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artemy_se'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? 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!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Suicide, Murder, Death, Animal cruelty, and Domestic abuse
Moderate: Fatphobia, Child abuse, Sexism, and Suicide attempt
Minor: Antisemitism and Rape
adam_hunts's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
medium-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
4.75
Content Warnings
Moderate: Murder, Suicidal thoughts, and Suicide
missmoth's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Suicide, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Blood, Murder, Violence, and Animal cruelty
Moderate: Suicidal thoughts and Animal death
Minor: Antisemitism, Sexual assault, and Sexual violence
jadejoro's review against another edition
dark
reflective
sad
slow-paced
- 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
Quite easily the worst book I've ever read, and I was an English major.
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.
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.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Murder and Suicide
Moderate: Rape
bilbili's review against another edition
dark
reflective
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
Content Warnings
Graphic: Murder, Suicide, and Death
Moderate: Suicidal thoughts, Child abuse, Alcohol, Alcoholism, Sexism, and Pedophilia
Minor: Antisemitism, Racial slurs, and Domestic abuse
sandaru's review against another edition
challenging
dark
mysterious
reflective
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Took me 8 months to finish, with reading slumps in between.
The story and the translation's language are very easy to understand and stay with the flow of the story. Big books like this, usually scare me off, or I get bored in the middle. Even if I took 8 months to finish this, the story and the flow never bothered me. It was relatable and interesting.
Some parts dragged way too much, but the story was good overall. The characters' names were a bit confusing since the Russian names's full names and the short names are different, but you get used to it as you read. I liked how the author portrayed the crime and its punishment in so many layers.
Why must Rodion Raskolnikov commit the crime, thinking he has the authority to have a judgment and the right to punish the old pawnbroker woman over her crimes which resulted in Rodion having to go through his own share of crime and punishment? And how he was already being punished before the actual punishment by law. The emotional torment leads him to confess his crime, only to not repent about it later since that was given. And how the rest of the people around him who did not commit any crimes were punished even before the crime happened. It's a crazy book but very real to its core and relatable.
The story and the translation's language are very easy to understand and stay with the flow of the story. Big books like this, usually scare me off, or I get bored in the middle. Even if I took 8 months to finish this, the story and the flow never bothered me. It was relatable and interesting.
Some parts dragged way too much, but the story was good overall. The characters' names were a bit confusing since the Russian names's full names and the short names are different, but you get used to it as you read. I liked how the author portrayed the crime and its punishment in so many layers.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Murder and Death
Moderate: Suicide
cherryfreckle's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Alcoholism, Blood, Grief, Animal death, Murder, Suicide, Classism, Slavery, Violence, Confinement, Mental illness, Religious bigotry, Toxic relationship, Child abuse, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Suicidal thoughts, Death, Death of parent, Gore, Panic attacks/disorders, Animal cruelty, and Domestic abuse
Moderate: Body shaming and Gun violence
Minor: Fire/Fire injury
benteasm's review
dark
emotional
reflective
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
4.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Suicidal thoughts, Suicide attempt, Death, Suicide, Murder, Animal cruelty, Grief, Injury/Injury detail, Blood, Mental illness, Gun violence, Domestic abuse, Sexual assault, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , and Antisemitism
mary_catherine's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
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
5.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Suicidal thoughts, Murder, Suicide, Death, and Grief
Minor: Alcoholism, Death of parent, Classism, and Alcohol
scharah's review against another edition
challenging
dark
mysterious
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
I’m surprised at how much I appreciated this book. It’s definitely worth getting through, I think. A word of advice - this book, while about a specific crime and a specific punishment, it is really about “crime” and “punishment” as ideas and realities more broadly, so when he goes off and talks about all these different characters and it takes chapters and chapters to move along with Raskolnikov’s story, recognize that those stories are as important to the point and idea of the book as our main character, even if it seems that that particular side plot wasn’t necessary. I’m really glad I read it!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Murder and Suicide
Moderate: Sexual harassment and Sexual assault