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: Call Me Braxton Bragg
Review: I read this book in one sitting and thought I'd brag about it to a wide-scale audience
Rating:
Summary: Really dives into the human conscience.
Review: This book really shows how the human mind works. The main character slowly drives himself mad.
Rating: 
Summary: I hated it!
Review: I felt like my crime was buying the book and my punishment was reading it. I bailed out mid-way when I could no longer ignore that the characters constantly reminded me of the "two wild and crazy guys" from Saturday Night Live. The idea for the book was good but, at least to me, the characters were idiotic and boring. Given the acclaim and popularity of this book, I'm sure that my opinion is in the minority, if not altogether alone.
Rating:
Summary: an outstanding example of understanding personality
Review: You know, for years I avoided Dostoevsky. What had I heard about this guy, this looney, Christian fanatic that some pompous jerk in a university somewhere anonymous proclaimed as, "The greatest author--ever"? Hell, I'm an American and we got our pride, right? So everything I knew about Dostoevsky is that he wrote long books that dissect every minute detail of every character, no matter how small. Sounds dull, right? But this book (and all the others I have thus far read: The Brothers Karamozov, Notes From Underground, The Idiot, The Eternal Husband--the list goes on, but I'll spare you) is formed by the plot, by the actions and activities of its so dissected characters. Crime and Punishment is the rare book when we, the reader, can truly understand the character. We see the germ of a thought forming and how this affects Raskolikov, how he acts on it and the consequences for him personally, both physically and, moreso, emotionally. Dostoevsky had initially planned this novel as a shorter work (perhaps half its length), a chronicle of the psychological ramifications of a crime. He succeeded with this probably better than he had set out to do (though of this I can't be sure--I've heard Fyodor was a tremendously arrogant guy). So here, take this, pick it up, buy it right now. It is not some lofty, unaccessable work of 'high art' (although it is a work of art), but a slam-bang, thrilling, action-packed study of a crazy guy getting crazier until he finally gets sane, understanding himself, what he's done and why. Also, the translation by Richard Pevear and Larissa Volokhonsky is wonderful, far more lucid than the still good but dated version by Constance Garnett.
Rating: 
Summary: Good book, but hard to read.
Review: Having tried to repeadetly to read this book, I found it somewhat hard to get into at first. However, after I trudged my way into it, I found it very intriguing and facinating.
Rating: 
Summary: This book will survive as long as people are able to read it
Review: "So probably men led to execution clutch mentally at every object that meets them on the way." This one quote is in essence Raskolnikov. From his first murderous thought, he plows into a downward spiral of insanity until his own will fails and his psyche is split wide and left for the proverbial vultures to chew and devour apart. This book escalates from nothing into a double-murder, then back down to the farthest corner of a mind's guilt-consuming reality.
Rating:
Summary: The best book I ever read...
Review: Crime and Punishment was by far and away the best book I ever read in High School. Raskolnikov is perhaps the most fascinating character in any novel of the last few hundred years. One of the few books that will leave you pondering its implications for years after you are finished.
Rating:
Summary: One of the greatest books of all times
Review: Crime and punishment is one of the most engrossing books i have ever read. Anyone who claims the book is "boring" "to slow" "lacks plot" "sucks" "etc", surely read a different book than I did. With that said...buy this book.
Rating:
Summary: Great Book!
Review: The book, Crime and Punishment, is truly a classic. The story revolves around an intelligent young man by the name of Rodion Raskolnikov. The author, Fyodor Dostoevsky, explores the young man's mind as he contemplates the idea of murder and the aftermath of committing the horrendous crime. Although I was a bit intimidated by the size of the book, it was worth the read.
| 
