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A review by charlottechamberswriter
Crime and Punishment by Fyodor Dostoevsky, Charles W. Goddard
5.0
Everybody already knows this a five-star book, so I won't iterate some flowerly discussion of the plot or the symbolism or the mind-boggling historical affect of Dostoyevsky's works.
Instead, here are just a few things I really liked about it:
1) I love Sonya, the prostitute with a heart of gold. Forced into a life she does not wish to live so that she can provide for herself and her family. What makes her an extra-great character is that she doesn't exist solely as a symbol for the poverty of the time or of the suppression of women. The character herself is extremely nuanced and very real, and though really a secondary character in the novel she seems stand-out on her own. I couldn't help but love and feel for her the entire time.
2) I like that Dostoyevsky uses his character's dialogue to tell you what the non-speaking conversant is doing. I really enjoy the more seamless movement of the dialogue rather than constantly having the omniscent narrator step in to tell you what is happening to the person off-sceen.
3) The way Dostoyevsky makes you hate and then feel sorry for Raskolnikov within the span of two pages is incredibly impressive. The depth of main character is truly unrivaled. I am a big fan of Victor Hugo but his characters always seem to embody the Platonic Ideal of SOMETHING. Raskolnikov is a man, a flesh and blood human who has a lot going on. I like the "many layers to the onion" approach, because it really makes the character seem so real.
4) The writing! Holy moly. That is all.
Instead, here are just a few things I really liked about it:
1) I love Sonya, the prostitute with a heart of gold. Forced into a life she does not wish to live so that she can provide for herself and her family. What makes her an extra-great character is that she doesn't exist solely as a symbol for the poverty of the time or of the suppression of women. The character herself is extremely nuanced and very real, and though really a secondary character in the novel she seems stand-out on her own. I couldn't help but love and feel for her the entire time.
2) I like that Dostoyevsky uses his character's dialogue to tell you what the non-speaking conversant is doing. I really enjoy the more seamless movement of the dialogue rather than constantly having the omniscent narrator step in to tell you what is happening to the person off-sceen.
3) The way Dostoyevsky makes you hate and then feel sorry for Raskolnikov within the span of two pages is incredibly impressive. The depth of main character is truly unrivaled. I am a big fan of Victor Hugo but his characters always seem to embody the Platonic Ideal of SOMETHING. Raskolnikov is a man, a flesh and blood human who has a lot going on. I like the "many layers to the onion" approach, because it really makes the character seem so real.
4) The writing! Holy moly. That is all.