Reviews

The Brothers Karamazov by Fyodor Dostoevsky

Only show reviews with written explanations

camilagaribi's review against another edition

Go to review page

dark funny inspiring mysterious reflective 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

4.0

brandonpytel's review against another edition

Go to review page

3.0

This book is generally a slog, but after you get past all the scene setting in the first 200 pages or so, it really starts to pick up. I should probably know more about Russian history and literature before making that hot take, but such is life. Overall, I’m glad I read it if only for its cultural relevancy, but also for the fact that I can now confidently read The Brothers K by David James Duncan without letting any references slip by.

Very few of the characters here are that redeemable: The father, Fyodor, is loud, drunken, and a terrible dad to his three sons, pretty much outcasting them from their childhood. His three sons – Dmitri, Ivan and Alyosha – are all flawed in their own way, which isn’t a problem in itself, other than their personalities are sometimes flawed to the point where they’re dislikable, most notably Dmitri, who though he seems innocent and sincere, is still a scoundrel and untrustworthy in his loose ways with other people’s money.

Ivan may be the most interesting, in that he has a radical and sympathetic arc, at first a bit off-putting with his intellectual arrogance, but then tormented to madness by the effect his views have on others, most notably his father’s potential killer. And then there’s Alyosha, who just kinda drifts along, a bit boring, and a bit straight and narrow with his religious ties and his looking up to this old priest.

But overall, the Brothers K is a novel of torment, suffering, unrequited love, and love triangles – maybe one of the first sad boy novels. The strain of the three sons and their relationship with each other and their father carries throughout the book, causing continuous suffering and despair, ultimately becoming a novel of law and order, life and death, freewill and destiny, past and future, good and evil, and truth. These big ideas are what makes this novel what it is. But I can’t really say I enjoyed it much from a purely casual reading standpoint.

marleysclassics's review against another edition

Go to review page

challenging dark emotional inspiring mysterious 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

4.5

warrenl's review against another edition

Go to review page

4.0

There is far too much in this book for a simple mind like mine to comprehend. As a straight read it frequently drags like molasses. For this I'd give it two stars. Many of the characters are deeply unlikeable, including at least one, and maybe two, of the brothers Karamazov. For them I'd give it two stars. But The Brothers Karamazov is far greater than any of this superficial stuff. I'm an uneducated lump, so I could only discern it vaguely and remotely. In fact, I had to read Nicholas Berdyaev's "Dostoevsky" to even begin to discern what Dostoevsky was getting at. That book itself was at least 90% over my head, an immensely difficult read, but the 10% I did comprehend shone a light on Dostoevsky and at last I was able to see a little into the vast depths of TBK. After all that, can I say I enjoyed it? Absolutely not. It's a mission to read. It is not light entertainment for a wet weekend. But it might be one of the greatest books I've ever read.

marleskere's review against another edition

Go to review page

challenging dark emotional reflective slow-paced

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

4.75

karenakorbin's review against another edition

Go to review page

challenging dark emotional funny inspiring reflective sad medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix

4.5

ntrodebe's review against another edition

Go to review page

5.0

**MAJOR SPOILERS**
3 brothers seem different in some ways, but are also similar in other ways. This book is about them. There's also a guy called Smerdyakov who is their half-brother, so a more apt title may have been Close Relative Karamazovs. It didn't detract from the book much.