190515 's review for:

The Karamazov Brothers by Fyodor Dostoevsky

4.5

challenging reflective slow-paced

Plot or Character Driven: Character

Strong character development: Yes

Loveable characters: Complicated

Diverse cast of characters: Yes

Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

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This is a book that requires full dedication of time and attention, for better or for worse. On one hand and where I found its strength, the character study chapters were laid out in thought-provoking articulate ways. On the other, the pacing and (getting familiar with) the historical context felt like a hurdle at times.

But all in all, the writing itself was filled with beautiful passages that made me wish I knew Russian, and most crucial to me, had me going over the pages repeatedly in wanting to examine myself through Dostoevsky’s exploration of the complexity of his characters and their relationships with faith, freewill, and existence.

“A very strong centripetal force exists on our planet. I want to live, and I do live, although it’s against all logic. I may not believe in an ordered world, but the tiny sticky leaf-buds of spring are dear to me, the blue sky is dear to me, one or two people are dear to me—though for the life of me I sometimes really wonder why—and so is the occasional human achievement, which perhaps I long ago ceased to believe in…”