The Brothers Karamazov

The Brothers Karamazov

This book wasn’t a favorite of mine. A dysfunctional family, evil and moral people, religious issues, great twists, and a love triangle should have been the basis of a really enjoyable book. However, the length and details Fyodor Dostoevsky used made it somewhat confusing and a real chore for me to read. I am used to reading long books and usually don’t get bogged down in the middle, but this book tested my resolve to finish it. I found it difficult to find enough totally quiet time to concentrate on this book in the time allowed. After some confusion in the beginning keeping the characters straight, one of the things I did really enjoy was the character development.

Karamazov is a very selfish and needy man who seeks acceptance from everyone. He is an actor and will play the fool to get attention. The sons have completely different personalities, A couple are sensualists who get involved with other characters who seem to hurt them more than help. The women in this book are very strong and seem to be temptresses who never seem to know what they want, but won’t let any of the men go.

The main problem I had with the book is that it starts out very slow and it took my total concentration to understand most of what was written. By spring break, I was only half finished with the book. I was pretty panicky, so I bought the book on tape, and I am so glad I did. I enjoyed the book more hearing the rest read by a reader who was Russian.