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auddreyy's review against another edition
- 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
4.25
Moderate: Antisemitism
bronteide's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Что я вынесла из этой книги:
- Карамазовщина (живость, энтузиазм к жизни, энергичность, способность глубоко чувствовать) - то, что делает человека живым человеком, но ее должно быть в меру
- Прежде нужно полюбить жизнь, а смысл обретется после
- Нужно всегда быть самим собой, не бояться показаться смешным и быть честным
- Стремиться видеть хорошее в людях, не задыхаться в ненависти, быть честным в своих чувствах, не сбегать от них (иначе можно сойти с ума)
- Самое страшное для человека - свобода, ему всегда нужно поклоняться человеку или какой-либо идее.
Любимые цитаты:
Любовь же деятельная - это работа и выдержка, а для иных так, пожалуй, целая наука.
Ибо тайна бытия человеческого не в том, чтобы только жить, а в том, для чего жить. Без твердого представления себе, для чего ему жить, человек не согласится жить и скорей истребит себя, чем останется на земле, хотя бы кругом его всё были хлебы.
Ибо всякий-то теперь стремиться отделить свое лицо наиболее, хочет испытать в себе самом полноту жизни, а между тем выходит изо всех его усилий вместо полноты жизни лишь полное самоубийство, ибо вместо полноты уединения существа своего впадают в совершенное уединение.
[...]
Понимая свободу как приумножение и скорое утоление потребностей искажают природу свою, ибо зарождают в себе много бессмысленных и глупых желаний, привычек и нелепейших выдумок.
[...]
И достигли того, что вещей накопили больше, а радости стало меньше. [...] Освобожденный от тиранства вещей и привычек (об иноках).
...любовь - учительница, но нужно уметь ее приобрести, ибо она трудно приобретается, дорого покупается, долгою работой и через долгий срок, ибо не на мгновение лишь случайное надо любить, а на весь срок.
...на всю жизнь в душе моей язвой останешься, а я в твоей - так и надо...
...в иных случаях, право, почтеннее поддаться иному увлечению, хотя бы и неразумному, но все же от великой любви происшедшему, чем вовсе не поддаться ему.
Graphic: Alcoholism, Child death, Rape, Violence, and Murder
Moderate: Animal cruelty, Child abuse, and Antisemitism
Minor: Abandonment
aoyenhi's review against another edition
- 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? Yes
3.5
“But now, for one brief moment, let’s pretend what might’ve been.”
Dostoevsky’s best, easily. Part 4 and the epilogue had me in tears.
There are so many wonderful moments that I don’t think I’ll ever experience anywhere else. Some of my favorites:
- - Zosima, bowing suddenly before Dmitri,
- - Ivan’s speech to Alyosha, and obviously the Grand Inquisitor,
- - Alyosha kissing Ivan right after,
- - “But to us, sir, you are like a small child…”
- - The dehumanizing interrogation sequence—“I’m the wolf, and you’re the hunters, let the chase commence.”
- - A lovely scene with a puppy (it was so magical that I don’t want to share more),
- - Ivan’s nightmares,
- - Dr. Herzenstrube’s testimony,
- - Dmitri in the epilogue.
It is unfortunate that this book is weighed down by so much anti-semitism, christofascist sympathies, Russian nationalism, all with a little bit of thinly veiled misogyny... if it wasn’t for these themes (which comes up during part 4 more than any other part IMO), I would have it in me to agree that this is one of the best novels ever written.
I’d also say your enjoyment of this novel hinges on whether or not you consider Dmitri to be a sympathetic character. If you’re 200 pages in and you hate him, consider shelving it… I definitely sympathized with and even liked him, but he can be a lot. I can easily see why people might hate him, but I don’t know how enjoyable the book would be if you can’t stand the guy.
Graphic: Antisemitism and Religious bigotry
Moderate: Misogyny and Violence
Minor: Rape
The way Dostoevsky speaks about Poland and Polish people is horrible, and yet pales in comparison to how he writes about Jewish people. Disgusting. And there is liberal use of the g-slur for Romani people. Dostoevsky is sympathetic to all of his characters and their plights…except for atheists, socialists, and the aforementioned populations described here.quotablehedgehog's review against another edition
- 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
3.0
Graphic: Alcoholism, Animal cruelty, Bullying, Child abuse, Child death, Chronic illness, Death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Gore, Incest, Infidelity, Mental illness, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Self harm, Sexism, Sexual content, Terminal illness, Toxic relationship, Violence, Forced institutionalization, Xenophobia, Blood, Grief, Religious bigotry, Death of parent, Murder, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Gaslighting, Abandonment, Alcohol, Sexual harassment, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Addiction, Adult/minor relationship, Cursing, Panic attacks/disorders, Racial slurs, Racism, Rape, Sexual assault, Slavery, Suicide, Antisemitism, Medical content, Pregnancy, Cultural appropriation, Colonisation, Classism, and Deportation
samanthaleereads's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Graphic: Child death, Death, Misogyny, Sexism, Death of parent, Murder, and Classism
Moderate: Suicide and Antisemitism
Minor: Medical content
mangopassion555's review against another edition
- 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
4.0
Graphic: Suicidal thoughts, Death of parent, and Murder
Moderate: Child abuse, Physical abuse, Suicide, Violence, Antisemitism, Grief, and Abandonment
ayphyx's review against another edition
- 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
5.0
Graphic: Alcoholism, Death, Domestic abuse, Mental illness, Grief, and Schizophrenia/Psychosis
Moderate: Child abuse, Violence, Antisemitism, Death of parent, Murder, Pregnancy, and Abandonment
Minor: Cursing
ealtshul's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.5
Moderate: Antisemitism
julianh's review against another edition
- 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
Moderate: Child death, Death, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Toxic relationship, Death of parent, and Murder
Minor: Racial slurs, Racism, Antisemitism, and Schizophrenia/Psychosis
cowardlyteaman's review against another edition
- 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
It's very slow paced, and sometimes you might think to yourself «Okay, but how does this affect the plot.» Fair point, definitely, but to me personally, such scenes meant everything in the parallel situations of these characters and for Dostoyevsky to explore some of his philosophy, which I think he has the right to with such reflections. Also, as my dad so rightfully reminded me, this book was written in a period where people had the time to read. Not meaning that they weren't as busy as we are now, but simply that their attention spans had not been abused such as ours have due to various categories of modern entertainment.
There is no shame in this, but it's important to note that if you're wanting to read this. I, too, found it boring at times, because no, I genuinely could not care less about Father Zosima.
And on the note of characters I couldn't care less about, we have Alyosha. Yes, I see Dostoyevsky praising and loving him, but I found him pretty whiny, actually. He was about as relevant as an emotional support animal, to be quite honest. That is until the epilogue, where I appreciated his part of the whole journey.
My favourite character was Mitya, though Ivan stands as a close second, and I'm not ashamed to admit that it is because I found them sexy. Not only because I found them sexy, but it was undeniably a factor in there somewhere, and I am young and gay, so who can blame me. Still, they were both fantastically written characters, both with depth and interesting plot lines.
Yes, my review has been mostly about the characters and what I thought of them, but they are the plot after all. However, I want to add finally that I noticed how the synopsis of the book leads with the murder of Fyodor Pavlovich, when that doesn't «come up» until a good... 500 pages in? A bit odd, but I suppose that was what brought the entire piece to a conclusion.
Graphic: Bullying, Child abuse, Child death, Death, Emotional abuse, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Suicide, Violence, Blood, Death of parent, Murder, and Alcohol
Moderate: Adult/minor relationship, Grief, and Abandonment
Minor: Addiction, Alcoholism, Racial slurs, Racism, Suicidal thoughts, and Antisemitism