Rating: 
Summary: Complex novel that examines human themes
Review: Dostoyevsky's The Brothers Karamazov is one of the best novels I've ever read. I had to read this book for one of my literature classes in college, and first looked at the 900 odd pages with disdain like many who were "required" to read something would. Although this is not a novel that one immediately gets into, the depth of the novel becomes a gripping event to witness.The detail of the four brothers and the Karamazov family is well constructed and outlined in the beginning chapters. As we move on, what makes the novel a great work is the mystery that we must uncover about the death of Fyodor Karamazov and what roles the 4 brothers played in it. Also, the debate over good and evil is constantly addressed through Aloysha, the "good" son, (one of the Karamazov brothers and probably considered the main character)in his questions to his brother and his asking for advice from the elders and priests. What makes the work impressive is that although the four brothers are different in personality, there is a parallel between them in that they must deal with their father's "foolishness" and are all involved in the his death. This novel, although long in duration, is quite impressive in expressing many outlets and themes. Good vs evil, family relationships, conflicts between life and death, murder, and faith to others are among some of the major subjects in this novel. I recommend this book to anyone who wants to read a book that deals with the aspect of the human experience and what we all endure spiritually-- conflicts of life.
Rating:
Summary: Best of the best
Review: I was completely undone by this book and actually read it three times in the space of a few months. Just about every philosophical, political and spiritual idea that has preoccupied mankind for the past 100 years (and even before that) gets an airing. Dostoevsky presents his own beliefs with great conviction yet presents the opposing arguments with almost as much conviction. The character of Alyosha is one of the most beautiful in literature and actually taught me more about the concept of Grace than any other "Christian" or "religious" book.
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Summary: Russian Gen Xers Looking for Love
Review: This recent Russian novel has lately been getting a lot of attention in America following the release of The Brothers McMullen, an American movie based upon the book. With all of the hype surrounding the film, this new English translation should propel Dostoevky's work to the bestseller list and may even become one of Oprah's new favorites! The story focuses on three Gen X brothers, Dmitry, Alexi and Ivan, coming to terms with relationships and careers in the ironic and apathetic late-90s. Dmitry is the party kid, recklessly drinking and gambling and picking up loose women. His character is clearly inspired by the anti-heroes of Jay McInernery and Bret Easton Ellis. Then there's the thoughtful college student Ivan. He is wracked with indecision as he finds that his philosophy courses have only prepared him for jobs at the local Safeway. The youngest, Alexi, is the good kid - a former altar boy with a big heart and an eye for good deeds. He becomes increasingly frustrated when he finds that girls don't always go for nice boys. The three brother's lives are all impacted by their troubled relationship with their foolhardy and negligent father. Having lost two wives, his role as a single parent is compromised by excessive drinking and disorderliness. Their troubled household is clearly inspired by some of the seminal writings of S. E. Hinton. When the father unexpectedly dies, the plot takes a 180 degree turn and we suddenly find ourselves in an intense Law & Order style courtroom drama. Look out O.J.! Solving this crazy whodunit becomes a real brain twister. Lovers of teen drama and mystery novels alike will have to exercise considerable restraint to avoid sneaking a peek at the surprise ending!
Rating: 
Summary: Dostoevsky's, well, masterpiece.
Review: Doestoevsky, the darkly brooding Russian writes a joyous (and sad) brilliant novel. He is, however, a terrible stylist, un-artistic to a fault. His ideas are profound, but so is Kant (which puts some, nay just about all, to sleep). On top of that, he is a mysogynist, an anti-semite, and a xenophobe. Nabokov wouldn't put him in a Russian anthology. I both loathe and enjoy Dostoevsky, but I can't recommend this novel to anyone. It gets five stars for philosophical content and negative two for artistically inept and prejudiced.
Rating:
Summary: Delicious
Review: In Dostoyevsky the reader will find viewpoints into the essential questions of life. Like all the best things, you have to work for it, as these books are mammoths. Yet they do not meant to be gnawed through... The prose and plot are beautiful, and this, upon reading it the first time, is a book I know I'll come back to again and again. Most of the 400,000 books published each year are not worth carefully reading even once; many fewer than 1,000 each year are worth reading more than once. When, infrequently in any century, a great book does appear, it is a book worth reading again and again and again. It is inexhaustibly rereadable. It cannot be fully understood on one, two, or three readings. More is to be found on all subsequent readings. The Brothers Kamarazov is one of the world's greatest novels, much like other works by the great Russian masters, ie., Crime And Punishment, War And Peace, Dead Souls and Anna Karerina. I will not attempt to give an overview of the plot, since the reader deserves the opportunity to discover it themselves. Dostoyevsky was always pondering the existence of God, and this work provides a fascinating two-sided argument into it. This aspect alone makes it a worthwhile read for any individual looking to sort out the question of a higher spiritual being. Finally, if I may suggest, do not borrow this book from a library or a friend. It deserves a place on your shelf, since you will come back to it, or at least selected passages, again and again. Life is too short for most books. Put the effort into this masterpiece and be rewarded...
Rating:
Summary: Superlative
Review: Dostoyevsky has been called the greatest novelist ever. His countryman, Lev Nikolayevich Tolstoy, might have something to say about that but it is certainly not very far from the truth. "The Brothers Karamazov" is Dostoyevsky's greatest book. "The Grand Inquisitor" is quite simply the greatest single chapter of ANY book. It is hard to describe The Brothers K in so short a space. Very simply put, there is a depth of spiritual and psychological analysis in this book that is unparalleled. D. poured himself into this novel. Both his spiritual agonizings and philosophical intellectualizing are presented in this novel. There is very little point in summarizing the plot because that wouldn't really convey much. Please read To understand the depth of Dostoyevsky's genious, one only has to read it next to a more modern book. The modern book will almost surely seem weak and pale in comparison. I do not know of another book that is its equal.
I actually read this book in Omsk, the city in Siberia where D. was exiled, and on the Trans-Siberian railroad. It was an amazing experience. This novel will exhaust you emotionally and intellectually but it will also stretch you in a remarkable way.
Rating:
Summary: punch
Review: this is the type of book that can change a persons life. every character has absolute depth. the gravity of the story is inescapable, and the psychological mastery of the author come into full view within the context of the questions explored (theodicy, the existence of God, nihilism, etc.).
two characters in particular will always remain vivid within my imagination: father zosima and alyosha. ivan, the brilliant atheist who wants to believe in God so bad that it literally drives him insane, will always have my deepest sympathies. locating the meaning of life within the existential affirmation of faith in Christ, with the beauty of life and existence serving as the practical answer to lifes difficult questions, dostoyevsky confronts the existential dilemma of man head on, and gives an answer that even to this day few have surpassed.
highly recommended.
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Summary: Beauty/ Horrah for Karamazov!
Review: The reason we keep on living is to experience beauty. The Brothers Karamazov is perhaps the most beautiful novel I have ever read. Ok, no perhaps about it. This book transcends any and all borders of literature; it penetrates the deepest regions of your soul. When you read Koyla's final exclamation, "Horrah for Karamazov!" it suddenly all comes together in the most beautiful and emotional climax one can imagine. The Karamazov's represent mankind in its various aspects (its indulgence, its skepticism, and in Alyosha, the tiny spark of faith and love that can be found at its heart). "Horrah for Karamazov!" means "Horrah for mankind!" Through that small spark of love and hope from the humble Alyoshas of the world, all that's shallow and evil in our nature can be redeemed for and forgotten; mankind can be something to rejoice over. Horrah for Karamazov!
Rating:
Summary: brothers gonna work it out
Review: an extended tale of a russian family, a father and his 3 radically different sons. what follows is ultimately a murder mystery, but to put it like that really just demonstrates how great D is as a writer to take, in crude form, angela lansberry and make her into a beautiful multi-faceted portrayal of life and the characters who inhabit it, their humanity, their morality and their questioning of both. even if you think you're better than this book, you're not.
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Summary: Read it now! Don't wait for the movie to come out . . .
Review: Actually it already did- back in the 50's with Yul Brynner and Marie Schell passionately larger than life yet thoroughly believable in the leads, and a young starship commander (No, I'm not kidding!) in the role of the saintly Alyosha, but I digress. Never before or since has the theme of good and evil been so brilliantly handled in a work of fiction. Nor, for that matter, the madness of romantic love in all its pain and glory and the quest for redemption. As to the characters, one gets the feeling that Dostoevsky could have written a separate book on each. They not only, to use an overworked phrase-- 'come alive', they are so compelling that it takes an act of imagination NOT to believe they are real. What else can one say? This is the greatest novel I have read. This is Dostoevsky at his finest. I think that about sums it up
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