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A review by purplegrape
The Karamazov Brothers by Fyodor Dostoevsky
challenging
reflective
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
3.75 ⭐ Started: July 1, 2024. Ended: July 23, 2024.
The Brothers Karamazov follows a family partial to debauchery. Terribly human characters grow further apart and closer together in a tale both wholesome and horrific (the dichotomy of a Karamazov). Is he guilty? Is it but one large romance? The verdict is in, but is it just?
This is the longest I have ever spent on one novel. I lived with it for three weeks, and it will continue to live with me. The characters are horribly interesting and interestingly horrible people. Their thoughts and actions never fail to confound me, yet somehow I understand.
The philosophy was fascinating when it wasn't preachy. Dostoevsky is masterful in his portrayal of diverse perspectives and individuals. Everyone is flawed, everyone is beautiful (Alyosha most of all).
Reading this novel (especially part 4) was definitely an experience. I cried. I gasped out loud. Sometimes I could not look away from the page, and others I had to put the book down. Dostoevsky sets up questions that satisfy the soul when answered.
For me, the Wisp of Tow subplot was the highlight of the novel. The children have my whole heart. Alyosha is a better man than I could ever be, and he deserves everything good this world has to offer.
I belatedly realized that I never found out who the narrator was :(
The Brothers Karamazov follows a family partial to debauchery. Terribly human characters grow further apart and closer together in a tale both wholesome and horrific (the dichotomy of a Karamazov). Is he guilty? Is it but one large romance? The verdict is in, but is it just?
This is the longest I have ever spent on one novel. I lived with it for three weeks, and it will continue to live with me. The characters are horribly interesting and interestingly horrible people. Their thoughts and actions never fail to confound me, yet somehow I understand.
The philosophy was fascinating when it wasn't preachy. Dostoevsky is masterful in his portrayal of diverse perspectives and individuals. Everyone is flawed, everyone is beautiful (Alyosha most of all).
Reading this novel (especially part 4) was definitely an experience. I cried. I gasped out loud. Sometimes I could not look away from the page, and others I had to put the book down. Dostoevsky sets up questions that satisfy the soul when answered.
For me, the Wisp of Tow subplot was the highlight of the novel. The children have my whole heart. Alyosha is a better man than I could ever be, and he deserves everything good this world has to offer.
I belatedly realized that I never found out who the narrator was :(