Reviews with content warning for Antisemitism - Crime and Punishment

Jan Hansen (oversætteren) siger det selv i hans efterord, og han har helt ret i at Forbrydelse og Straf er en overraskende moderne roman. Selvfølgeligt er kvindesynet og det ud af det blå jødehad ikke noget der ville blive skrevet i dag (forhåbentligt), men tanken om hvad fattigdom gør ved et menneske og hvor uretfærdig rigdom er, burde der derimod skrives mere om i dag.

På mange måde handler denne roman, ja, om forbrydelse og straf. Men jeg vil argumentere for at den handler mindst lige så meget om fattigdom og rigdom.

Jeg brød mig meget mere om denne bog end jeg havde regnet med at jeg ville, men alligevel scorer den ikke så højt. For havde det ikke været en “klassiker”, som jeg havde udfordret mig selv til at læse inden sommerferien sluttede, havde jeg aldrig læst bogen færdig. Den er simpelthen så lang og kedelig.

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toffishay's review against another edition

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challenging dark emotional hopeful 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

4.0

What a meaty book. I am really in awe of how Dostoyevsky can maintain tension in a 560 page book! It is interesting how the structure of a book can really make or break it. If you are intimidated by the length, I would say take your time and let yourself enjoy it instead of feeling like you need to power through. I think that it was a smart choice to break the book into 6 parts, each of which have chapters, so you have natural breaks that serve the reading experience and the story. One drawback could be that because the book is so long, the back and forth that Raskolnikov goes through in his head can feel a little repetitive at times. But overall, I think it works well for establishing how conflicted he is as a character and how out of control he truly is as well.

Raskolnikov's descent is described in such a gripping way and although it is certainly commentary on the times that Dostoyevsky was writing in, I saw a lot of parallels to today. Raskolnikov is an angry young man who thinks he's so much better than everyone else and so much smarter. He thinks that he has a right to his crime and to the purpose that he thinks it will give him. He is living in a world of desolation and personal despair and lashes out at everyone around him. I couldn't help but think that with Raskolnikov's disdain for human life and desire to be better than those around him, that he would have been a mass shooter if he lived today. Seeking that notoriety and committing horrible acts in the process.

There is also very well-written commentary about relationships between men and women. There are women trapped in horrible relationships with men who continue to treat them badly and bring them low. (Katerina) Women are pushed into making difficult choices, that honestly aren't even choices, as a result of their poverty and their love of their families (Sofya). Women do everything they can to support the men in their lives and are given little to nothing in return (Dunya and Pulkheria). And all of the women in the novel are at the whim and will of men, but the novel is extremely sympathetic to them and is, primarily, on their side.

Vanity and pride are themes that are shown through many of the characters. Vanity is a driver of Raskolnikov's crime. It drives Katerina to embarrass herself publicly, putting herself in a worse physical and financial situation at every turn. Porfriy, the inspector, is driven by pride, at least in part, to find the perpetrator of the titular crime.

I was surprised by how much love and hope were themes of the book. It definitely addressed crime and punishment, depravity and isolation. But there are instances where people are saved by the love of those around them. Like, I closed the book and felt a little like there is hope even when you are at your lowest. That it is never too late to look yourself honestly in the face and commit to change.

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velokei's review against another edition

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challenging dark mysterious reflective tense 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

4.0

I finally finished this after a year 😭😭 I’m so happy that I managed it. I’m glad I had the experience of reading it but wow it was a lot and I don’t know if I’d recommend it

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nakednames's review against another edition

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challenging dark emotional hopeful reflective sad slow-paced

5.0

i love you rodion romanovich raskolnikov

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imrath's review against another edition

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dark reflective tense slow-paced

5.0

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cookhu_'s review against another edition

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dark 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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al07734's review against another edition

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3.75

This was a very good book. The middle section has a lot of political commentary and domestic melodrama I didn't really care for. Also the book is constructed to be like 75% dialogue. Russian names also are somewhat confusing but in the end this is a classic for a reason.

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oceanwriter's review

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dark reflective tense 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

1.5

I know this is a classic and hailed as a great literary achievement… but I just wasn’t feeling it.

Raskolnikov murders two women, hailing himself a hero. He believes the world will be a better place, even though things hadn't gone according to plan. As time goes on, deep-seated guilt slowly takes him over, especially as suspicion arises.

For a book nearly 700 pages long, there isn't a lot of action or much of anything interesting in general. Maybe it was profound for its time, but I found it painfully boring compared to other books with similar themes. Part one was promising enough but then the rest of the book droned on. It just wasn't for me.

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