Best of the best, a synthesis of all previous Dostoevsky's books. Deep, scientific and fulfilling...

- Alyosha Karamazov, a character that gave birth to an entire literature...
- Kolea Kraskotin, the remarkable kid
- father Zosima, talking on Christianity in few chapters - the theory is used in the philosophy manuals ever since (12th grade) ( )

Fyodor Pavlovich has three sons: Dmitri (Mitya) Fyodorovich, Ivan Fyodorovich, and Alexei (Alyosha) Fyodorovich. Each have been affected by their father's "sensualist" nature - dear daddy is a drunkard and carouser, and pretty much left the boys' upbringing to the servant, Grigory. Now adults, Dmitri similarly follows his father in lifestyle and currently has an argument with him regarding his mother's inheritance (added to that, his rival in love), Ivan the intellectual has rejected the idea of God and figures he can do whatever he wants, and Alyosha is training in a monastery. Soon events unfold that will affect the brothers for the rest of their lives.

This story is incredibly hard to sum up without giving spoilers. Coming in at 776 pages long, I'm not sure I would have finished it except for participating in a group read. It definitely had its dull moments, but the second half of the story was a compelling study of people driven by guilt, suffering, and more virtuous motives. I'm glad I pushed through the slower chapters and finished it. ( )

This novel is epic - it's dense, complex, and unbelievably rewarding once you finish it. So incredible to read a story that intertwines all the complexities of human character into one family - while reading the book, I saw parts of myself in all the characters... the rationalist, the tender-hearted philosopher, and of course, the sensualist. Oh how fun it is to watch the fervent nature of Mitka... And all the while, the backdrop of 19th Century Russian society is a fascinating time period to get absorbed in. I will truly miss these characters.

This is on the short list of books that have really connected me personally to the story, and left me affected with life lessons to be taught, i.e. The Fountainhead, Atlas Shrugged, Catcher in the Rye amongst a few more... ( )

With so many reviews and descriptions of this book, I'll just add my few impressions for what they're worth -- maybe two cents! I thought it was your typically too-long Russian novel; however I found it more interesting and accessible than that other famous work, War and Peace. The manicness of Dmitri, the spiritual struggle of Ivan, and the purity of Alyosha were well-developed as was the stinkiness of their father.

As to the length...somebody kills dear ol' dad and, really, who cares. The man was an evil snake. I realize this is a major part of the plot, but I got tired of visiting the scene of the crime over and over. This book could have been just as effective if it had been 200 pages shorter. Now, don't get me wrong, I liked the book for the most part even though I had to draw a Venn diagram to keep all the love convolutions straight. Some parts were downright brilliant, especially when Alyosha tries to aid the family of the boy who bit him and the appeal by Dmitri's attorney. I wish I had the luxury of reading a book of this magnitude without all the interruptions of life and other books sandwiched in (I've been reading this book for a month). Perhaps then I could better appreciate Dostoyevsky's acute attention to detail. ( )

It’s quite a simple plot really. Each brother represents a different element of society. There’s the religious humanitarian, the scoundrel and the one that no one can quite place. Add some life-changing events into the mix and then sit back and see how they all react. Oh… and cos it’s the 19th century, let’s sermonise about a whole range of topics on the way. Voila, The Brothers Karamazov.

This was removed from the 2008 edition of the 1001 Books You Must Read Before You Die. There was outcry, but having read others by Fyodor, I can understand why.

If I had not read three other of his novels and, in particular, I had never read Crime & Punishment, I’d probably think this was a masterpiece. It’s good and it’s one of the world’s greatest. But compared to his other works, I think it’s tame.

In essence, it’s all of Notes from the Underground, Crime & Punishment and the Idiot condensed into one novel. Sounds like a fantastic epic but it isn’t at all. Instead, it’s a watered down edit of them. Notes from the Underground is profound in its challenge to consider the great questions of a person’s existence. C&P is profound in its exploration of human motivation, guilt, law and grace. The Idiot is a (admittedly slightly less) profound character study and illustration of Russian society.

Brothers has a little bit of all of these and, as a result, it’s an abridgement. And the ending is flat - totally flat. It’s absolutely not the way the last written words of Dostoevsky should have been.

So, if you’re pushed for time and need to read one Dostoevsky by all means choose this one. But if you want the heart and soul of the man, head into the other three and feast on their themes. ( )