The Brothers Karamazov

I'd read this before but this particular copy is for my nephew who asked for it as a gift.

There is absolutely no way to summarize the key concepts and themes in this novel, so I wont even try. (I wish other reviewers would do the same...) That said this novel is definitely worth reading. I originally read the old Constance Garnett translation by Signet Classic and bought this new translation to re-read the book. (Your going to re-read this novel) I actually prefer the old translation. There's a certain lyrical flow that's missed when you try to translate the exact 'word-for-word' phrases instead of looking at the over-all meaning. For example:

There's an aphorism in Part III which in the Garnett translation is written as:

"Any man of sense will always come back to reason in time, but, if love does not gain the upper hand in a youth's heart at such an exeptional moment, when will it?

Where-as in this translation it goes:

"I am glad that at such a moment my young man turned out to be not so reasonable; the time will come for an intelligent man to be reasonable, but if at such an exceptional moment there is no love to be found in a young man's heart, then when will it come?

Its obviously much more rigid and forced. There are other instances too. Like when Fyodor Pavlovich adds to the 3,000 rouble note he offers to Grushenka, "To my little chicken." Its much more comic then the new versions, My chicky. Or something to that matter. These ofcoarse are mere trifles, but it's the detail that Dostoevsky always focused on. Details are what make or break a novel. I'm still waiting for a perfect tranlation of The Brothers. Maybe I should learn Russian? Until then, this will have to do!

1. Ivan is the only character who is worth reading. The rest of them are either completely insane, or squishy nothings (Alyosha).

2. Aside from a handful of GREAT chapters, there is soooooo much nonsense filler. It's not a perfect work of art a la Tolstoy.

3. Read Garnett. Don't be sucked into the Pevear/Volokhonsky marketing machine.

I've got to say, Pevear and Volokhonsky have done a tremendous job with this (and the rest of the Dostoevsky library) translation!

I read this book for a summer reading assingment for my AP English class and i was extremely impressed. I'm not one that usually reads 800 page books because usually i get bored with assigned readings. This was most definitely not the case with this book. There was constant action and mystery. There was not a time where i just did not feel like reading it. I would recommend this book to anyone who has ever read Fyodor Dostoevski or has considered it.