The Brothers Karamazov (Penguin Classics) [Paperback]

This is a book that, as one reviewer put it, "has everything" in it. To that someone retorted "so does the Argos book". So is The Brothers Karamazov a sweeping epic that reveals new and telling things about the human psyche and what it means to be Russian? Or is it an overblown, boring book of useless tat that should ultimately be discarded?

It is without doubt the former.

For those who have read the other reviews and are left with a sense of trepidation - please allay those fears. Yes this book is long, yes there are a couple of moments in which Dostoevsky wanders off to satisfy his need for religious philosophy (though only twice did I find the book slow in its pace) but ultimately it is compelling. Written today it would no doubt be whittled down by an over-zealous editor - the fact that we have such an overblown novel, warts and all is actually the whole point - it is a reflection of life - which as we all know - is not smooth sailing or nicely manicured lawns.

The plot itself is fairly simple - we are introduced to the Karamazovs - the landowner father and his three sons - plus their servants. What plays out is essentially a family drama with its crescendo as a murder and trial. Upon this simple(ish) tale Dostoevsky is able to execute a stunning portrayal of human motivations, jealousies and ultimately understanding. Every character is superbly drawn with their own foibles and more importantly inconsistencies, making them realistic and perfect tapestries upon which the author can hang his philosophy and beliefs.

There is little of the usual repetition that can blight Dostoevsky's style, making the near 1000 pages pass quicker than you may initially imagine. Having said that, this is not a book that you can read in a fortnight. You must commit to the fact that it will take some time to get through, but it isn't anywhere near as difficult as some other reviewers are making out. Just sit back and revel in the staggering achievement. You will be richer for the experience and will be blessed with a new found and deeper understanding into your fellow man, society and Dostoevsky himself - for this is him in a book. All raging, kicking, screaming, thinking and praying - truly one of the landmarks in world literature.

Style: 8/10

Structure: 8/10

Originality: 8/10

Depth: 10/10

Unputdownability: 8/10

I read this large book in regular short periods and despite its numerous long dialogues found myself always eager to find out what was happening on the next page. It is a great classic worth reading.

It was written between 1878-9 and is the last of Dostoyevsky (1821-81). Many events that featured in the author's life are reflected in this book. Dostoyevsky's father was head physician in a hospital and was apparently murdered by some serfs on his estate. In the book, Fyodor Pavlovich Karamazov, the father of the brothers, is presented as a landowner with a few servants and is murdered in curious circumstances. Dostoyevsky studied at the Military Engineering College in St Petersburg, was some years later arrested for political offences against the Russian state and sentenced to penal servitude in Siberia; he was widowed of his first wife; in the meantime he became addicted to gambling, and was rescued in his mid forties from his various debts by his twenty-year-old stenographer, who became his second wife. Elements of this, transformed, feature in the characterisation of the eldest brother Mitya Karamazov. Dostoyevsky had four children by this younger wife, two of whom died very young; his son Aleksey died in 1878 at the age of two soon after which this book was begun. This death is reflected at the end of the book by the death of the poor boy Ilyushenchka. Whereas the name Aleksey or Alyosha is given to the youngest of the brothers Karamazov.

Alyosha is the most attractive personality in the work; he is a humble and intelligent young man with the soul of an innocent child; a mystic who goes to reside in the local monastery, where he attaches himself to the elder Zozima, until the latter's death, which occurs shortly before the murder. Zozima is presented as a priest-monk with the reputation of a wise saint, but who curiously gets on quite well with the absurd and immoral father Karamazov when the family fights out a dispute in his cell. Alyosha's older brother Ivan Karamazov is an intellectual who is mentally tortured by, among others, the question whether there is a God. From his mouth comes the famous fable of the Grand Inquisitor, who arrests Jesus when he appears, because people cannot cope with the freedom that he preaches. Ivan also says that he wants to return his ticket to God for he does not want part in a salvation that requires the extreme and unjust suffering of children and others that goes on in the world. Yet, Ivan's own statement that `all things are lawful' will turn out very detrimental, and eventually he will encounter the devil in his hallucinations. Then there is the furtive figure of Smerdyakov, who is the bastard son of Karamazov, though never formerly recognized as such by the latter. The brothers are of course involved with females, who are described in detail as well.

Many characters in this book are tainted by weakness, they are inconsistent, sometimes malicious, and they disappoint, even perhaps Zozima. Worth mentioning is that when Zozima narrates his life he is made to express the vision that all creatures have been given a purpose in life, are turned towards God and are expressive of a great mystery. All creatures except human beings know the path they have to follow. The book's finale, however, following Ilyushenchka's funeral, is a magnificent and ecstatic speech of Alyosha to the schoolboys. It is a statement of faith and love and a recognition of the magnificence of life, despite all, if one is willing to do some good and upright thing. But it does not wipe out the doubt, tragedy, irony and ambivalence that has featured throughout the book.

If I remember well, in Vonnegut's Slaughterhouse 5, there's a character that says that "The Brothers Karamazov" is the only book one has to read, because everything's in it.
This is the mos apropriate comment I've ever read on this book: From the live of the Starets Zossima, to the impressive tale of the Grand Inquisitor, and the incredible dialogue of Ivan and the devil, the book is filled with memorable scenes and reflections that will stick to your memory forever.
The characters are complex (as in any major Dostoyevsky book), deep, and deeply distressed, and every usual theme of Dostoyevsky's works is here, and it's at its best...
The great masterpiece of one of the best writers in the history of universal literature.