Reviews

L'idiota by Fyodor Dostoevsky

saphaven's review against another edition

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5.0

life changing. Doestoevsky's writing is like nothing I've seen before and I am in awe of the density yet quality of the text. my god.

zubatus's review against another edition

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challenging emotional reflective tense slow-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Plot
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.75

mete's review against another edition

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dark funny hopeful mysterious reflective slow-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.25

cookie_cat's review against another edition

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challenging inspiring reflective sad slow-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? No
  • Loveable characters? No
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.25

Though I prefer when Dostoevsky writes about the darker corners of the soul, I still found this book an inspiring piece, inviting to contemplate the good, the bad, the mad and the faulty aspects of the society.

seamus_hawks's review against another edition

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challenging dark reflective slow-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.75

jeansbooks's review against another edition

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challenging dark emotional reflective sad slow-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

margarita_sergeevna's review against another edition

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dark emotional reflective sad tense slow-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? No
  • Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.75

taylorkibler's review against another edition

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challenging emotional funny inspiring mysterious sad tense 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? Yes

4.25

emilsincliar's review against another edition

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4.0

“Don’t let us forget that the causes of human actions are usually immeasurably more complex and varied than our subsequent explanations of them.”

“A fool with a heart and no sense is just as unhappy as a fool with sense and no heart.”

“One man doesn't believe in god at all, while the other believes in him so thoroughly that he prays as he murders men!”

Having read Dostoyevsky's Notes From the Underground and Crime and Punishment, I was expecting The Idiot to be marvelous. Well, it didn't disappoint. The Idiot is a harrowing tale of how a certain Prince Myshkin, an absolutely innocent, simple-hearted, compassionately good-natured and truthful man is somehow drawn into the society of treacherous, lying, deceitfully greedy and manipulatively wretched society of people. It portrays the suffering and tragedy of being good in a terribly miserable and dangerous world. Like imagining Christ in the modern world! The characters are just epic with each one of them leaving a profound imprint on your mind. The plot involves a love triangle between Prince Myshkin, the protagonist, Nastasya Filippovna and Aglaya Ivanovna, which eventually has a tragic end. You're bound to feel and empathize for the characters throughout the novel. As usual Dostoevsky is a genius at capturing and understanding complex human emotions. It's like he always holds a mirror to your soul, irrespective of who you are! Therein lies the brilliance of his literary works. With so many characters into play, the story and pace of the novel is very slow and vaguely and chronologically offbeat. It takes huge amount of patience to enjoy this book, as is the case with Russian literature; be it Tolstoy or Dostoevsky. Dostoevsky also manages to explore various abstract themes in this book, from nihilism, atheism and religion to beauty, love, society and death! The ideas and opinions expressed throughout the book are timeless and still relevant in modern society.

This book is very tedious read and it took me almost more than a month to finish it off. But on the other hand it's totally worth it as the best parts of the book are just quality masterpieces and that sensationally mind blowing end, just adds the icing to the cake. Read it if you've want to enjoy the genius of Dostoevsky's mind, with a lot of free time to spare! I'm giving it 4 stars out of 5. I would have given it 5 stars but I reduced that one star for the tediousness and the length of the book. Overall, it's a wonderful book!

johanmirfin's review against another edition

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Too busy to fully focus, will come back to it after the weddiny