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3.94 AVERAGE
3.94 AVERAGE
slow-paced
Faye DNF’ing a Dostoyevsky? Unfortunately so.
I really feel like I’ve given this a good shot, but God, we’re just trudging on and on. I don’t feel like this is an account of prison life as much as it is a (painfully detailed) account of random prisoner after random prisoner after random prisoner. We’re learning about random-ass escapades that are more based on the inner trade system of the prison (?) than anything else, and… yeah. Not bothered. Not in the least. This is just way, way too zoned into the minute details. There’s not a chance I can abide another 200 pages of it.
I really feel like I’ve given this a good shot, but God, we’re just trudging on and on. I don’t feel like this is an account of prison life as much as it is a (painfully detailed) account of random prisoner after random prisoner after random prisoner. We’re learning about random-ass escapades that are more based on the inner trade system of the prison (?) than anything else, and… yeah. Not bothered. Not in the least. This is just way, way too zoned into the minute details. There’s not a chance I can abide another 200 pages of it.
adventurous
emotional
mysterious
reflective
slow-paced
challenging
dark
slow-paced
informative
reflective
slow-paced
dark
dark
funny
reflective
slow-paced
Petroff is THE greatest improv actor to have lived. I'm a Petroff fan, a lover of comedy, and a human in that order!!
Definitely enjoyed it a lot more than I'd initially expected considering I went into this read with very little knowledge on Dostoevsky other than the fact he's highly esteemed by literary critics. The end of part 1 was for sure the climax of the book (in stark contrast with some of the most obviously "filler" chapters that shortly followed) with the way Dostoevsky seamlessly blends critiques of the prison system and class conflict with some of the funniest dialogue I've ever read - intentional or not. I couldn't help but play the Benny Hill theme in my head every time the boys went at it. It's a shame some of the weaker chapters and how genuinely unlikeable (and often obtuse) Petrovic was took away from the experience. I really expected him to be more reflective on his privilege as a nobleman but he remained shrouded in his alleged superior struggle.
Overall, I appreciated it's vivid depiction of the Russian class divide and certainly see Dostoevsky's contributions to modern discourse on the prison complex. Reading this with a friend also prompted interesting discussions on how our upbringings/popular culture impacted our perception of literary classics so I'm glad to have read it!
Definitely enjoyed it a lot more than I'd initially expected considering I went into this read with very little knowledge on Dostoevsky other than the fact he's highly esteemed by literary critics. The end of part 1 was for sure the climax of the book (in stark contrast with some of the most obviously "filler" chapters that shortly followed) with the way Dostoevsky seamlessly blends critiques of the prison system and class conflict with some of the funniest dialogue I've ever read - intentional or not. I couldn't help but play the Benny Hill theme in my head every time the boys went at it. It's a shame some of the weaker chapters and how genuinely unlikeable (and often obtuse) Petrovic was took away from the experience. I really expected him to be more reflective on his privilege as a nobleman but he remained shrouded in his alleged superior struggle.
Overall, I appreciated it's vivid depiction of the Russian class divide and certainly see Dostoevsky's contributions to modern discourse on the prison complex. Reading this with a friend also prompted interesting discussions on how our upbringings/popular culture impacted our perception of literary classics so I'm glad to have read it!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Domestic abuse, Physical abuse, Torture
Moderate: Animal death, Death, Racial slurs, Xenophobia
challenging
dark
funny
informative
reflective
sad
slow-paced
lighthearted
reflective
relaxing
medium-paced
Man is a creature that can get accustomed to anything, and I think that is the best definition of him. ~ Fyodor Dostoyesky