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A review by obtuseblues
The Brothers Karamazov by Fyodor Dostoevsky
4.0
i was entirely too excited to read this after the building up of so much anticipation of seeing snippets and hearing praise for this book, especially this translated version. i think my expectations were high and a little misguided. i figured it would be more exciting and involved in the plot of parricide than it was. instead, like most russian authors, ends up being a thinly veiled social commentary on class and politics of the time, which is all well and good, but not what i was really expecting.
the timeline of this story is so insane because the first few books occur over 3ish days and then there's the murder and trial. dostoevsky is nothing if not thorough. that is to say, the version i read is almost 800 pages, and definitely a more slow-paced book. he really goes through the events of the three initial days meticulously, building tension and dynamics plot-wise, and also molding our characters into whole persons. ultimately, they end up being almost archetypes in way, but still afforded complexity and dimensionality that allows for investment and complicated feelings towards them and their actions. i don't know how i feel about his women characters. the most interesting one by far is liza, but she's afforded a more minor role amidst grushenka and katerina. i loved (the first half of) liza's unbecoming in the presence of alyosha. she really embodied insane girl energy. but then she goes off to a point i no longer enjoy and then is not mentioned thereafter, sadly.
perhaps this is might be a controversial opinion, but as much as i did like alyosha, i liked dmitri much more, despite his stupidity. he had an earnestness paired with passion that really made me believe in his convictions. alyosha as our protagonist is rightfully so, serving as the utmost pious, kind, compassionate moral compass. yet, that made him a little boring, no? ivan was okay. he became his most interesting in his moments of madness. smerdyakov proved to be an intriguing and cunning sort that i almost wish we could spend more time in his life to really know him as the fourth and illegitimate karamazov brother. the bits of ilyusha and kolya were so endearing and feel so important now, looking back, even though they weren't conferred that significance by me as i read it.
i'm glad the foreword mentioned that this was originally published periodically in a paper or journal. the format, pacing, and framing makes much more sense in that context. i thought it was so interesting that we accompany dmitri on his murderous journey, fully equipped with all of the details of the feat, and then are presented with the interrogation and trial. the book is so long that i found myself referring back to the section of the murder to confirm if the litigators' arguments held up, if dmitri's framing really happened. it was such an interesting case of cognitive dissonance, creating an insane liminal space within this book.
masterful. timeless. fascinating. thought-provoking. i will revisit this one day.
the timeline of this story is so insane because the first few books occur over 3ish days and then there's the murder and trial. dostoevsky is nothing if not thorough. that is to say, the version i read is almost 800 pages, and definitely a more slow-paced book. he really goes through the events of the three initial days meticulously, building tension and dynamics plot-wise, and also molding our characters into whole persons. ultimately, they end up being almost archetypes in way, but still afforded complexity and dimensionality that allows for investment and complicated feelings towards them and their actions. i don't know how i feel about his women characters. the most interesting one by far is liza, but she's afforded a more minor role amidst grushenka and katerina. i loved (the first half of) liza's unbecoming in the presence of alyosha. she really embodied insane girl energy. but then she goes off to a point i no longer enjoy and then is not mentioned thereafter, sadly.
perhaps this is might be a controversial opinion, but as much as i did like alyosha, i liked dmitri much more, despite his stupidity. he had an earnestness paired with passion that really made me believe in his convictions. alyosha as our protagonist is rightfully so, serving as the utmost pious, kind, compassionate moral compass. yet, that made him a little boring, no? ivan was okay. he became his most interesting in his moments of madness. smerdyakov proved to be an intriguing and cunning sort that i almost wish we could spend more time in his life to really know him as the fourth and illegitimate karamazov brother. the bits of ilyusha and kolya were so endearing and feel so important now, looking back, even though they weren't conferred that significance by me as i read it.
i'm glad the foreword mentioned that this was originally published periodically in a paper or journal. the format, pacing, and framing makes much more sense in that context. i thought it was so interesting that we accompany dmitri on his murderous journey, fully equipped with all of the details of the feat, and then are presented with the interrogation and trial. the book is so long that i found myself referring back to the section of the murder to confirm if the litigators' arguments held up, if dmitri's framing really happened. it was such an interesting case of cognitive dissonance, creating an insane liminal space within this book.
masterful. timeless. fascinating. thought-provoking. i will revisit this one day.