The Brothers Karamazov

A truly wonderful piece of fiction.

Dostoevsky's (1821-1881) classic work was written towards the end of his life (between 1879-1880). It is a tale of a dysfunctional Russian middle class family; the story follows significant events in the lives of the father (Fyodor Pavlovich Karamazov) and his three sons (Dmitri, Ivan and Alexei).

Although the first half of the story is slow to develop it is well written and easy to follow (maybe this is a trait of this era of Russian writers, I found Tolstoy's 'Anna Karenina' had the same qualities.) The latter half of the book was, in my opinion, much more dynamic and interesting to read.

The translation of the work, by Richard Pevear and Larissa Volokhonsky, from Russian to English, is well done; subjectively, to me, it seemed to captivate many of the subtleties and nuances that I can only assume Dostoevsky wished to bring forth in his novel.

However be forewarned, reading this novel is a true labor of love and a definitive exercise in perseverance. The book is 779 pages long and 'dense' with regards to the number of words per page. Some paragraphs go on for pages; some sentences can be difficult to follow because they are exceedingly long and punctuated with many commas. Also, Dostoevsky at times, uses his novel to expound (often, at some length) upon a few of his philosophical theories regarding such opposing forces as life/death, good/evil, and the existence (or not) of God.

Conclusion:
Many consider this one of the finest books ever written, and it may be so; this is obviously a very subjective opinion. I really enjoyed the book, especially the second half (beginning with Dmitri's tale). However, if your not an avid fan of Russian literature or if your simply reading it for pleasure then this book requires a degree of dedication to finish. But make no mistake about it, the quality is there, and if the story tweaks your fancy you'll be well rewarded by reading Dostoevsky's final masterpiece.

R.Nicholson

"The Brothers Karamazov" left me speechless. It definitely merits a second reading because there is SO much to absorb here. Dostoevsky presents a perfect mix of philosophy, religion, social issues and a page-turner of a plot. This is one of the best books I've ever read. Highly recommended. The translation, by the way, is fantastic and I will read all of my Russian literature by this amazing team of writers. I loved this book so much that I immediately purchased a hardback copy of it for my family library.

I've read The Brothers Karamazov in an least four translations now, and this is an absolutely delicious translation, the very best. Pevear and Volokhonsky bring great, suggestive depth, and great subtlety to the English text of this very great Russian novel.

I found this the most thought provoking novel I have ever read, Dostoevsky writes on so many levels.

First off The Brothers Karamazov is wildly entertaining and engaging, the characters jump off the page at you then lure you in. It can be laugh out loud funny at times and quite moving at others.

Secondly and maybe more importantly I found it to be a very spiritual book. Elder Zosima is one of the greatest characters I have ever had the pleasure to read, so enlightening. But there is much to be taken from all the characters, their strengths and weaknesses and how these characteristics intertwine with one another.

A must read, I cannot wait to read it again, I know there is so much I missed on the first time through. Though maybe I will try a different translation I read the Andrew MacAndrew translation but was reserching the book and found a site witch took a paragraph out of the book and compared three of the different translations, I was amazed how different each was. I must say from that comparison MacAndrews seemed to be the most straight forward, the most 'modern english' of them all, but maybe lacking in the poetic sense (which was probably good for a first read, at least in my case).

So I would ask you fellow reviewers to note the translation that was read, it does seem quite important.

Some literary works are so sweeping in their vision, so penetrating in their understanding of the human condition and its psychology, so inexhaustible with respect to their spiritual insight that a reviewer feels quite small as he turns the last page and turns to comment.

Such is Dostoevsky's THE BROTHERS KARAMAZOV. The three siblings, products of the unrestrained loins of the hapless Fyodor Karamazov spend most of the pages alloted to them walking their ever diverging paths and become more and more unlike each other. Then, in a hundred or so pages, Dostoevsky all but forces us to see how alike they are. How alike we are, whether under the Russian sun or some other.

Just under a thousand pages prove incapable of wearying the discerning reader of this Russian masterpiece. Each chapter brings a new twist or at least a new glimpse into how passionate and calculating we are capable of becoming, all at the same time.

Along the way, one discovers the author's uncanny predictive ability to glimpse the direction in which his Russia would go when it had loosed itself of the spiritual conviction that for centuries had held the vastness of it intact.

Dostoevsky deserves the over-used adjective 'incomparable'. This work alone achieves that.