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artemy_se's review against another edition
- 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
3.75
And what shows that I am utterly a louse,’ [...] ‘is that I am perhaps viler and more loathsome than the louse I killed, and I felt beforehand that I should tell myself so after killing her.
As soon as I started reading this story, I knew I was gonna love it. The writing was masterful in my eyes and never made me bored even though the story was dragging. The changes of point of view were a choice that was for the most part a success. The characters are so realistic and I was immediately moved by the empathy pouring from every page, which is refreshing.
This book made me remember why I LOVE reading classics because you can analyse every page and to this day, it's so accessible and doesn't come off as pretentious in any way.
Unfortunately I wanted to love this book more, but I was definitely taken aback from the writing of the female characters, the portrayal of the prisoners, the love story that I hated but more importantly I was disappointed by the lack of development from main character even though all the self awareness that he has. The choices for the ending were kind of disappointing for me...
Even then, this is a masterful piece of work that I loved reading and definitely made me yearn to read another work from this Dostoevsky soon!
Graphic: Suicide, Murder, Death, Animal cruelty, and Domestic abuse
Moderate: Fatphobia, Child abuse, Sexism, and Suicide attempt
Minor: Antisemitism and Rape
jadejoro's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
1.0
The premise of the novel is simple -- Raskolnikov, our protagonist, sets out to test whether he is one of the chosen few society deems as "above morality", one who can commit grave sins and still be forgiven or, possibly, even praised for their practical approach to making improvements to and for "humanity." It's not an original thought, but to Raskolnikov, who seems to have less self-awareness than a newborn, the only way he can ascertain whether he is such a person is to commit murder.
The murder itself is one of the only entertaining portions of the story, and is almost entirely responsible for the one star I'm giving the book. Dostoyevsky does an excellent job depicting the panic and irrationality Raskolnikov feels as his meticulously planned murder spirals into an accidental double homicide. But to anyone with any exposure to history, philosophy, ethics, or even religion Raskolnikov's question is immediately answered. He is not one of the chosen.
Honestly, this could've been answered before the murder with a few minutes of self-reflection over a pint of beer, but instead Raskolnikov commits his murders, then drags us torturously along for pages upon pages of monologues. Internal monologues, monologue to friends, monologues to family, monologues from friends and family! After the murder all the action in Crime and Punishment consists of talking, walking, and walking while talking. Additional plots are thrown in involving more murder, rape, suicide, and poverty; seemingly everyone Raskolnikov knows is suffering, victims of terrible choices both their own and of others. None of them, however, lack the words to describe their misery.
I don't know if my translation choice or simple misogyny is to blame, but the women especially seem to be fountains of useless, pointless words. Our protagonist seems to view them almost entirely as means to an end, belittling or ignoring their plights unless he can spin them to his advantage in his game of not being caught for the murders. Raskolnikov truly cares for no one but himself, so between his empathy and the women's suffering, it seems the only way to get through the story is to dull all emotions within yourself.
Twisted in among all the side stories of Russian misery is, for me, what ruins the book. After reading page after page of Raskolnikov's ruminations on how to avoid facing punishment (both internal and external) for his crimes, we find out that practically every character in the story already knows (or at least believes) he is the murderer. This includes the main detective investigating the murders! But instead of Raskolnikov facing justice, he is protected. Every other character, including the detective, tries to guide Raskolnikov on what steps he can take to lessen his punishment. Raskolnikov argues for a few more chapter-long monologues, but eventually caves in the end, getting an incredibly light sentence to Siberia. To top it all off, three other characters move to Siberia with him and help him serve his sentence with minimal suffering.
In the interest of fairness, there are some mildly engaging themes and analogies mixed in with the agonizing monologue festival. "Who defines crime and morality", "Does intent matter more or less than result", and "To what level are we responsible for who and what we become" dance in and through each character's plot, but none of the questions asked or answers supplied feel new or original. Clearly I say this with the perspective of a modern audience, but I've held much more in depth explorations of these and similar questions over some Lunchables.
Too summarize, Crime and Punishment is the story of a man who thinks he's special. After brutally testing his theory on women who had done him no harm, the special man is protected from the punishment he deserves. Throw in three dozen monologues about moral questions you probably explored in middle school, and that's Dostoyevsky's work in a nutshell.
Graphic: Murder and Suicide
Moderate: Rape
ccachapa's review against another edition
- 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
Graphic: Animal cruelty, Murder, and Panic attacks/disorders
Moderate: Suicide
Minor: Rape and Physical abuse
probablytoolate's review against another edition
- 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
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
n_degeorgia's review against another edition
- 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
5.0
Graphic: Animal death, Rape, Death of parent, Murder, and Suicide
Moderate: Terminal illness, Pedophilia, and Physical abuse
sandy_21's review against another edition
- 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
3.5
Graphic: Murder, Animal cruelty, and Death
Moderate: Suicide, Suicidal thoughts, and Alcoholism
Minor: Antisemitism, Adult/minor relationship, and Rape
veryill's review
- 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
4.75
Graphic: Murder
Minor: Rape
klimatyczny_bluszcz's review against another edition
- 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? It's complicated
5.0
I was so invested and amazed while reading. Loved how Dostoyevski layered this novel and created such psychologically complex characters. I have no idea what else to write about a literary masterpiece that so many people write and talk about. It was just a greatly good book.
Graphic: Classism, Murder, Suicide, and Death
Moderate: Deportation, Domestic abuse, Rape, Stalking, and Suicidal thoughts
kathyovalle01's review against another edition
- 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
Graphic: Suicide, Rape, Suicidal thoughts, Murder, Death, Gun violence, Classism, Blood, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Adult/minor relationship, and Sexism
nakednames's review against another edition
5.0
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