The Brothers Karamazov
by Fyodor Dostoevsky
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Book Reviews of The Brothers Karamazov
Book Review: Make us, Russians, your slaves but feed us.
Summary: 5 Stars
124 years later Dostoyevsky's view of Russia and the "Russian Soul" in this book is still proving to be terribly valid. Through his characters Ivan and The Grand Inquisitor he expresses a profoundly Russian view of the world, that man prefers security abd even death to freedom of choice.
This book is a fascinating story about murder, but to me what Dostoyevsky reveals about Russia, in telling that story, is even more fascinating. And, yes, chilling (they are the only people who, in a matter of hours, could devastate us). If as you read this book you keep in mind what is going on in Russia today, you will see that Dostoyevsky's Russia is still intact, but now with nukes. Current events are proving the truth of what experts on Feyodor Dostoyevsky have said in the past: if you want to understand Russia you must go to him as a source, "He is Russia".
Russia after trying freedom is turning away from it step by step just like Ivan, The Grand Inquisitor, that is, Feyodor predicted. In Russia freedom is being traded for bread and a sense of security.
Dostoyevesky is dead but his spirit still rules in the Kremlin.
Russia does not even want freedom nearby. Just recently the Kremlin opposed the spread of freedom to the Ukraine and rebuked America for encouraging freedom in Belorussia.
President Bush says everyone wants freedom but polls indicate he is wrong about Russia and Dostoyevsky is correct. A poll of Russian people showed that nearly a half of them want another leader like Joseph Stalin. President Putin sounds like the Grand Inquisitor when he says the break-up of the Soviet Union was a great catastrophe! But another poll indicated that 70% of Russians want Putin to be even more authoritarian. We may not like the fact that Putin is moving away from freedom but he is looking over his shoulder at Dostoyevsky/Russia and is afraid that he is not moving fast enough. Other groups are in the wings ready to take over and they would make Putin look like a good guy.
What a genius Dostoyevsky was in understanding and describing nature so basic to his people and instincts so deep that they are even immune to revolution and exposure to freedom. And he weaves this revelation all into a complex multi-dimensional novel about patricide. Or it could be vica versa.
Book Review: A Literary Masterpiece
Summary: 5 Stars
Every now and then I read a book that I believe should be on every Christian thinker's bookshelf. Dostoevsky's The Brothers Karamazov is one such book. It is not an exaggeration to say that The Brothers Karamazov might possibly be one of the greatest novels of all time.
Warning: Plot spoilers follow...
Dostoevsky's description of the tragic Karamazov brothers and the murder of their father provokes questions about God's sovereignty, the place of suffering in our world, human depravity, and redemption through pain.
I have decided not to give a description of this book's storyline. There are many places where one can find the story. I will say that there are sections of this book where the theological questions are so profound and well-treated that the reader feels he must read them several times to fully feel their force.
The Brothers Karamazov is a long book (almost 800 pages). Pevear and Volokhonsky's translation is, undoubtedly, the easiest to read in English, but even the good translation cannot overcome some of the slow-moving moments where the novel labors in details. Many Karamazov fans (and I am one of them) love the extra details, as the information helps to better form each of the unforgettable characters.
Who, after reading this book, can forget Fyodor Karamazov, the wicked and sensual father? Or Ivan, the cold rationalist son who has abandoned his belief in God? Or Dmitri, the well-intentioned son who is held captive to his own base desires? And of course, Alyosha, the good son who trusts in God but is powerless to stop the murder of his father? And these are just the Karamazovs. Dostoevsky's descriptions of Katerina, Grushenka, Father Zosima and Smerdyakov are just as compelling.
The Brothers Karamazov is not for the faint of heart. It is, at times, difficult to read. At other times, its story is captivating. And, as always in Dostoevsky's works, the depth of thought behind the philosophical questioning is what makes the book stand out. If you have time to read and you love classic literature, buy the book and read it all. If you don't have time, but would like a taste, I suggest you at least read "The Grand Inquisitor" chapter.
Book Review: Nothing less than a masterpiece!
Summary: 5 Stars
Published in 1880, this book is a long, deep introspective look at a family in chaos. It is also a look at Russia and the characteristics of being Russian at that time. It is dark, deep and probing of human emotions. It is detailed with complex insights and long philosophical discussions of philosophy, ethics and free will. All of this is fascinating and in spite of the book's length and intricate plot, I was energized by this incredible work that sprung from the mind of the author.
The plot involves three brothers, whose mothers died when they were babies and were not raised in their father's household. It is only in their young manhood that they all come together with their father in strained relationships. The oldest is Dmitri, who, at age 28, is a sensualist like his father. The middle son, Ivan is 24 and a rational deep thinker. The youngest is Alyosha, who is 20 and deeply religious; as a matter of fact, when we first meet him he is living in a monastery. As we book progresses, other characters appear. There is the cook, Smerdyakov, who might or might not be the father's illegitimate son, Grisha, the young woman who is loved by both the father and Dmitri, and Katarina who loves Dmitri. Throughout the book there are discussions about the nature of God and faith. There is also some sad moments, especially as regarding the schoolboy Ilusha whose illness tugs at our heartstrings.
Basically the story is about a murder. Who killed the father? There is a long trial with some of the best speeches by opposing lawyers that I ever heard. I couldn't help thinking throughout about the fairness of the trial compared to what came later to Russia with the rise of Stalin. This book is about Russia itself, how it was in 1880, long before the rise of Communism. There is a roughness to the characters, a dark side that seems a bit wild and yet there is a strong desire to do what is right.
I loved this book. It put me into another time and place. It taught me about a Russia I never knew before. And it made me think. The Brothers Karamozov is nothing less than a masterpiece. Reading it is an experience not to miss.
Book Review: Perhaps the Greatest Novel Ever Written?
Summary: 5 Stars
This novel would lead me to believe that all Russian women are virtual psychopaths and all Russian men muddled philosophers. But for all of its curious characterizations, "The Brothers Karamazov" is a masterfully written epic, and once I had plodded past the first 40 pages or so, I was enthralled. Fascinated by the brothers, anxious to know their destinies, and stimulated by the depth of the novel's religious speculations, I read on. To really follow "The Brothers Karamzov" (as with the works of most Russian authors), it is necessary to keep a chart of the characters' names. The plot, however, is not excessively complicated, despite the many fascinating sub-stories told throughout. These sub-plots are ultimately tied into the lives of the Brothers.
As a story, "Brothers Karamazov" is good enough, but as a penetrating catalogue of religious, political, psychological, and ethical thought, it is even better. Dostoevsky wrestles with the great questions of Christianity: the problem of evil, the burden of free will, the power of temptation, and the frailty of faith. He depicts the growing deadly influence of socialist indoctrination and considers man's inhumanity to man, his vanity, and his enduring hope. A deeply religious work, "Brothers Karamazov" will make the complacent believer think with greater seriousness about the questions of theodicy, collective guilt, and grace. All of this heavy thought is dispensed in beautiful language against the backdrop of an intriguing murder mystery and tension-wrought trial.
My only disappointment was that the book was not finished. Certain groundwork the author laid early in the novel was unfortunately never developed. A complaint of brevity may sound absurd given that the novel is well over 700 pages, but I wished to read more of the fates of the brothers. Is Ivan fully redeemed? Does Dimitri cling to his new-found self-discovery, or does he fall back again into spiritual sloth? How is the future Father Zossima prophesied for Alyosha finally fulfilled? Despite its incompleteness, the reader will still experience the overwhelming power of Dostoevsky's brilliant work.
Book Review: I love Dostoyevsky's Russian madmen!
Summary: 5 Stars
...and there is no shortage of lunatics and deviants in this book! Here, Dostoyevsky has expertly shared the tale of a much-demented father and his multiple ("probably" four, all total) sons, both claimed and un-claimed.
Some readers will say that the father is a natural sick-o and some will point out that he's mentally ill, brain-ravaged by alcohol. The truth is probably somewhere in the middle, but the story is mostly about how life for the boys (young men) is essentially and frequently trashed by this scoundrel of a father, even subsequent to his murder... yes, we do get the opportunity to savor that great satisfaction but that fact, having now been revealed, is not really a spoiler, nor is it by any means the end of the story. In fact, the story pretty much spring-boards and feeds off the death of the father. Up until that point in the book, we are simply, (and sometimes humorously, in a dark sense), regaled with the father's madness and the appurtenant widespread misery that his heinous behavior yields for both his offsping and on society in general, not excluding the local religious leadership.
The work is bulging with ethical issues (typical Dostoyevsky, really), but they certainly do not cloud the story line in the slightest.
If you enjoy rampant madness, intermittent justice, and fine literature, this is the book for you. My favorite character is Smerdyakov and the new reader will see why, since I have this wierd love of mad (but devious) book characters.
If you are mentally wrestling between either reading this particular work, or, "Crime and Punishment," solely on the issue of "fun readability," this is the pick of the two. However the latter IS also a magnificent literary achievement and a classic example of Dostoyevsky's excellent Russian literature.
A fine read for all young adults, but especially for young men. Unfortunately, if you wind up like I did, you won't get around to reading it until you're 50 or so, and will, thus, not fully benefit from the many life lessons which are conveyed in this magnificent work of world literature.