Reviews

The Brothers Karamazov by Fyodor Dostoevsky

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adiuvat's review against another edition

5.0

Dostoevsky does a brilliant job of illustrating the human need to seek meaning, even amidst suffering and moral ambiguity. His exploration of philosophical and religious themes adds a profound layer to the rich story. The constant struggles with faith, doubt, and the meaning of life are timeless, and they provoke a lot of introspection. I’ve no words because despite their flaws and guilt, all the characters are searching for some kind of truth or redemption. And they all feel incredibly human; raw and distorted. Ahh, what a brilliant journey.

gijshuppertz's review against another edition

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5.0

De Gebroeders Karamazov (Братья Карамазовы, Brat'ja Karamazovy) uit 1880, is het laatste boek van Fjodor Dostojevski, uitgegeven zo'n vier maanden voor zijn overlijden. Dit boek is een van de bekendste titels als het gaat om wereldliteratuur en altijd in de top 10 van beste wereldtitels. Het draait om de moord op de vader van deze broers en de constante uitwerkingen van verschillende filosofische thema's met betrekking tot religie en het bestaan van God. Dostojevski is een meester in het beschrijven van bepaalde psychologische ontwikkelingen die de personages meemaakte, dit is goed te zien in dit boek. Verder bevat dit boek twee parels aan hoofdstukken (Duivels en De Groot Inquisiteur) die ik apart heb geanalyseerd. Ook maakte ik een volledige review van het boek! Ik hoop dat het bevalt.

De volledige Review: https://youtu.be/2RxGIeh446I
De analyse van De Groot Inquisiteur: https://youtu.be/LM6E71QnNk0
De analyse van Duivels: https://youtu.be/vfVFUum9dx8

danielkallin04's review against another edition

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5.0

Hurrah for Karamazov!

Dosto leaving me speechless yet again - which really puts me to shame because he can make a speech last four chapters! I mean, it's a 1000 page book so obviously it is brimming with depth and stories and character, but I was still surprised at how expansive his world was. Most impressively was the short time frame Dosto used, exploring the past in flashbacks, but mainly focusing on the same two months, just with a different perspectives.

I love the way he played with truth, constantly changing my perception of which characters I can trust - can I even trust the narrator? - and arguing compellingly the case for events that contradict the ones previously told to me. And what should I turn to for certainty? Knowledge, religion, or alcoholic vice? For Dosto, all these means seem equal in their destructiveness, and yet all seem to be different means to the same end... some kind of spiritual salvation.

Because The Bros. Karam. is at once a compelling murder mystery, developing into a riveting courtroom drama - and yet that's only really the last 400 pages. Before then is the highly-scrutinised accounts of who the Brothers are, the intense women they surround themselves with, the insightful children of the town, the muzhiks and the aristocrats... and the barin himself!

In the end, I wanted the novel to go on for all eternity, for the death of the book to evoke not so much a putrid smell but leave me in the company of sparrows. Perhaps all I want is for Alyosha to comfort me with certain truths and spiritual naivety... or maybe I should just leave 19th-century Russia all together...

mmcbride's review against another edition

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challenging emotional reflective slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

mekibrightonn's review against another edition

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dark emotional tense slow-paced

Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.25

achthiy's review against another edition

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challenging dark emotional funny reflective slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

Fyodor is a buffoon. And like Crime and Punishment I genuinely think this book is funny in its absurdity. Characters are consistently motivated, that is, motivated along their poorly established and misunderstood belief systems, and it leads them to contradict not only their best interests but also their personal desires. Harmony, collaboration, and understanding is intercepted early in these characters' thought processes - usually by ignorance or arrogance.

The anxious actions and decision making also reflects its existentialism. Most characters struggle w god's existence and divine guidance at some point in their development and different avenues are taken to alleviate the question. Faith is sometimes established thru interpretation of experience. Sometimes faith is maintained thru serving others. Some who are unable to come to terms w it worship some other sensation or seek meaning thru some other person. Fyodor is a great example of this and a great antagonist to all the brothers. He holds nothing sacred but is constantly possessed and overcome by feelings for brandy and women, and insecurity, narcissism and regret; which he indulges w no regard to the people around him or some holy consideration.
The parentage of each brother causes nothing but emotional strain and what they inherit is a mass of passionate feelings and untempered spiritual turmoil. They want for foundational beliefs and security in their close-knit and larger society. Instead their development and well-being has been carried along by random acts of grace and their relationships and community are constantly tested and shaken. They converge on their birthplace seeking understanding, justice and closure in an unjust, illogical, chaotic world. For all the established characteristics they have and archetypes they match they are all thwarted, subverted, challenged and changed. Except for one: the buffoon, likely a buffoon til his last breath, who never attempted to rise above what was inside and around him, and expressed himself shamelessly as a product of it.

Just one part of my thoughts on this novel. Each brother could get a write-up that's twice as long detailing their experiences, relationships, beliefs and revelations. Outside of an analysis of the ideas I felt the novel explored I can say that it's a masterpiece of storytelling and characterization and probably one of the greatest literary achievements of all time (not that I would know but I bet it is) and I don't think anyone could, in good faith, argue that Dostoevsky isn't one of the greatest fiction authors to ever live.

One more thing: R.I.P, Dad