that Raskolnikov had about Svidrigailov, a middle-aged man, taking a girl barely 16-years-old as a fiancée.
Overall, Crime and Punishment left me feeling indifferent. Yes, Crime and Punishment is both an important and engrossing read, it also goes off on tangents and lengthy descriptions that seemed rather unnecessary, making the book quite dull at times.
I read this edition of Crime and Punishment alongside listening to the Audible edition read by Will Poulter. First and foremost, it has to be said that Poulter gave a marvellous performance of Crime and Punishment. Poulter played each character well and can keep the reader engrossed throughout this Russian classic.
However, it did not occur to me that this Penguin Vintage Classic edition would be translated differently to the Audible edition. This was rather silly of me to think they would be translated the same. Anyway, it is quite easy to get two different interpretations of the book but it is easy, however, to know that this book was about a crime and indeed a punishment.
Crime and Punishment to my surprise was much more graphic than I expected it to be, and of course, the crime was not as I would have expected. Raskolnikov drove himself insane, but, it seemed he never felt guilt for the crime he committed. It was a rather odd read, but, it was an important read, nevertheless.
Dostoevsky talked a lot about psychology in this story, and for someone who has studied Forensic Psychology and Criminal Psychology, I am shocked that this book was never recommended. This book would be a good read for those that study or are interested in psychology, especially in the fields of forensics, criminal psychology, and criminology. As Crime and Punishment discusses many philosophical debates concerning crime, justice and society.
Furthermore, it was also interesting from a feminist point of view, how Dostoevsky talked about women. Although this book does have a patriarchal air about it, there were scenes that showed the reader that demonising and abusing women and children was in itself a criminal act. In one scene, for example, Raskolnikov tried and gave money to protect a young girl that had clearly been assaulted by some men. We also saw how Marfa Petrovna had cleared Dunya's name after accusing her of seducing a married man, when it was in actual fact, a man trying to take advantage of Dunya. Finally, we also saw the disgust that Raskolnikov had about Svidrigailov, a middle-aged man, taking a girl barely 16-years-old as a fiancée.
Overall, Crime and Punishment left me feeling indifferent. Yes, Crime and Punishment is both an important and engrossing read, it also goes off on tangents and lengthy descriptions that seemed rather unnecessary, making the book quite dull at times.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Murder and Suicide
Moderate: Child abuse, Mental illness, and Violence
Minor: Misogyny
slutforalbertcamus's review against another edition
challenging
dark
mysterious
reflective
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
C'est ma critique sans analyse poussée, direct après avoir refermé le livre et sans temps de réflexion.
Mon premier réflexe est de parler de la fin. Les deux derniers chapitres de ce livre continuent cette longue tradition que j'ai de lire des livres avec des fins magnifiques, que ce soit L'Etranger, Les Fleurs du Mal, Du Côté de Chez Swann ou même l'Ingénu (un livre que je hais à part pour cette fin), les fins sont souvent les meilleurs parties du roman. Cette fin adresse enfin la résurrection qui a été présentée à travers tout ce long récit, à travers le personnage de Sonia, Porphiri, et simplement le mythe de Lazare. Cette fin acte la résurrection par l'amour, ce qui en tant que tel pourrait paraître un peu... déjà vu, mais qui semble dans ce roman prendre une forme toute nouvelle et incroyablement touchante.
Du reste je dirais que ce livre est un chef-d'oeuvre thématique, dans le sens où tous les concepts ici explorés sont parfaitement reliés et atteignent tous des conclusions satisfaisantes. Le livre a des défauts certains, avec l'antisémitisme au premier plan et peut-être le traitement des personnages féminins, et Dostoïevski n'est certainement pas un ange. Mais malgré tout cela, c'est une lecture intense et immensément immersive que propose ce livre.
Mon premier réflexe est de parler de la fin. Les deux derniers chapitres de ce livre continuent cette longue tradition que j'ai de lire des livres avec des fins magnifiques, que ce soit L'Etranger, Les Fleurs du Mal, Du Côté de Chez Swann ou même l'Ingénu (un livre que je hais à part pour cette fin), les fins sont souvent les meilleurs parties du roman. Cette fin adresse enfin la résurrection qui a été présentée à travers tout ce long récit, à travers le personnage de Sonia, Porphiri, et simplement le mythe de Lazare. Cette fin acte la résurrection par l'amour, ce qui en tant que tel pourrait paraître un peu... déjà vu, mais qui semble dans ce roman prendre une forme toute nouvelle et incroyablement touchante.
Du reste je dirais que ce livre est un chef-d'oeuvre thématique, dans le sens où tous les concepts ici explorés sont parfaitement reliés et atteignent tous des conclusions satisfaisantes. Le livre a des défauts certains, avec l'antisémitisme au premier plan et peut-être le traitement des personnages féminins, et Dostoïevski n'est certainement pas un ange. Mais malgré tout cela, c'est une lecture intense et immensément immersive que propose ce livre.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Murder and Violence
Moderate: Antisemitism and Misogyny
Minor: Racial slurs
lilcoppertop's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
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
3.75
Content Warnings
Moderate: Blood, Death, Death of parent, Emotional abuse, Mental illness, Misogyny, Murder, Panic attacks/disorders, Racial slurs, and Suicidal thoughts
Minor: Suicide
k_kris's review against another edition
dark
sad
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Murder and Death
Moderate: Alcoholism, Mental illness, and Misogyny
lordofdisorder's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
tense
medium-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
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Murder, Blood, Chronic illness, Death, Death of parent, Suicide, Terminal illness, and Violence
Moderate: Animal cruelty, Mental illness, and Suicidal thoughts
Minor: Adult/minor relationship, Antisemitism, Child abuse, Infidelity, Misogyny, Sexual violence, and Xenophobia
tshepiso's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
reflective
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Is Crime and Punishment a dense, absurdly long, piece of 19th-century Russian literature? Yes. Did I enjoy almost every single page of it despite myself? Also, yes.
I don't think I have the words to describe how much I enjoyed reading Crime and Punishment. This brick of a book is insular, miserable, and bleak, but so compelling. What makes it shine is the sprawling character drama at its core. Crime and Punishment read like a soap opera more so than pretentious high-brow literature and the intensity of emotion spewing from the trail of misery in every chapter was enrapturing.
Our protagonist Raskolnikov is the definition of a hot mess. The man truly has never met a bad decision he didn't want to ride to its very end and that lead the story down fascinating paths. He's arrogant and erratic, but also sardonic and witty in a way that made seeing him interact with people he saw as inferior to him so fun. Honestly, there was a kind of catharsis in seeing the chickenheads of his terrible decision-making come home to roost too.
The female characters on display in the story were just to die for. Dostoyevsky manages to write female characters who exist as saintly figures within his narrative without removing their agency or intrigue. Sofya Semyonovna is a fantastic example of how to write a "pure-hearted" woman without patronizing or reducing her. The fibre and backbone she had constantly made her more than just a prop for Raskolnikov's character growth and she felt so genuine and fully fleshed out under Dostoyevsky's careful handling. Tess Durbeyfield wishes she had what she had. Also, a brief shout out to Avdotya Romanovna for being an equally engaging female character who took absolutely no shit from the men around her who tried to manipulate her.
Crime and Punishment is a story about people barely surviving in a world hell-bent on eviscerating them. It's as morose and grimy as the sweltering St. Petersburg streets of its setting, but despite the dramatics of it all Dostoyevsky still managed to capture an honesty to all his characters, even the most despicable, and that made it well worth the read.
I don't think I have the words to describe how much I enjoyed reading Crime and Punishment. This brick of a book is insular, miserable, and bleak, but so compelling. What makes it shine is the sprawling character drama at its core. Crime and Punishment read like a soap opera more so than pretentious high-brow literature and the intensity of emotion spewing from the trail of misery in every chapter was enrapturing.
Our protagonist Raskolnikov is the definition of a hot mess. The man truly has never met a bad decision he didn't want to ride to its very end and that lead the story down fascinating paths. He's arrogant and erratic, but also sardonic and witty in a way that made seeing him interact with people he saw as inferior to him so fun. Honestly, there was a kind of catharsis in seeing the chickenheads of his terrible decision-making come home to roost too.
The female characters on display in the story were just to die for. Dostoyevsky manages to write female characters who exist as saintly figures within his narrative without removing their agency or intrigue. Sofya Semyonovna is a fantastic example of how to write a "pure-hearted" woman without patronizing or reducing her. The fibre and backbone she had constantly made her more than just a prop for Raskolnikov's character growth and she felt so genuine and fully fleshed out under Dostoyevsky's careful handling. Tess Durbeyfield wishes she had what she had. Also, a brief shout out to Avdotya Romanovna for being an equally engaging female character who took absolutely no shit from the men around her who tried to manipulate her.
Crime and Punishment is a story about people barely surviving in a world hell-bent on eviscerating them. It's as morose and grimy as the sweltering St. Petersburg streets of its setting, but despite the dramatics of it all Dostoyevsky still managed to capture an honesty to all his characters, even the most despicable, and that made it well worth the read.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Murder and Suicidal thoughts
Moderate: Misogyny
Minor: Domestic abuse
kuljikejevur's review against another edition
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
Content Warnings
Graphic: Murder, Misogyny, Animal death, and Death