Reviews tagging 'Sexual assault'

Crime and Punishment by Fyodor Dostoevsky

31 reviews

chiaralzr's review against another edition

adventurous dark reflective medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? N/A
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Violence, Blood, and Murder

Moderate: Child abuse, Death, Sexual assault, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Antisemitism, and Death of parent

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

nakednames's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional hopeful reflective sad slow-paced

5.0

i love you rodion romanovich raskolnikov

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Alcoholism, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Chronic illness, Confinement, Cursing, Death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Physical abuse, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Violence, Grief, Death of parent, Murder, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Alcohol, and Classism

Moderate: Adult/minor relationship, Child abuse, Infidelity, Misogyny, Pedophilia, Rape, Sexism, Sexual assault, Antisemitism, Stalking, and Suicide attempt

Minor: Forced institutionalization, Fire/Fire injury, and Pandemic/Epidemic

the grief is never ending but so is the love

lindsgiovannone's review against another edition

dark emotional reflective slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? N/A
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.25

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Mental illness, Rape, Sexual assault, Suicide, Violence, and Murder

miinmio's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional mysterious reflective sad tense medium-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

5.0

the goofy cartoon ass justice system in this book is what made it amazing to me.

the fact that the LEAD investigator can just KNOW who did it and not apprehend him and instead use straight up mind tricks to get him to admit it is crazy, we need to do that more.

in all seriousness: i love this book. everything it brings to the conversation of criminals and reformation really lets you change your way of thinking about the nature of evil things and bad people. the ending is also very nice... if anything the book is just kinda wordy with the dialogue but goddamn if the characters aren't the most loveable guys ever (except one, fuck you svridrigailov). 100% essential reading.

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Child abuse and Sexual assault

riya_mishra's review against another edition

challenging dark reflective sad tense medium-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

4.0

A brilliant psychological study of mental illness and crime. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal cruelty, Death, Gun violence, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Pedophilia, Rape, Self harm, Sexual assault, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Violence, Blood, Stalking, Suicide attempt, and Murder

tmickey's review against another edition

challenging dark reflective tense medium-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

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Blood, Suicide attempt, and Murder

Moderate: Sexual assault and Sexual harassment

Minor: Mental illness and Antisemitism

hedvigcallmer's review against another edition

dark reflective tense slow-paced

4.75

Dostojevskijs språk är så vackert, men kära nån, han behöver nog lite terapi (Raskolnikov också, definitivt. Kanske alla karaktärer. Ingen mår bra. Alla mår piss). Även om jag älskade boken, hela sättet den var skriven på, och hur man på så många sätt sympatiserade med en så typisk antihjälte, var den också helt jävla sjuk. Trauma. På riktigt.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Alcoholism, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Body horror, Child abuse, Death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Gun violence, Hate crime, Mental illness, Misogyny, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Racism, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Toxic relationship, Violence, Blood, Antisemitism, Grief, Suicide attempt, Death of parent, Murder, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Gaslighting, Toxic friendship, Alcohol, and Sexual harassment

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

avasbookmark's review against another edition

dark emotional sad 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

3.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Mental illness, Murder, and Schizophrenia/Psychosis

Moderate: Suicidal thoughts and Suicide

Minor: Sexual assault, Antisemitism, and Sexual harassment