Book Review: The Brothers Karamazov (Dostoyevsky)
Have I read this before: Yes, way back in 2009.
Review: This book was not at all what I remembered, haha. I mean, I guess 2009 is a long time ago now, but still. This doesn’t rank as high as Crime and Punishment for me, but it was enjoyable once things picked up a bit and we got out of the monastery. Apparently Alyosha was modeled in part after Dostoyevsky’s son, who died of epilepsy when he was three. You can also see his son (and the loss of his son) in Ilyusha.
Favorite Part: I love a book with contrasting characters, so I really enjoyed the differences between the three brothers (and, of course, their father) and how they approached the conflict between Dmitri and their father. But I think my favorite part of the book was Ivan’s hallucinating the devil and the subsequent conversation they had together. It’s a slow few chapters (in a good way) and it really highlights his descent into madness.
Rating: 6/10
Book Review: Notes from Underground (Dostoyevsky)
Have I read this before: Nope.
Review: This is my least favorite Dostoyevsky work that I’ve read. In both The Brothers Karamazov and Crime and Punishment, I always felt compelled to continue reading due to enjoying the characters, the story, or both. I didn’t really get that in this one. I understand that this one is much more of an overt philosophical reflection on things, but it doesn’t get carried by the story itself as well as Brothers and Crime and Punishment do.
Favorite Part: There were a few good quotes, though.
“To live longer than forty years is bad manners, is vulgar, immoral. Who does live beyond forty? Answer that, sincerely and honestly I will tell you who do: fools and worthless fellows.”
“I admit that twice two makes four is an excellent thing, but if we are to give everything its due, twice two makes five is sometimes a very charming thing too.”
Rating: 4/10
Book Review: Crime and Punishment (Dostoyevsky)
Have I read this before: Yup! I think this was one of the first books on my list that I read in junior high.
Review: Since I read this in junior high (or really early in high school), it’s obviously been a long time since I’ve read it. And it’s quite a bit different than I remembered it. For some reason, I thought that the crime in question was admitted to fairly early in the book, but I was very wrong, haha. Shows you how much I paid attention in 7th/8th/9th/whatever grade. But it is still a very enjoyable book. Also, as far as “this book has a lot of Russian names” books go, it’s not too bad. Better than War and Peace.
Favorite part: The tension builds nicely throughout the book. I also like how the main character keeps toying with his fate in the sense that he basically outright admits the crime he’s committed but does so in a way that it sounds like he’s just joking.
Rating: 6/10
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