The Brothers Karamazov

Dostoevsky is a great writer and in this edition thanks to a accurate translation, you can savour his majestic style.

I tried to stick with it in the hope that it would be as good as his earlier book, Crime and Punishment, but couldn't stomach another page of his sententious nonsense.

Now read for the second time, this is for me Dostoevsky's greatest novel. From the very comic meeting in the monastery (at least I find it comic) of father Karamazov with various others to the burial of a young boy at the end, so much unfolds. The dialogue is often nightmarish and the actions of the various characters often equally so - as well as virtually incomprehensible at times. Amid all this the various themes close to Dostoevsky's heart are played out; among them the existence of God and the coming to be of the "modern" mind where perhaps "all will be permitted".

I've read and listened to the Dickens-esque Garnett translation several tines over. As a Ort Christian, I wish everyone woukd read this book. This particular translation might be easier for someone who already knows the story and is more familiar with Russian language - it's not quite what I would call literal per se, just less "cleaned up." This novel is one with themes that surapss time and culture but also paints us picture of the pre-revolution period in Russia. Dostoevsky writes himself in as the narrator, inserting witty, non sequitur, sometomes in appropriate light-hearted commentary on characters and situations, and opinionated "side notes" that results in a polyphonic, awkwardly narrated tale, but leaves you feeling like you are curled uo with a cup of tea listening to a man with an interesting story tell it all while two drinks deep. His comments keep the story amusing and make it feel as though you're acquainted with these people. Below the surface of a gossipy tale from an acquaintance about the neighbors lies a philosophical and theological description of the Characters' major existential and minor, petty personal crises into a deeply intimate description of the war within every man and woman between intellectualism and faith, cynicism and hope, expectations and reality. After some 900 pages my first read thru, I set the kindle down, turned on the Audible version and started looking for another translation to ruminate on. After Rea all of the good, bad and ugly reviews I settled on this ons and so far I'm not disappointed. However, if you want the story, try another translation first. If you're like me and can't get enough of the characters and their stories, this translation adds depth and new insights to the story, turning it from Garnett's turn-of-the-last-century Brit-Lit style narrative, into a candid story story being told to you by the old Russian man next door.

I do not know what my review can add to the Brothers Karamazov, but I will put in a few of my words. I have now read this book six times through and every time I am simply amazed at the complexity of vision that Dostoevsky brought to the page. My copy of the book is littered with page numbers written in the margins that connect the dots between all of the recurring scenes, ideas, images, phrases, and philosophies. It has taken years of sustained thought to be able to draw all of these connections, which makes it somewhat unbelievable that Dostoevsky was able to write it in the time frame that he did. Because of this, though, I have found this translation to be the only reasonable choice for the serious student. Many earlier translations ironed out potentially awkward phrasings, and thereby destroyed the parallelism that was being masterfully established. I have shed so many tears on the pages of my copy of this book that I am surprised it is still holding up as well as it is. There is a sensitivity and beauty to this text that I have never been able to find anywhere else, even in other works by Dostoevsky. It is, quite simply, the most masterful examination of agape (active love), faith, and justice, and redemption that I have ever encountered in my life, in philosophy, history, literature, film, or otherwise. There are no words to offer that can capture how profoundly this book has changed me for the better.