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Summary: Readers will at once empathize and despise lead character.
Review: What's most fascinating about Crime and Punishment that I have not read in the other reviews here is that Dostoyevski has the incredible ability to make the reader feel true empathy for the main character while simultaneously experiencing disgust, pitty and at times extreme frustration. The setting is bleak beyond reality, yet the author creates a a world in which the reader can smell the the dank, desperation of alcoholics, lost souls, and those who have completely given up hope, yet accept their lot in life without taking recourse against their oppressors, except,of course, R. The late 1800s in Russia was a very harsh, lonely and fearful place to live. In light of the tragic life that Dostoyevski himself lived, this work of art all the more important. In many ways he's been in R.'s shoes.
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Summary: words cannot express the greatness
Review: This book is greater than almost any other I have read. The characters are deep and believable and the storyline is easy to follow. HIGHEST RECOMMENDATION!!!!!
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Summary: Immaculate Perception
Review: Only after the dust settled did my psyche follow suit. This masterpiece delves into every sentient sphere: at once prompting laughter, commiseration, and angst. Had I not read it, I would be at considerable loss in ever grasping what it means to eat oneself alive.
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Summary: Dark and Compelling
Review: This is a heart-wrenching novel about a man lost in his own theories. As a Napoleon, a superior to those "ordinary fools", he feels he has the right and motive to kill an old woman money-lender and free himself from poverty. The hideous guilt that builds up and somewhat destroys the young man's soul creats a web of intimacy and tension. This novel haunts and disturbs. How can a murder be justifiable? This one is. If you're a sensitive and easily frustrated person, I do no recommend this book to you. Dostoyevesky's depiction of this murder from the opening pages thrills the reader to a somewhat unbearable degree.
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Summary: Mind boggling
Review: In this book Dostoyefsky actually mananges to get into the mind of a man who is slowly going mad. As he examines his personal philosophies and how they clash with his conscience, you are given such an astonishing view of this mans tormented thoughts---sometimes it makes you want to scream out loud as you suffer with him in his indecision. Most of the action is internal and will prbably seem boring to those who favor action.
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Summary: The guy before me got it ALMOST right
Review: Impossible to read even once. Lessons this book teaches us: "You are not superiour to other people, do not kill other people, God is the answer to all your problems" Good. now let's go after some teletabbies.
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Summary: Impossible to read more than once
Review: This book plunges one into the depths of despair, making one realize how colourful one's own life really is. To be Raskalnikov would be like living in hell. Dostoyevsky is a genius, capable of so skillfully exploring the human physche.
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Summary: Natural laws in the novel
Review: Raskolnikov was looking for the proof of the moral law, but he couldn't understand that the moral law DIDN'T NEED any proof. This is the law of consience. This is the law of God.
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Summary: Consciousness and Redemption
Review: In Crime and Punishment, Dostoevsky takes human consciousness into the realm of murderous action, a masterful vision told with a richness of language that has no equal in all of literature. As in his other work, he expounds upon the contemplation of his characters; however, the reader is now presented with a man who acts upon his convictions. Like Joseph Conrad's Colonel Kurtz, Raskolnikov's soul is plunged into darkness, a mental anguish that serves as his true punishment. But the most striking theme is one of redemption, brought about through the grace and compassion of a prostitute, an earthly angel. It is here that the genius of the novel lies, in the mystic realism that finds salvation in the depths of depravity. It is disturbing that such a prolific novel should be looked down upon simply because it is seen as boring or "fit only for the intellectual." The length of the book serves to expand upon the thoughts of the character. We live in a world where sound bytes have become our sense of the world. If something can't be read in a night or compressed into a downloadable file, we quickly disregard it. True, Crime and Punishment is both long and dense, but every word is necessary. This book was not written for the intellectual classes, but rather for the masses of nineteenth century Russia. During his lifetime, Dostoevsky was not only a great writer, but a successful one as well. His most vital characters come from the lower classes of his society. Prostitutes, servants, and drunkards all make up his mysticism, representing every aspect of the human condition.
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Summary: The other side of the Superman.
Review: Are some people superior to other people? Dostoevsky's protagonist, Raskolnikov, believes so. In fact, Raskolnikov believes that he is one of these superior people, and he further believes that his superiority frees him from the laws that govern his weak and inferior fellows. Raskolnikov tests the strength of his belief by relieving an "inferior" human being of her life and money. This is the point where the real story begins. Crime and Punishment is a brilliant story of choices and consequences, of taking an idea to its extreme and seeing what happens on the other side. People who believe they are superior to others would do well to read this book and explore the ultimate meaning of such a position. I read Crime and Punishment once every five years just to balance my heart and mind. I heartily recommend it!
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