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A review by stefo
Notes from Underground by Fyodor Dostoevsky
challenging
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Cranky insecure troll man blabbering on about various themes, some profound, some pointless.
First part is certainly the better one, where the Underground Man criticizes various concepts like utopianism (pretty brave of Dostoevsky for its time considering... well... Russia). Second part feels like a completely different book, the Underground Man sharing these seemingly trivial but complex for him situations. I mostly didn't enjoy the second part, especially the part with Liza, it felt annoying, but I guess that was sort of Dostoevsky's point about this character and how he MUST exist in reality.
Ever since high school I've had this negative bias towards Russian realism and authors like Dostoevsky, but this was rather an alright novel, I'm sure most will enjoy it more than I did though.
First part is certainly the better one, where the Underground Man criticizes various concepts like utopianism (pretty brave of Dostoevsky for its time considering... well... Russia). Second part feels like a completely different book, the Underground Man sharing these seemingly trivial but complex for him situations. I mostly didn't enjoy the second part, especially the part with Liza, it felt annoying, but I guess that was sort of Dostoevsky's point about this character and how he MUST exist in reality.
Ever since high school I've had this negative bias towards Russian realism and authors like Dostoevsky, but this was rather an alright novel, I'm sure most will enjoy it more than I did though.