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umbrelina's review
challenging
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
bbbb123's review against another edition
dark
emotional
informative
reflective
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.0
lamented0racle's review against another edition
challenging
dark
informative
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
tsushimashu's review against another edition
3.0
dostoesvky, look, i love you, but this book… though i did like it it was so dense and hard to pick up sometimes. there wasn’t really a plot and was more like a documentary of aleksandr’s life in the prison.
it felt like i was reading non-fiction in some spots because it was so heavy on the philosophy which i loved but wasn’t expecting.
this book provides a really insightful perspective of the life of convicts back when this was written! the way he conveyed the sense of isolation even when surrounded by people who you’re supposed to be equal with makes me feel such overwhelming sympathy and it resonated with me a lot.
knowing that this is semi-autobiographical helps me to get a clearer view of dostoevsky and his character. its a really important piece of literature in my opinion, however, that doesn’t mean it was captivating 24/7. it’s hard to explain it; yes, reading the book was like drudging through mud but at the same time it was so insanely interesting i couldn’t put it down some days; really just depended on my mood each day of whether or not it felt like a great book.
overall, if you’re a dostoevsky fan yes 100% read this!! fair warning though it’s a hard read.
it felt like i was reading non-fiction in some spots because it was so heavy on the philosophy which i loved but wasn’t expecting.
this book provides a really insightful perspective of the life of convicts back when this was written! the way he conveyed the sense of isolation even when surrounded by people who you’re supposed to be equal with makes me feel such overwhelming sympathy and it resonated with me a lot.
knowing that this is semi-autobiographical helps me to get a clearer view of dostoevsky and his character. its a really important piece of literature in my opinion, however, that doesn’t mean it was captivating 24/7. it’s hard to explain it; yes, reading the book was like drudging through mud but at the same time it was so insanely interesting i couldn’t put it down some days; really just depended on my mood each day of whether or not it felt like a great book.
overall, if you’re a dostoevsky fan yes 100% read this!! fair warning though it’s a hard read.
karthicz's review against another edition
5.0
A brilliant book that depicts not only the prison experience that Dostoyevesky had to go through but also expresses the ultimate strength a man can possess even in absence of freedom, dignity and full of despair. An excellent read imo.
chery's review against another edition
challenging
reflective
slow-paced
3.25
I was not expecting a semi-autobiography in a philosophical book, but The House of the Dead offers a closer angle on the lives of convicts in Siberia during the harsh conditions of the 1880s, which might even change one’s perspective on life. A nobleman, Alexander Petrovich, experienced the life of peasants, and his view of his temporary life in prison raised his curiosity. Although the stories of his peers in prison can pique general interest, they feel somewhat bleak compared to other works by Dostoevsky. Perhaps I am complaining due to my inexperience with such storytelling, as the book could pass as non-fiction if told as a true story. Each character is perhaps only briefly mentioned, and therefore, I cannot recall particular details about them. Nonetheless, it is eye-opening to peek into a life so harsh and isolated, which could lead to either insanity or repentance. As Petrovich stated:
Nobody, I know, can care much about it at all except myself; but I write because I think people will understand, and because there are those who have been, those who yet will be, like myself, condemned, imprisoned, cut off from life, in the flower of their age, and in the full possession of all their strength.
And I feel that deeply.
_luminess_'s review against another edition
dark
emotional
hopeful
reflective
sad
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
glendonrfrank's review against another edition
5.0
Yes, I read this in four days. No, I can't explain why Dostoevsky is an easier read for me than "Little Women."
Much has been said about the revelatory end to Dostoevsky's imprisonment, but in comparison, relatively little has been said about the four-year term that preceded it. Imagine my surprise to open this book and realize that Dostoevsky captured the subject himself, in a full novel. More of a memoir than a story, "House of the Dead" reveals just how it was that the Russian author got to be so good at casting rich, lifelike portraits for his characters. Though the context of the book is fictionalized, I have no doubt that many if not all of the figures he spends time lovingly reflecting on were real, vivid people. People living in profound darkness but with equally profound potential. While Dostoevsky paints a heavy atmosphere over the prison compound, it is never so heavy as to stop the moments of light fighting to break through.
Above all, the central motif here is humanity. The prison system is explicitly built to dehumanize, to subject. But Dostoevsky cannot help but pinpoint the humanity inside each of the figures he met over his four years, to see them in all their complexity, and see the aching hopes for freedom that everyone has.
Much has been said about the revelatory end to Dostoevsky's imprisonment, but in comparison, relatively little has been said about the four-year term that preceded it. Imagine my surprise to open this book and realize that Dostoevsky captured the subject himself, in a full novel. More of a memoir than a story, "House of the Dead" reveals just how it was that the Russian author got to be so good at casting rich, lifelike portraits for his characters. Though the context of the book is fictionalized, I have no doubt that many if not all of the figures he spends time lovingly reflecting on were real, vivid people. People living in profound darkness but with equally profound potential. While Dostoevsky paints a heavy atmosphere over the prison compound, it is never so heavy as to stop the moments of light fighting to break through.
Above all, the central motif here is humanity. The prison system is explicitly built to dehumanize, to subject. But Dostoevsky cannot help but pinpoint the humanity inside each of the figures he met over his four years, to see them in all their complexity, and see the aching hopes for freedom that everyone has.