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Title: The Brothers Karamazov (Classics Collection) by Fyodor Dostoyevsky, Anthony Quayle ISBN: 1-57815-115-5 Publisher: Media Books Audio Publishing Pub. Date: 01 July, 1999 Format: Audio Cassette Volumes: 2 List Price(USD): $7.95 |
Average Customer Rating: 4.62 (190 reviews)
Rating: 5
Summary: The Brothers Screwed Up
Comment: there are numerous versions of this masterpiece. try to read a translation that is on your level because it would be a shame if one didn't truly appreciate and understand this book. the search for faith is an underlying theme: ivan repudiates god, alyosha is a man of god and dmitri after much suffering discovers god. we get to know these men after their depraved father is found murdered. during the investigation each person is scrutinized and the mystery unfolds until one brother is wrongly accused of the crime. at the end of the book, as in "crime & punishment", the sufferer becomes a new and better man. this novel has it all: family rivalry, parricide, mystery, an exciting trial and a somewhat positive ending. it sums up russia at the end of the 19th century and the major societal changes just over the horizon. read this book for it is a true classic.
Rating: 5
Summary: The meaning of life?
Comment: I recently read a book so amazing, so well-written, and so memorable that I simply must tell you about it. It's The Brothers Karamazov, by Fyodor Dostoyevsky. After reading another of Dostoyevsky's novels, Crime and Punishment, a while ago, and thoroughly loving it, I had to get this one, for I had heard it was his best work. And I can't disagree. To sum up the premise quickly, the novel takes place in Russia circa 1890, and tells the story of four brothers who become involved in the murder of their own father. That is the most basic summary of the plot I can give; but it doesn't even begin to give you an idea of the territory covered in this massive, sprawling novel. (Over 700 pages of great literature.) There are other things going on besides this murder, and eventually the novel is about so much more than this.
This novel has possibly some of the best characterization I've ever seen for any book, period. This is not an exaggeration. First, the four brothers are each given their own distinct personality and background (even though they are brothers they come from different pasts) and become some of the most developed, recognizable, and memorable characters I've ever encountered. In addition, the father is one of the most pathetic, funny, and evil characters in literature. But even then, Dostoyevsky does not stop. There are probably ten or fifteen secondary characters that appear a lot, and even more third-tier figures that don't have much time in the book but are still memorable. This is because whenever a new character is introduced, the author devotes at least a couple of full, developed passages telling the reader about the person, and reveals even more through the many conversations and speeches people have. Remarkably, there are never any repetetive characters. Dostoyevsky manages to create a new, unique, living, breathing person out of every character.
This is also one of the most thematically inclusive books I've ever read, one with such depth. Thanks to the incredible characters and well thought-out plot, the novel discusses a whole range of themes. Dostoyevsky must have been a philosopher or psychologist just as much as he was a writer. Through his characters he expounds on the idea that people have the uncanny ability to harbor opposite and contrasting values within themselves at the same time. Good and evil exist side by side in the hearts of men. Dostoyevsky also shows us that some people are never happy because they don't want to be, and that this fact makes them happy. As long as they are unhappy in their own way, they remain happy, even if they know it's not to their advantage.
Dostoyevsky was so ahead of his time with this novel- his deep knowledge of humanity is so evident. Years before Freud, he develops the idea of punishment as a way to alleviate guilt and love as a way to cure shame, or as he puts it, "self-laceration." He was probably one of the very first to fully implement into his characters the concept of the split personality. At one point, one of the characters has a conversation with his alter-ego, fully aware that he doesn't exist. It's so impressive, it really puts some modern stuff into perspective.
Death, love, forgiveness, immortality, religion, God, the Devil, all of these things are more than briefly touched upon in the course of this narrative. At one point, a character remarks, "I don't know whether God created Man or Man created God, but if the Devil exists, he was created in Man's image." In one chapter, Christ comes back to earth and is challenged and shunned by the religious community. The Devil himself even appears as a person to discuss philosophy and religion with one of the characters. When he's asked, "How are you able to take on human form?" the Devil replies, "Nothing human is beyond me." Powerful, chilling moments like these fill the book.
There are so many moments of pure, unfiltered humanity in this novel, it's as if the author's whole life is bleeding through in the pages. When he creates an evil character, we believe in him, and when he creates the opposite- a truly pure figure- we believe in him, as well. In fact, this book has one of the most believably good characters of all stories. Dostoyevsky plunges the depths of man's soul, and what he brings up is sometimes scary, sometimes beautiful. If there are any stories out there that can come close to showing us the meaning of life, The Brothers Karamazov is one of them.
Rating: 4
Summary: A review by a realist
Comment: I'd first like to correct an error from a previous review. The translator is not Constance Garnett; it is one Andrew MacAndrew (tragic name, I know), and the prose is snappy and completely understandable. I was surprised by how informal the writing was at times, and I think the translator probably captured the style, although I can't be sure because I don't know Russian. As for the actual book, the material presented, the characters developed and the themes explored, this book is really good. But not perfect.
It starts out wonderfully. Meeting the brothers, and that crazy father of theirs, is a joy. Hilarious, sometimes painfully awkward. The saga of Grueshenka and Katya is compelling, and the plight of our little boy Ilyusha is the best part of the book. Other parts of the novel are not so exciting. Like the entirity of Book VI, about the Elder Zosima. He tells us all about his life and his thoughts on the Bible, and how you should be nice to kids. If you are looking for a book to skip, this is it. Some of book XII is painful as well. We already know all about the theories of the murder, but we have to listen to both the prosecutor and defense attorney tell us about it from a psychological point of view. Important I know, because Dostoevsky was trying to say something about justice, about crime and punishment. But, all literary snobbery aside, it's boring. So chapters 6-13 in Book 12 can be optional if you're not interested in the nature of judgement.
The book also relies on excessive coincidence and unlikely circumstances. It can get pretty outlandish. But overall, an enjoyable read. Good characterization, and the conflicts and love between the brothers is fascinating to read about. The theories early on in the book about the existence of God are thought-provoking. You'll love that Alyosha, whether you are a believer or non-believer.
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Title: Crime and Punishment by Fyodor Dostoevsky, Constance Garnett ISBN: 0553211757 Publisher: Bantam Pub. Date: 01 June, 1984 List Price(USD): $6.99 |
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Title: The Idiot (Oxford World's Classics) by Fyodor Dostoyevsky, Alan Myers, Fyodor M. Dostoevsky ISBN: 0192834118 Publisher: Oxford University Press Pub. Date: May, 1998 List Price(USD): $7.95 |
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Title: War and Peace by Leo Tolstoy, Rosemary Edmonds ISBN: 0140444173 Publisher: Viking Press Pub. Date: October, 1982 List Price(USD): $13.95 |
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Title: Anna Karenina by Mona Simpson, Leo Tolstoy ISBN: 067978330X Publisher: Modern Library Pub. Date: 10 October, 2000 List Price(USD): $9.95 |
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Title: Notes from Underground by Fyodor Dostoevsky ISBN: 067973452X Publisher: Vintage Pub. Date: 30 August, 1994 List Price(USD): $10.95 |
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