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