The Brothers Karamazov (Everyman's Library)
 

The Brothers Karamazov

by Fyodor Dostoevsky

(Book Jacket Status: Jacketed)

Dostoevsky’s towering reputation as one of the handful of thinkers who forged the modern sensibility has sometimes obscured the purely novelistic virtues–brilliant characterizations, flair for suspense and melodrama, instinctive theatricality–that made his work so immensely popular in nineteenth-century Russia. The Brothers Karamazov, his last and... (read more)

Top tags: fictionclassicrussianrussian literatureliterature (all tags)

Readers

Groups

  • Russian & Soviet Literature Discussion Group
  • Russian Books Discussion Group
  • Book VS. Movie Discussion Group
  • What are you reading? Discussion Group
  • Punctuation for sticklers Discussion Group
  • TIME booklovers Discussion Group

Other Reviews

Amazon Reviews
 

Most Helpful Reviews

Liked It

2 of 2 members found this review helpful.
Bob H
  • Rated 5 stars

A great sprawling examination of the religious man (Aloysha - a Christ figure), the Slavic man of passion (Dmitri), and the western man of analysis (Ivan). It is filled with the great vignettes that make Dostoevsky an enthralling writer. The plot is less important than the transformation (or lack of it) experienced by the people. This is my favorite book.

Bob H’s full review »
more reviews »

Didn’t Like It

1 of 1 members found this review helpful.
amnbdad
  • Rated 2 stars

I was disappointed with this book. I loved Crime and Punishment and thought for certain that this novel (which the book jacket called Dostoevsky's crowning achievement) would be as good if not better. I was mistaken. My gripe with the story is that he so often veered from the story at hand to discuss his beliefs, I get that the brothers are representations of his different beliefs and how he's struggled with them, yet much of that discussion did not weigh on the outcome of the story. There...

amnbdad’s full review »
more reviews »
Community:
  • Rated 4.358541 stars
Amazon:
  • Rated 4.24 stars
 

Newest Comments

  • koopa matthew

    koopa matthew said:

    I think Ivan is my favorite character. I see myself in him more than any other character (flaws and all). Having said that, every character is so perfectly crafted that it's nearly impossible to choose a favorite. What a wonderful human exploration this book is.

    posted Sunday, August 3 2008
  • Ellis P

    ellis p said:

    I just finished this novel this evening and I am just floored with how great it is. I understand now why people have to read this multiple times. It is truly one of those books that will reward multiple reads for as long as one is willing to revisit it. Stunning, beautiful, and moving. There is so much thinking to do about this novel. Fantastic.

    posted Sunday, July 13 2008
  • Selina C

    selina c said:

    What is it about Russian literature? Dostoyevsky, Chekhov,Turgenev, Tolstoy..all brilliant..in terms of delinating character they just seem light years ahead of other nationalities or am I just generalising? Something in the air? The harsh winters giving them time to write and be introspective? The huge expanse of the country itself?

    posted Thursday, June 19 2008 ( | view 1 reply )
  • Teodora

    teodora said:

    I can't praise this book enough; it's actually one of those pieces of literature that has changed my view on things regading life and others. His characters are brilliantly crafted, everyone is so three-dimentional, so real and frighteningly easy to realte to. The book during with they interrogate Mitya is some of the most heart-breaking, intense, and incredibly real literature I've ever read. He is an incredible thinker with the ability to weave his philosophies into everyday life. Trully, a Russian genius and this is one of the greatest books in the world of literature.

    posted Thursday, June 19 2008
  • Clay W

    clay w said:

    Einstein proclaimed it to be one of, if not the, most important pieces of "modern" literature.

    Hard to beat that endorsement

    posted Friday, May 30 2008
© 2008 Shelfari, Inc. | Portions of Shelfari.com are Copyright © 1996-2008 Amazon.com, Inc. or its affiliates. Terms & Conditions | Privacy Policy | Copyright Policy