A review by omegarob
The Karamazov Brothers by Fyodor Dostoevsky

adventurous challenging dark emotional reflective sad tense slow-paced

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

4.75

Compared to The Idiot, which was the last book I read by Dostoevsky, The Brother Karamazov felt a lot more structured in its plot. However it dealt with many similar themes - the rise of atheism in Russia and whether virtue would survive this, morality in the face of an unjust society, growing contempt for those that follow a religious way of life. I can't help but feel that his novels are predominantly vehicles for him to express these sorts of ideas. That said, he has a way of making the characters feel so real, with their ever-changing internal dilemmas and thoughts that aren't clear to themselves (let alone others).

The chapters regarding Ivan's thoughts on religion were particularly interesting, as well as the speeches from the prosecutor and defence counsel (I loved how they framed the events in subtly different, yet plausible ways - showing how vague evidence and psychology can be a double-edged sword),