Reviews tagging 'Terminal illness'

Delitto e castigo by Fyodor Dostoevsky

24 reviews

thecriticalreader's review against another edition

dark reflective sad tense slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

 

Review:

As much as I tried not to, I entered Fyodor Dostoevsky’s Crime and Punishment with a few preconceived notions based on people’s recommendation of the book. First, that this book is about a man who commits murder and his subsequent psychological unraveling—and while this description is not wrong, exactly, it’s a bit like describing Moby-Dick as a book about a man who hunts a whale for revenge. Crime and Punishment encompasses a lot more than the main character’s inner turmoil, with a wide cast of characters and complex plot. Second, I was told that this book would profoundly affect me emotionally and/or send me into an existential crisis, which it didn’t. Misconceptions aside, I loved Crime and Punishment. The characters are strong and well-realized, the plot is engrossing, and the book raises intriguing points about morality. My only complaints are that the first and second section are too long (I got sick of reading about the main protagonist’s unstable mental state) and that at times the plot relied on some rather convenient coincidences. 

 

The Run-Down: 

You will probably like Crime and Punishment . . . 

·      If you like classic literature, particular nineteenth-century literature

·      You enjoy books that delve into questions of morality and philosophy

 

You might not like Crime and Punishment . . . 

·      If you dislike long stretches of dialogue/rumination

·      If you are expecting a thriller or mystery

 

A Similar Book: Père Goriot by Honoré de Balzac (according to the footnotes in my edition, Crime and Punishment is actually partially inspired by Père Goriot, so the similarities are not coincidence! Similarities include . . .

·       An impoverished law student who moves to the big city away from his devoted mother and sister, who sacrifice a lot to send him to school

·       A protagonist who acts immorally in the face of poverty

·       A wide cast of characters navigating complex and unforgiving social systems

·       Themes exploring urban social ills, destitution, familial bonds, and morality

 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Alcoholism, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Child abuse, Terminal illness, Violence, and Murder

Moderate: Gun violence, Suicidal thoughts, and Suicide

Minor: Sexism, Sexual assault, and Forced institutionalization

mlewis's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional funny hopeful mysterious reflective sad tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Alcoholism, Chronic illness, Domestic abuse, Misogyny, Sexism, Violence, Murder, and Alcohol

Moderate: Infidelity, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Physical abuse, Terminal illness, Xenophobia, Grief, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , and Injury/Injury detail

Minor: Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, and Suicide attempt

imrath's review against another edition

dark reflective tense slow-paced

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Death, Gun violence, Mental illness, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Terminal illness, Violence, Grief, Suicide attempt, Death of parent, Murder, and Schizophrenia/Psychosis

Moderate: Alcoholism, Child abuse, Forced institutionalization, and Alcohol

Minor: Infidelity, Physical abuse, Rape, Antisemitism, and Fire/Fire injury

arxchiell's review against another edition

dark funny sad tense slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Death, Suicide, Blood, and Murder

Moderate: Misogyny, Violence, Stalking, Alcohol, and Sexual harassment

Minor: Chronic illness, Infidelity, Mental illness, Pedophilia, Terminal illness, Antisemitism, Death of parent, and Classism

lynxpardinus's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional reflective

3.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Confinement, Mental illness, Misogyny, Pedophilia, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Blood, Medical content, Death of parent, and Murder

Moderate: Addiction, Adult/minor relationship, Gun violence, Infidelity, Terminal illness, Toxic relationship, Antisemitism, Alcohol, and Classism

Minor: War

clevermird's review against another edition

dark reflective sad slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

Installment number ten on my attempt to read the great classics of western literary canon, Crime and Punishment was my intro to the world of Russian literature. I recall saying as I began this one "wow, the first chapter in and I'm already depressed." 

Joking aside, Crime and Punishment tells the story of college dropout Raskolnikov, teetering on the edge of destitution and consumed by a strange mix of depression and lofty philosophical musings. In his half-starved despair, he convinces himself that some murders are morally justified and sets out to prove that theory on his pawnbroker. What follows is a series of intertwined events that will change the lives of everyone involved - and end several of them. 

This was a hard one for me to review because even after spending a month reading it, I'm not sure how I feel about it. I didn't feel like I enjoyed it while I was reading it. The prose is dense, the language complex, and many characters spend a long time monologuing. The subject matter is bleak and gritty. But then, every time I set it down, I found myself wondering what happened next and musing on the characters and motivations. It's a book that makes you feel accomplished when you finish it, one that takes you deep into the interior lives of its characters. It also feels as thought the characters, Raskolnikov in particular, are deeply personal to the author, which adds a layer of richness to the story that I feel like is hard to replicate. 

Overall, not an easy or fun book to read, but one that is a classic for a reason, with a lot to chew on philosophically and some in-depth character study. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Alcoholism, Animal cruelty, Suicidal thoughts, Violence, and Murder

Moderate: Child abuse, Chronic illness, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Mental illness, Sexual assault, Suicide, Terminal illness, Blood, Death of parent, and Schizophrenia/Psychosis

Minor: Antisemitism and Stalking

gkgkgk's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional mysterious reflective sad slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.25

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Death, Emotional abuse, Mental illness, Misogyny, Panic attacks/disorders, Physical abuse, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Terminal illness, Toxic relationship, Violence, Blood, Grief, and Murder

Moderate: Addiction, Adult/minor relationship, Alcoholism, Child abuse, Antisemitism, Abandonment, and Classism

Minor: Eating disorder, Sexual content, Medical content, Stalking, and Fire/Fire injury

mme_carton's review against another edition

dark emotional mysterious reflective tense slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Alcoholism, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Body shaming, Child abuse, Confinement, Death, Domestic abuse, Gore, Mental illness, Misogyny, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Sexism, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Terminal illness, Toxic relationship, Violence, Xenophobia, Blood, Antisemitism, Grief, Religious bigotry, Suicide attempt, Death of parent, Murder, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Alcohol, and Sexual harassment

Moderate: Adult/minor relationship and Infidelity

Minor: Racism, Slavery, Vomit, and Fire/Fire injury

hannahchristine's review against another edition

challenging dark mysterious tense slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.25

It took a while to get through it and follow the events especially since the amount of different names all the characters had made it even more complicated. I'm very glad I read it though and I did like the way and tone the story was told in, very distant and blunt I'd say. I'm not sure I completely got the point and the moral of the story but I did get something out of it. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Terminal illness, Violence, Murder, and Schizophrenia/Psychosis

Moderate: Mental illness

lordofdisorder's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional reflective sad tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Chronic illness, Death, Suicide, Terminal illness, Violence, Blood, Death of parent, and Murder

Moderate: Animal cruelty, Mental illness, and Suicidal thoughts

Minor: Adult/minor relationship, Child abuse, Infidelity, Misogyny, Sexual violence, Xenophobia, and Antisemitism