Crime and Punishment

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Summary: A pace thrilling read to no end.
Review: Dark works of art that dissect & consciously contemplate the spaceless universe of the mind are bound to strike the most inherent interest in any individual that has the depth of a soul.What makes this masterpiece reward the readers zest of curiosity is the near accuracy of its foundations & the plot that brilliantly weaves from it.The atmosphere is tense throughout,& even in moments of Raskolnikov's quiet contemplation an eerie sense of relief pervades through like a public park sullen & silent in dismal gray after a showerstorm.The characters truly have a life of their own,characters who are real in every motion & thought which the prose breathes into in spellbinding accuracy.The scene where Raskolnikov dreams of a horse being brutally murdered by a bunch of drunks & jeered by the town square with the horse struggling for life step by step,inching for dear life oblivious to every blow which weakens his battered but undampened spirit slowly laying on the mud of his acceptance is one of the most moving & dramatic portrayals of realism in all of literature which left me to countless tears unable to restrain.This has been one of the best books I have ever read,just as thrilling & exciting as the "Godfather" but more profound,& the final scene presents solemn redemption to a life that has been simply denied of such.

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Summary: Imprisoned
Review: I read "Crime and Punishment" expecting a harrowing tale of the punishment experienced by the author during his time in prison. What I found was a tortured man limited by his eloquence. He writes of his suffering for the entirety of the work, but that's all it is, writing. The plight of this man seems old and stale. But there was merit in the book. It revealed tortures, that although unthought of, nevertheless existed in those circumstances. It opens the eyes of the reader to the multitude of madness the human spirit can endure.

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Summary: Simply the best novel ever written.
Review: You can tell a lot about a person by asking them what their favorite book is. I think most of us choose a book in which the protaganist reminds us of ourselves. Raskolnikov's experience of life was so similar to mine that I was swept away completely the first time I read Crime and Punishment. Intellectual vanity, alienation and isolation, do lead to a kind of madness. Although I cannot ascribe to Dostoevsky's political conservatism, his ideas regarding the necessity of suffering for salvation are totally convincing. The sweetness of Raskolnikov's eventual salvation through Sonya is in my opinion the pinnacle of literary romance.

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Summary: A book with a message that will stimulate your conscience
Review: This book is about one important question that all of us should ask: Can a human life (no matter how "worthless") be sacrificed for some noble ideal? Raskolnikov learns the answer through a very painful process. I've read this book two years ago, and Dostoyevsky became one of my favourite authors. Since then, I read almost all the rest of his work and it seems to me that together they form one big universe of thought and feelings. It is so wide, I find it almost impossible for a reader to fully penetrate his universe. When a reader gets there through his works, there is one thing to be seen: unlimited sincerety. Dostoyevsky doesn't hide himself from the reader and many things he wrote are parallel to his own painful life.

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Summary: A book for All
Review: Quite possibly the best book I have ever read. Its sadness and spirit comes through vividly in all but the thickest translations, and it never slows down, emotionally or intellectually. It was said that "if your favorite author is Stephen King or John Grisham then skip this book" Nonsense! It is accessible and exciting. A book everyone should read. Enjoy it like I did

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Summary: G. Gordon Liddy? Not Raskolnikov.
Review: The poor boy lacked the intestinal fortitude to live with his actions. The book is typical of the excellent 19th Century Russian abilty to create interesting, larger than life characters and a good plot. To me, this book was a look at Napoleon, another 19th Century Russian obsession. Raskolnikov is the Russian Napoleon. He is not the average man, but a young demi-god who has the right to take his just desserts. However, unlike Napoleon he cannot bring the moral reality into line with the intellectual superiority. In classic Russian fashion he second guesses his actions and questions his right to take action at all (after having committed the act, naturally). The subject matter and the writing all come together to make this book what it is recognized to be - a classic

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Summary: Dostoevski's best book
Review: This is Dostoevski's greatest masterpiece. Supposedly, he was in a prison camp lying on a bunk serving time for fostering radical ideas against the Russian regime when the idea came to him. If your favorite author is John Grisham or Stephen King, you should skip it, because the ideas presented are so deep and masterful, you must peel the layers off each character slowly and painfully to fully understand and comprehend the vision Dostoevski was trying to convey. Crime and Punishment is the one book of Dostoevski's which is different from his other four big novels. In the Possessed, Brothers Karamozov, Idiot, and Raw Youth, Dostoevski usually presents his structure very much like a play. He introduces his characters and like the end of a first act, he has them come together in one room and something dramatic happens, whether it is Natasha throwing money in the fire, or Stavrogin getting slapped in the face. Crime and Punishment does not follow his usual form. The drama occurs in the very first chapters and the rest unfolds itself through that one act. This is a book of religious affirmation, don't forget that when reading, and Dostoevski makes a personal statement at the end which should not be brushed off. The story is thrilling and intellectual, but it's up to you, the reader, to make it so, because the book itself can't do it. It's you actively thinking about the various ideas presented that will create the images needed to absorb the brilliance you keep hearing about.

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Summary: Great Translation
Review: Woody Allen had made the following remark: "Ready Dostoyevsky is like having a full meal" I cannot agree more. This translation by Pevear and Volokhonsky is as close to the origianl Russian as one could ever find. While other translations offer the text in English, this version gives one the full flavor of the writing. The characters come to life and the words by Dostoevsky himself show his true mastery as a writer. I found this book riveting and difficult to put down. When Raskolnikov commits his crime I felt as if I was right there--my pulse was actually racing. This translation has made me hunger for more works by this writer. Thanks to Pevear and Volokhonsy's for taking the tedium out of reading Dostoevsky that the other, boring translations had done. They breathed incredible life into his work. Excellent. Excellent. Excellent.

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Summary: Wonderful book that everybody should read!!!!!
Review: This is THE BEST book I've ever read. Dostoevsky is a genius, he describes the feelings and emotions of his characters in such way, it makes his readers actually go through what his characters are going through. I would recommend everyone to read this wonderfull book!!!

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Summary: Well Translated, My favorite.
Review: When I picked up this book, I thought, "This is going to bite." The more I read, the more I began to enjoy the plot and cast of characters. It is a work of art in my mind and a must read for anyone who is interested in the mind and depression. The main character, Raskolnikov, is a depressed individual who beleives he can transend moral law. Dostoyevsky's use of symbols and character development flesh out the several themes of the book, namely the ideas of sacrifice and peity. It is my favorite book, and I beleive I am not alone. Pick this book up, you won't want to put it down