Reviews with content warning for Alcoholism - Crime and Punishment

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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jaan's review against another edition

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Victim of a university student’s midterms (the irony is not lost on me). To be reread from the beginning in January, because I, an idiot, left my copy at uni housing.

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clevermird's review against another edition

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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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naiu_cs's review against another edition

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challenging dark 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

3.25

It was just too slow paced for my taste. Some chapters kept on going for ages and felt filled with unnecessary information and dialogue. But it had it's moments. The characters were intriguing, if some of them insufferable. The exploration of human emotion and behavior was very interesting as well and could have taken up more of the book

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poubelleboi's review against another edition

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challenging emotional reflective tense slow-paced

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

4.0

classico russo preferito finora

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gkgkgk's review against another edition

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challenging dark emotional mysterious reflective sad 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

4.25

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ru_th's review against another edition

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challenging dark reflective 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

„Die Ewigkeit erscheint uns immer als ein Begriff, den man gar nicht fassen kann, als etwas Riesenhaftes, ungeheuer Großes! Aber warum soll sie denn absolut ungeheuer groß sein? Auf einmal (stellen Sie sich das mal vor) kommt es so heraus, dass da statt all dessen nur ein einziges kleines Zimmerchen ist, so in der Art wie eine Badestube auf dem Lande, ganz verräuchert, und in allen Ecken Spinnen, und das ist dann die ganze Ewigkeit. […]”

„Stellen Sie sich wirklich, wirklich nichts Tröstlicheres und Gerechteres unter der Ewigkeit vor als dies?” […]

„Etwas Gerechteres? Woher soll man’s wissen, vielleicht ist das so, wie ich mir das ausmale, ganz gerecht; und wissen Sie, wenn’s von mir abhinge, ich würde die Ewigkeit jedenfalls absichtlich so einrichten.”

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