Rating: 
Summary: Most famous, but not best
Review: C & P is Dostoyevsky's most acclaimed work, both in Russia and abroad. Quite frankly, I'm not sure why. Although I am not (yet) an expert on Dostoyevsky, I compare this work unfavorably to The Insulted and Humiliated, my introduction to Dostoyevsky. Although a relatively unheralded novel, I & H is much more emotionally charged, and involves the reader in its story almost intimately. I must say that C & P is bland by comparison. The weighty issues associated with C & P are really a side story to the love angle, which resonated with me only somewhat. Russian literature is the literature of pain and hardship (dont look for happy endings). I just did not feel as emotionally or intellectually engaged in these elements reading C & R as much as I expected to, considering the novel's reputation. I would not recommend it as an introduction to Dostoyevsky... However, it is Dostoyevsky, and it is a world classic, and thus must be read. C & P is certainly readable and moderately enjoyable. Many will find it thought-provoking. It has numerous well-developed characters and side-stories that engage the reader and catch him/her by surprise (perhaps too many, ergo the lack of an emotional bond to a specific story or character). The four stars represent the respect for the author and the work's cultural significance more then anything else. Read it once you've established a taste for Dostoyevsky (start with The Brothers Karamazov or The Insulted and Humiliated -- you wont be able to tare yourself away).
Rating: 
Summary: a very useful book however not the best one i've ever read
Review: Crime and punishment is a book in which Dostoyevski wanted to show people how disastrous such popular in western Europe rational philosopies professed by e.g. John Steward Mill, Herbert Spencer or Friedrich Hegel are. Rodion Raskolnikov is a young, intelligent Russian student and as most of Russian young guys he is an atheist (his name derives from Russian word 'raskol' which means more or less rebel). He thinks religion is useless and horrible situation in Russia only cofirms him in his conviction. In accordance to his theory, which divided people into worse and better he decides to commit a crime. After the crime Rodion becames ill - he's delirious, he raves but the only thing he regrets is that the crime didn't show that he is one of the 'better' people. As the book progresses Rodion is getting more and more obsessed. Fortunately he meets Sonia, a very religious girl which became a prostitute in order to earn money for her family. She is a completely different person than Rodion, which starts to suspect that he's theory wasn't right. Although he pleads guilty he still thinks he did the right thing commiting a crime. Only when he finally saw that Sonia's love towards him is true he redeems. The book shows a lot of true and false moral values. It's also a great guide through Russia in 19th century. And Dostoyevski was the one that gave rise to theories that e.g. Nietsche used; he also was the first one who noticed the great role that dreams and obsession play in our life. And although if it's sometimes quite boring it's undoubtedly worth reading.
Rating: 
Summary: Crime and Punishment - A review
Review: Crime and punishment is, in a single word, an outstanding literary work. It tells the harrowing tale of an ex-student, driven to murder, and the aftermath of his actions. It is superbly written and loses none of the passion and emotion through the translation from russian.
The book holds the readers attention, its insight into the main charachters mind keeping you interested untill the end. The writer, Fyodor Dostoevsky manages to extract an amazing tale from the bleak, severe surroundings of russia in which it is set.
In closing, I feel that Crime and Punishment is a book thet everyone should read at least once in their lifetime. It is a thought provoking book, offering deep insights into the human mind.
Rating:
Summary: A Powerful Story of Sin, Suffering and Redemption!
Review: Dostoevski is a powerful and wonderful author, and I have read most of his books. His books are long and complex and perhaps this particular book is the most complex of all. Dostoevsky himself spent time in prison, and his experiences and the soul searching that he did there come out in this book. The theme that runs through this book is that man inevitably pays for his crimes by suffering, and through that suffering he may in fact receive redemption. This book is about a paranoid schizophrenic by the name of Raskolnikov. He causes a lot of harm to people because of his own grandiose idea of his own superiority. But all the harm that he causes he pays for in his own tortured mind. A powerful and sometimes hard to read book because Dostoevsky's characters are so real, and we feel their pain and suffering with them as we read.
Rating:
Summary: Good read
Review: Dostoyevsky's Crime and Punishment is the first classic detective story. But that is not even where it excels. With the Brothers Karamazov, it elevated Dostoyevsky to a mega writer when it comes to dissecting the mind and soul of characters for the readers. It is a great book of psychology. While it competes with Anna Karenina as the most widely read 19th century Russian novel in the English-speaking world, it is judged by many to be superior in its depth and lessons. The book's hero exemplifies all young ideologues who are wrestling with a new idea which they think can elevate them to the levels of great historic figures in their initial steps towards greatness. Often, a barrier has to be crossed which takes the potential legendary figure into an irreversible course. In Crime and Punishment, Raskolnikov who is the hero is a poor, intelligent and thoughtful student who is convinced that he has a mission for the advancement of mankind. He convinces himself that the mission has to start with him crossing over to greatness by robbing and killing an old woman, a pawnbroker, whose death, he had convinced himself would do the world more good than harm. This conviction is based on his judgment that she cheats her clients and holds money that could be used for humanity. He then commits the murder, but is forced to kill the pitiful Elizabetha, the landlady's sister. The novel begins its twists and turns after these murders, with the introduction of the cunning detective who gets to investigate the murder and makes Raskolnikov his principal suspect. Raskolnikov gets to meet the destitute Marmeladovs through the alcoholic father, and is distraught by the plight of his consumptive mother, her three young children, and Sonya-Marmeladov's eighteen-year old daughter who is forced into prostitution in order to support the family.
By doing a rich psychology development of his characters, Dostoyevsky made his characters more complexly human, yet reachable. Sonya emerges as a saintly figure who sins for the sakes of those she loves , and who is the mirror through which the so-called devilish characters are redeemed. The plot is rich, deep, enjoyable and action-packed; and the pace is fast and engaging. The overriding strength of the story is the conflict in Raskolnikov's soul, a conflict which began in his quest to be the "Extraordinary Man" like Napoleon, by stepping over the basic bounds of morality by committing murder. That conflict in his soul brought out the rich ideas, discussions and emotions from the characters that interacted with him. Also recommended: THE BROTHER KARAMAZOV, DISCIPLES OF FORTUNE
Rating:
Summary: the best book I have ever read
Review: Dostoyevsky's magnum opus is filled with literary gold. It abounds with deep philosophy and insightful psychology. Really, he only seems existentialist, and spends most of the novel disproving his protagonist's motivating theory. The philosophy is interesting, but moreso the way he refutes it. He has a way of hitting his readers over the head with Jesus--he was devoutly religious--yet he never offends even the most questioning atheists, although the ending is a bit of a let-down. His protagonist is a murderer, his Christ figure is a whore, and his descriptions are so vivid that one can literally smell the putrescence of St. Petersburg leaking from the pages. Or perhaps I had an overused copy.
Rating:
Summary: Riveting
Review: I bought this book at the airport on my way to Russia convinced that I would read it while in St. Petersburg. My plans fell apart because I didn't have enough time and the beginning couldn't hold my attention.
However, I kept it, still meaning to give it another go, especially after gaining a deep appreciation and love for anything Russian. In my honors english class we read it this year and I found it an immensely stirring physcoanalysis of the criminal mind. While slow in the beginning Dosoevsky quickly made up for it with his riveting character developments. You quickly grew a strange compassion for Raskolnikov, despite the fact that he was a murderer. This is the skill of the writer.
While many would argue Raskolnikov did not recieve proper punishment, I think his mental anguish and agony was almost enough. Dostoevsky painted a rather disturbing picture of the mindset that a murder can set you into.
This translation surprised me. Before I read this book in class, I read a poorly translated version of the Death of Ivan Ilyich. By comparing this translation to that I was easily sucked into the book.
Get through the first 50 pages and the book is simply riveting, take my word for it. I can't wait to read it a second and a third time.
Rating:
Summary: 97% crime 3% punishment
Review: I read this book in about 12 days, which is rare for me. I really liked the characters and the flow of the story. I was satisfied of the end by the time you find out how much was in the purse. One classic down, only a few hundred to go:)
Rating:
Summary: Disappointing, drawn out and ultimately unfulfilling
Review: No matter how many good points there are to this novel I can't shake the feeling of disappointment I have after completing it. It started off brightly, piquing my interest with the story of a young man (Raskalnikoff) contemplating murder for reasons that are not initially made clear. The murder occurs and Dostoevsky then spends the next 300 pages dragging the (anti-climactic) conclusion out and telling me very little of interest in the process.
Raskalnikoff's 'Great Man' theory was the only major concept which stoked my flames of thought. From a book entitled Crime and Punishment I expected to gain insights into the nature of crime and consequently punishment. However, I acquired no new understandings about the topic and was left wondering why this novel was so widely acclaimed, or was I just not 'getting' it? From a philosophical point of view there are so few nuggets to be plucked from the pages, especially considering the amount of time invested.
This is not a bad novel by any means - there are positives. The novel is very well written with Dostoevsky skillfully painting a picture of the gloomy and miserable St Petersburg of the time, populated with diverse and intriguing characters. However, no matter how good the writing is it is content that counts and this is where the novel fell flat for me. I didn't get much out of the novel; others have; maybe you will - it's your call.
Rating: 
Summary: Crime and Punishment
Review: There aren't very many books that I can't finish, and I am a bit embarassed to admit that this was one of them. After I got halfway through the book I determined that it was named Crime and Punishment for a reason. The Crime was him writing the book, and the Punishment was my reading it. Ugh.
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