A review by heloise_lifeinbooks
Crime and Punishment by Fyodor Dostoevsky

challenging dark emotional hopeful reflective 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

4.5

I understand why it’s a must-read classic. 
I’ll probably read it again, in a version with annotations and notes, because I was definitely just enjoying the story a lot without thinking too critically about the meaning. 
Without the female characters this would have been a bore, though it is slightly annoying how the women are written in order to absolve and save and/or pass judgement on the men.
I somehow found myself rooting for every character to have a happy ending, despite entering the book knowing they wouldn’t, and despite most of them really not deserving it either. 
I will reread in a year or so and try to be more critical, but as a story it was great. Lots of very quotable passages.