The Brothers Karamazov
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The Brothers Karamazov is a passionate philosophical novel set in 19th century Russia, that enters deeply into the ethical debates of God, free will, and morality. It is a spiritual drama of moral struggles concerning faith, doubt, and reason, set against a modernizing Russia, with a plot which revolves around the subject of patricide. Dostoyevsky composed much of the novel in Staraya Russa, which inspired the main setting. Since its publication, it has been acclaimed as one of the supreme achievements in literature.
Fyodor Dostoevsky
Fyodor Dostoevsky (1821-1881) was a Russian short story writer, essayist, journalist, and one of the greatest novelists in all of world literature. His works are broadly thought to have anticipated Russian symbolism, existentialism, expressionism, and psychoanalysis. He also influenced later writers and philosophers including Anton Chekov, Hermann Hesse, Ernest Hemingway, Friedrich Nietzsche, Sigmund Freud, and Jean-Paul Sartre.
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Reviews for The Brothers Karamazov
4,763 ratings120 reviews
- Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Shit. Fuck. Oh, wow. Maybe it was just finishing it on the 9/11, but this book disturbed me so much it gave me the night sweats, not to mention the no sleep fits and starts and later the "dreaming you're having tea with Smerdyakov and he's still got the noose on and he's telling you how he did it for the lulz"es.Sorry, Princess Alexandra Kropotkin. You were great for Tolstoy with his slow-moving muddy-river certainty about all that doesn't really matter. Not that that's Tolstoy's tragedy or anything - it's his strength: the more you believe in the mundane human cultural secular awesome world, the less you have to come down to the Fear - but when it comes, it's worse, and it drove Leo kinda batty from what I hear. Dostoyevsky is ALL FEAR. I mean, okay, that's untrue, but it was such a shock after the smooth certainties of the princess, who no doubt grew up parling the francais, to switch versions to Constance Garnett's. Yikes! Questionable editing choices in the Kropotkin aside, even, this is chalk and cheese. People think what's scary is the a dog with eight legs or Yog-Sothoth in your closet, but that's crap - dark fantasy just means anything can happen, whereas no fantasy means no magic egress on the back of a hippogriff but still the Holocaust.And (if I may briefly wax philosophical, thereby showing I've learned nothing from the esteemed Prosecutor) maybe that's Fyodor's hangup? Maybe when you're staring death down and the magic egress that will never come but still might comes and is revealed as so whimsical, arbitrary, the "little father" playing with your life to teach you a lesson, WELL . . . does something break inside you? No wonder he was determined to beat through the horror of the real.No wonder Ivan, "the most like his father,"" is also the most like his author.No wonder Alyosha is so real, like no holy man ever has been in literature. I bet he becomes a socialist, breaking his creator's sad tired heart as well as perhaps his own. Viva Karamazov!No wonder we get no egress, no closure. I think that's why I had the sleep troubles. I don't even know what I want for Dmitri. It's easy to cling to "justice," transcendent rather than earthly, because it gives you a pretext for making up your mind, saying "oh yeah, Smerdy totally did it, Mitya must go free!"But will he just split some other drunk's head in the bar? Will he strangle Grushenka in a fit of jealousy? Will he just drink himself to death at fifty like yer bog-standard Russian male? Will any of those things detract from his human worth?That's three I dunnos and a Never!, for those of you keeping score. But just as this book, for all its open-endedness, inexorably forces you to renounce all the options but love and grace, so it cruelly forces you to accept the uncertainty and fear and pain that go along with accepting love and grace - no ill-defined divine panacea here. And maybe it would have turned out that way if the planned trilogy had been written - Dostoyevsky has a lot in common with Sartre, it occurs, and this book with The Age of Reason - but it would still have been a prayer, (it may be too much to say) for his dead son. It would have wrapped us up in arbitrarily "ultimate" safety, whereas this book on its own is more akin to a night of recrimination and stock-taking, tears for all the hurt we deal our dear and hated ones, and then stumbling out of bed, getting ready for the struggle, smoking a cigarette and tightening up our gut.
- Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5If you read for escape,this isn't your book. But if you don't mind tickling the noodle, pick it up and think about the nature of man.
- Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Dostoevsky at his best. Each character is a case study of what it means to be human.
- Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5I loved this book! Don't ask me to sumarize it, because I couldn't. It's the story of three brothers who all took different paths to deal with their dead beat dad.
- Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5I hadn't read this novel in years, but I loved it once again. The chapter on the "Grand Inquisitor" has particular resonance in these days where so-called "Christians" are claiming to act in the name of their god...
- Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Obviously an astonishingly good, if extremely hard, book. Along with Anna Karenina, I want to re-read it immediately.
- Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Back to the Classics Reading Challenge 2017
Category: Russian Classic
This book took me a little while to get into, but once I got through the first few chapters, I was hooked! This is a long, philosophically dense book, but do not let that deter you. It is anything, but boring, and it will make you think. The main conflict in the novel is Faith vs Doubt. The characters are so dynamic that I believed they were real people. Definitely take your time reading this one. I read it in two months, and there is so much to it that I want to read it again. I think I will read a different translation every time. I actually regret that I can't read it in Russian. I would love to experience this novel in it's original glory. - Rating: 2 out of 5 stars2/5I confess this would probably get a higher rating if I'd ever finished it.
- Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5It took me a year or so to finish this- but I'm so glad I did. Though I took a long time to understand and warm up to the characters, they are brilliantly vivid and alive. All through the book I tried to place myself among the Karamazov brothers but found a piece of each in me. Ivan the intellectual, Alyosha the monk, and Mitya the hedonist; the brothers are magnificently crafted archetypes. The book made me think a lot and I believe I'll be pondering over it for a long time after.
- Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5This is an amazing, transcending book. Although I preferred the first third of it to the last, I completely recognize the scope and intensity of the prose. The characters are vivid and vital. I was very pleased reading it.
- Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5This is one of Dostoevsky's finest works. The story remains interesting throughout, despite the large number of pages. All characters, and their personalities, really come to life. Highly recommended.
- Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5The crime: someone murdered Fyodor Karamozov, the wanton, irritable, and sadistic patriarch. The punishments: Smerdyakov, the illegitimate son, committed suicide after killing his father. Dmitri, the eldest son, passionate and immoderate like his father, whom the court found guilty of the murder, was condemned to Siberia. Ivan, the second son, who was “enlightened” and rational, struggled with the guilt of convincing his half-brother Smerdyakov that since God didn’t exist, everything, including patricide, was permitted. But as the dying monk Zosima had revealed and Dmitri soon realized, everyone was complicit in and thus implicated for the crime, since, for Dostoevsky, the web of sin entangled young and old to the extend that even children suffered from their peers’ sadism. Through his dream of the hungry and suffering children, Dmitri realized his guilt in the desire, that mustard seed in his mind, to kill his father and therefore willingly took upon the punishment for the crime he didn’t commit. In doing so, he assumed a Christ-figure, accepting punishment for another’s crime.The Legend of the Grand Inquisitor revealed Ivan’s enlightened rationalism for a humanistic dystopia, the socialist utopia that Dostoevsky condemned. Only when, in a hallucination, the “devil”--Ivan’s dark side-- revealed the parable of the learned atheist and thus rationalism’s arid futility did Ivan realized his guilt in rationalizing patricide and prodding Smerdyakov to commit it.And Smerdyakov, who mirrored Ivan’s unconsciousness and who carried the latter’s reasoning to the logical conclusion, like Judas, would not have the chance to repent or atone for his crime. In the end, Dmitri assumed his punishment. Through the tormented consciousness of Dmitri, Ivan, Smerdyakov and other characters, Dostoevsky grabbled with morality in an enlightened but Godless world, a world that he could not accept.
- Rating: 1 out of 5 stars1/5Okay, so, I am biased. I generally dislike Russian lit; I particularly dislike Dostoevsky. I dislike Dostoevsky more now than I did before reading this. I will concede that the novel, particularly the last 150 pages has serious literary heft and some crazily beautiful philosophy. This does not, however, make The Brothers Karamazov an enjoyable read. I know that I sound decidedly lazy when I say this, but it's just so darned long! This book could easily have been 300 pages shorter with very little sacrificed. Overall, I can't say it's something I would read again.
- Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5The greatest novel ever written.
- Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5At times difficult and quite tedious... but after 200 pages there are some great events and better discussions. A confused but decidedly confused opinion about belief and faith. The 3 brothers are great characters.
- Rating: 2 out of 5 stars2/5I just don't get it. The characters are weird, I cannot understand their motives, I am not interested in their theories or philosophies. Different universe. Reminds me of the Lars von Triermovie Breaking the Waves, full of people and emotions alien to me.
- Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Well it took me long enough but I finally finished; I did like the writing and the story was well thought out but was sometimes just tooooooooo drawn out for me. My favorite part was actually the characterizations.
- Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Welcome to crazy town.
- Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5This is one of the few books of Dostojevski that still are readable. And what a feast! This book is as "grand" as much of the other great work of D. but, at least here you can find a story that you can follow till the end. And what a beautifull story, thrilling till the end, and touching the very escence of being human.Is eigenlijk een van de weinige boeken van Dostojevski die nog echt overeind blijft, maar dan wel ineens een topper (en een klepper). Het is even breedvoerig (zoniet nog meer) dan de anderen, maar er steekt een verhaallijn in die tot op het eind wordt gevolgd. Stilistisch bovendien prachtig breeduit vertellend. De figuren worden bijna allemaal goed uitgewerkt. Aljosja is duidelijk de hoofdfiguur. En natuurlijk is het verhaal van de Groot-Inquisiteur een klassieker, zij het dat de slavofiele inslag ons westerlingen erg bevreemd.Eerste keer gelezen toen ik 17 jaar was; ik was onmiddellijk gegrepen.
- Rating: 2 out of 5 stars2/5Blimy - that was L O N G!
Not bad, just so very very long. I'm not sure I really understood the necessity for the very long diversions into the meaning of the church and philosophy and so on. I suspect a good editor would have it down to ~ 250 pages, not the 770 I've just ploughed through.
The characters seemed to be in the pantomime mould - not very real - they were all extremes, and not very believable. I wonder if the three brothers were intended as examples of the intellectual (Ivan), the moral man (Alexei) and the pleasure seeker (Dmitri), aspects of character rather than being real characters themselves. In which case this is a morality play of sorts. The pleasure seeker is tried for a crime of passion that he, in fact, did not commit, while the intellectual suffers a nervous breakdown of some regard and end conversing with the devil - having denied the existence of God. (Note, denying God also tends to lead to denying the devil too, just a thought Ivan). Alexei is the only one that comes out with any credit, indicating that is the only true path in life. Can't quite see where the illegitimate son (assuming here) Smerdyakov fits into the morality play, unless it's that the guilty will not prosper.
Just far too long winded for me to really enjoy. I doubt this will be a book I'll come back to. - Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5One of my favorite books. Dostoevsky shatters modernism and anticipates postmodernism – and manages this in the context of a novel that is archetypically Russian in breadth and scope.
- Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Astonishing work by Dostoevsky, though it does become repetitive. Existential to a fault.
- Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5I doubt I can shed any new light on the masterpiece such as this book, so - just a few points that impressed me.... First: the fact is, I don't know of any author who can depict human agony to such an excruciatingly vivid extent as Dostoyevsky. He did it in "Crime and Punishment" and he did it here, in "The Brothers Karamazov". Secondly, we often talk of the so-called "developed" or "not developed enough" characters in literature. Here too, Dostoyevsky is on top: his characters are so shockingly realistic and "known" to him as if inside out, that one cannot help but come away in awe. And how about the little tale-turned-philosophy of "giving an onion"!!!... Having re-read this book in English translation just now, I must say that Princess Alexandra Kropotkin did a very good job as a translator, and except for the book's drawings (which were rather awful) I love this 1949 red-and-gold edition of "The Brothers Karamazov" that I unearthed at a used bookstore.
- Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5SPOILERS. On Mar 6, 1956, my comment: "Reading in Brothers Karamazov. Elder Zossima has just died. Now I reckon we'll return to the brothers, after a diversion concening Zossima. Dmitri is set to do something terrible." On Mar 11: "The Brothers Karamazov is enthralling. The picture drawn of Kolya Krassatin, a 13-year-old prodigy. is wondrous. Whether Mitya will be convicted I don't know. Did Ivan maybe kill his father? I don't know--I'm sure Mitya didn't. The story has been consistently excellent for chapters now." On Mar 13: "Smerdyakov has said he did it! This, in conversation with Ivan. Dmitri's trial is tomorrow, and Smerdyakov is sure Ivan won't tell on him, and even if he does, Smerdykov is sure no one will believe him. Dmitri, after knocking on the window, and after Fyodor screamed, ran away. Grigory ran after him and got hit in the head by Dmitri. Smerdyakov, who was shamming a epilectic fit, heard Fyodor was still alive so he went to him, knocked, and was admitted, and Smerdyakov killed him with a paper weight, and took the 3000 rubles. Grigory says the door was open, but he just imagines this, though it is a key thing in the case against Dmitri. Now the thing remains--will Ivan turn Smerdyakov in, and will they believe Ivan even if he does?" On Mar 16: "Read some in Brothers Karamazov. Mitya (Dmitri) will apparently be convicted. Katarina has produced the implicatory letter Dmitri wrote her a couple days before the murder. Katerina did this because Ivan testified of his talk with Smerydayev before the latter's suicide," On Mar 18: "Finished the book. Dmitri was convicted by the jury despite the eloquence of his defense counsel. Katerina was making plans for his escape as the book ended. 'Twas a great book, and I enjoyed most of it. It was long-winded and boring at the beginnng and the long speeches at the end held not my interest. Neither did the convoluted meanderings of the peculiar Russian minds. The part I liked best was the story of Katyn and Ilyusha, and the dog, etc. That was genuinely pathetic, touching and inspiring.
- Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Let me explain the lesson I learned with this book. Do not even think about approaching Dostoyevsky with the idea that you can skim through, have a quick read, knock it off in an afternoon, get the point without too much work. In other words, devote the time and energy to reading Dostoyevsky that he put into the writing.I say this because, contrary to the way I approached The Idiot (and who does that make idiot?), I approached this book with the idea that I would take some time with it. I made sure I knew the characters. I made sure I knew the locations. I made sure I knew the circumstances. And, because of that, I had one of the best reading experiences I have ever, well...experienced.You can read synopses anywhere. I will simply say that this is story of four brothers and their father – the way they interact, the way their lives move forward. There are people you will like, there are people you will dislike, and there are people you will change your mind about whether you like or dislike. In other words, lives that match the way people really are.It seems ludicrous, a recommendation from someone like me for you to read a classic. But there are a lot of "bad" classics out there, and we should all be steered away from them.Do not steer away from this one. Set aside the time; set aside the brainpower. And delve into a fascinating world. (And now, maybe, I better go back and take another look at that book of Dostoyevsky's I gave short shrift.)
- Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5A well-done Russian soap opera with philosophy and religion.
- Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/52 stars for the first half, 3.5 stars for the second half, compromising with three. The first half was MIND-NUMBINGLY BORING and I could not make myself care about it, but once the crime happened it started getting interesting to me. There was a LOT that could have been edited out even in the more interesting second half, though.
- Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5This is Dostoevsky's greatest work, and one of the greatest novels ever written.
- Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5On the surface this novel could be read as a psychological thriller, family drama, and murder mystery--with enough of a twist to satisfy an Agatha Christie fan. It's rather beside the point though, and the reveal is hardly the climax of the book. This is after all one of the most celebrated works of not just Russian, but world literature, one of the candidates for greatest novel ever written. My introduction to Dostoyevsky was an excerpt from this novel, the chapter "The Grand Inquisitor." And not in a literature course, but a philosophy course, where it was used to raise issues about the nature of God and the problem of evil. It's the speech of (and a story by) the atheist Ivan Karamazov he tells to his devout brother Aloysha. And to give Dostoyevsky his due, he props up no straw man--it's a powerful indictment of God.Not that I always appreciated the religious-themed passages. My Dostoyesky could go on and on... Those of you who complained about the speechifying in the novels by Russian-born Ayn Rand? The similarities in style are no accident--she was a fan of Dostoyevsky--certainly not of his philosophy, to which she was diametrically opposed, but of the way he wove such themes into plot and character. Sometimes I felt preached at in this novel--I particularly found the chapter on the sainted Zossima's teachings an unbearable slog, and by midpoint I decided to skip the rest of that chapter. Maybe some day I'll go back, but I rather doubt it. But believe me, that was the only part I skipped or wanted to skip. The eldest brother Mitya sometimes came across as too-stupid-to-live and the youngest Aloysha too goodie-goodie. And every female character was a drama queen--not that the men fare much better. But as long as the focus was on the brothers and their relationships with each other and their odious father, I was riveted. And certainly each of them were more engaging to follow through hundreds of pages than Raskolnikov, the monomaniacal and repulsive center of Dostoyevsky's Crime and Punishment. Certainly I'd be much more likely to read more of Doestoyevsky than Tolstoy, whose War and Peace bored me to tears (although I did rather relish Anna Karinina.) I do absolutely think The Brothers Karamazov lives up to its reputation as one of those great works everyone would learn a lot from being acquainted with--and an engrossing story as well.
- Rating: 2 out of 5 stars2/5i made it only half way through. i could not relate to any of the characters. the action was slow if there was even any action and then all the difference side stories and life stories of each character. just not my cup of tea.