Crime and Punishment (Classic Fiction)

Rating:
Summary: philosophically justified murder
Review: A desperate, penniless student named Raskolnikov kills an old woman in her apartment for her money. Before he commits the crime, he justifies his evil plan by reasoning that she is merely a dispicable, greedy, old pawnbroker and he sees no immorality in the deed, he believes the world will be better off without her. Raskolnikov gets away with it, but he then becomes consumed with feelings of guilt which won't leave him alone. This plunges him into a hell of self-persecution, madness and terror. He goes out of his way to allow himself to be interrogated by police. Eventually, he feels a compulsive need to confess his crime, as if to ease his conscience. This classic tale will show you the depths of the criminal mind, exposing the soul of a man who is not a villain but a man possessed of both good and evil just like the rest of us, but who through poverty-stricken desperation and a selfish nihilistic personal philosophy decides to act out on his darkest impulse. Ultimately he must face the consequences of his actions. A striking and memorable morality tale.

David Rehak
author of "A Young Girl's Crimes"

Rating:
Summary: A must read
Review: I have read this book and I think its very good and a must read for everybody. It has everything, philosophy, character development, a rich language, and a very interesting story.
The writer explores the psychology of a criminal mind, his feeling, the way he thinks and how later he repents about the crime.
Raskolnikov a very poor law student away from school for financial reasons decides to commit a crime. Dostoyevsky does a very good job in developing his caracter. In the beggining Raskolnikov thinks that in the world are two kind of people. The ordinary people and the extraordinary. The latest are the kind of people that have the "right" to commit crimes in order to walk forward, grow in ther career or do something that is very good for the society, like Napoleon etc. The ordinary people dont have the right to commit crimes they are under the law. He thinks that commiting this crime will serve to the society, but later on as the story goes we see Raskolnikov change. This by several factors, his love for Sonia, his mother and Sister.
We see some other characters in the novels that aren't criminals like Luzhin but we dont have any sympathy for them.
In the end Raskolnikov change his mind, He starts to understand that he was not "Napoleon" or extraordinary and in order to be releaved and start a new life he needs to be "Punished".
Very good book I would suggest everybody to read it.

Rating:
Summary: Excellent Psycological Thriller!
Review: This book was written in 1865-1866 and shows the dark side of the human psyche. A young man (Rodion) commits a horrible, disgusting crime for two main reasons: 1) He believes that he is above the rest of humanity and that it is "permissible" for him to commit murder and 2) He believes he will be doing society a huge favor by getting rid of this old woman. He murders the old woman and is overcome with grief and guilt, although he doesn't recognize them as such. He is angry about these feelings because, as a superior human being (which is believes he really is), he shouldn't be having these kinds of emotions. The novel continues through his emotional hell and finally, at the end, his redemption through the love of a young woman. The details of this novel are incredible and, in my opinion, far surpass those found in the thriller novels of today. Dostoyevsky has a style that has yet to be equalled. This is not a "quick and easy" read, it is a somewhat heavy read, but it is (in my opinion) worth every minute of the reader's time!

Rating:
Summary: Great Novel -- Fantastic Translation
Review: This novel is probably Dostoevsky's most readable. It deals with the same heavy subjects as Brothers Karamozov and Devils but somehow makes them more accessible.

The story line is rather simple: a young student, bored with his existence and questioning the nature (indeed the very existence) of good and evil, decides to engage in the ultimate test -- he'll commit the perfect murder and won't get caught. If he doesn't get caught, he won't get punished. If he doesn't get punished, then he will prove there is no good or evil.

Many of the scenes in this book are harrowing. The murder scene is beyond intense. Contrary to one of the other reviewers, I read the chapter to some friends when the movie we rented while on a ski vacation turned out to be a dud. They were all riveted, and stopped making fun of me for reading it.

My own preference would be to skip the Epilogue. Its religious, sappy-sweet wrap-up is unnecessary and demeans the book.

Make sure to read the Pevear/Volkhonsy translation. They really know what they are doing, and the footnotes provide needed context and information.

In short, if O.J. read this book he'd probably be driven to confess.

Rating:
Summary: A pretty interesting read
Review: This was the 2nd book by Dostoevsky that I've read, well, kind of. About a year ago I started reading The Idiot, but I found that pretty boring and didn't even finish it, but it was a very different case with Crime and Punishment. This book tells the story of a man named Raskolinov who decides to kill an old pawnbroker, justifying his actions by reasoning that the death of this miserable old woman will be better for society. Anyway, it's pretty interesting seeing how the main character behaves throughout the book. Besides the main character, there is an interesting supporting cast such as his friend, his mother and sister, and a family he helps which includes a prostitute he befriends. There are subplots concerning these characters which are interesting and in other novels these subplots would maybe be distracting and bog the novel down, but I think they're pretty interesting in Crime and Punishment and if it weren't for them, the book would be a lot shorter. Also, Dostoevsky does a good job bringing life to every character. I found it pretty easy to distinguish each character and I had a vivid image of what they're like. In reading this book, it wouldn't hurt to know something about Russian ideas and such in the 19th century, but I certainly wouldn't say it's necessary. Reading the novel, despite Raskolinov's plot of murder, I found that I couldn't help liking the character and wanting things to work out for him. For the most part, he seemed like an educated and caring man. I think this novel provides an interesting look into the way in which one's conscience can practically drive a person mad, as it often does with the main character. Although the character is about Russian people in Russia, I don't think that made the story any less interesting as the theme of the novel had much more to do with human nature and little to do with the fact that the characters are Russian. I think most people will find characters and feelings in this book that they can relate to. Overall, I think this book is worth the read. I'm glad I read it and I think it's a pretty good book.

Rating:
Summary: One of the greatest books I ever read
Review: You can debate the philosophical and spiritual implications of this book until the cows come home, but that leaves you with a tendency to neglect the amazing entertainment value of this exquisite novel.

It manages to have the deep and powerful sweep of Dickens or Hugo, but without ever becoming dull or slowing its pace in the slightest. The dialogue is witty, sharp, emotionally powerful and very revealing of the characters' personality, and the characters...oh, the characters!

You have the unequalled honest, warm charm and amazing wit of Razumikhin. You've got the fascinating loathsome Peter Luzhin, and that devious, pervasive, terrifying embodiment of retribution Porfiry Petrovich. You've got Luzhin's hilarious communist roommate, whose name is absurdly long and complex even by Russian standards, and the tragic alcoholic clerk Marmeladov. You've got poor, tragic, half-crazed Svidrigailov (my single favorite character in the entire book), the deep, pious, passionate prostitute Sonia...and of course, Raskolnikov himself, the quintessential human being. He's a bit comparable of Hugo's Valjean, except more flawed and far more realistic.

The book is one of the very best I've ever been exposed to. For those of you afraid of getting into so heavy and powerful a novel, let me tell you that for something this deep and rewarding, it is an amazingly easy and gripping read. Don't be afraid...just get the book. You won't be disappointed.