Crime and Punishment (1867)

I got a hardback Modern Library illustrated version from the 40's, and it has awesomely creepy drawings. Otherwise, I agree whole-heartedly with the establishment that deemed this book a classic. It is either proof of my unhealthy psyche or the mark of an ingenious novelist that I identify very strongly with the murderous protagonist of this novel. Probably both. ( )

Honestly, this book was tough to read, the pacing was kind of like an amusement park, you wait in line to go on the ride, that means 80-150 pages of slow setup and exposition, and then you finally get to ride, 20-30 pages of intense emotion and suspense, but when it ends you have to wait in line again.
That said, I really enjoyed it, great story and characters; the suspense was on point, you almost never know what’s going to happen, which I found really surprising for a book this old, normally their age makes them predictable and tropey, but not this one.
Also, it was kind of hard to understand who everyone was, considering I’m not used to Russian names, and a lot of people are referred with their surnames, which can be shared by characters who have nothing to do with each other, but a quick trip to a character list did the trick for me.
Dostoyevsky’s philosophy presented on this book (basically in how Rodion justifies himself) was also interesting.
It is weird to hear Dostoyevsky’s communist views(considering how Russian communism turned out) through some character monologues, even though it is completely useless to progress the story, it feels like he wanted to tell everyone about his ideals in any way possible.
Overall, a good but tough read, really gives a perspective on the 1800s Russia, and a really good story toppled with amazingly written characters.
( )

A magnificent "whydunnit". It would have been interesting to find out more about Raskolnikov's childhood and university years, though one of the novel's strengths is how it leaves the reader ample space to interpret how this young man became a killer. Near the end of the book, R's mother says to him, "ever since your father died everything makes me cry" – as often happens, we're given a glimpse of something largely out of sight, in this case the emotional impact of that loss on R himself.

For me, part of what makes C&P great is that it somehow makes me feel empathy for odious characters like R and Svidrigailov. Reading it this second time – in Oliver Ready's excellent translation – also made me appreciate more the book's social commentary, the way city life isolates vulnerable individuals, and how alcoholism and economic inequality blights the lives of poor women and children especially. The desperate scene involving Katerina Ivanovna and her children, where they're forced to dance and sing to beg for money, is one that will always stay with me.

The scenes involving R and Porfiry are also very memorable for me. Not just for the interplay of detective cat & mouse, but also for the way their conversation contains some of the book's big ideas, giving us a sense of the intellectual climate among the radical youth of Russia at the time. Dostoevsky seems keen to show how these ideas can become corrosive outside the framework of faith and community.

C&P is far from perfect though – for me, the book's big flaw is how the figure of Lizaveta is largely forgotten, allowing R off the hook. How and why he inspires such loyalty and devotion in those around him remains a mystery to me; for example, like Ruth in the Bible, Sonya says she will follow R to the ends of the earth. That said, I personally prefer C&P to The Brothers Karamazov, which despite all its strengths I found too bloated and didactic at times, complete with an epilogue that was even more sentimental than this one. ( )

A magnificent "whydunnit". It would have been interesting to find out more about Raskolnikov's childhood and university years, though one of the novel's strengths is how it leaves the reader ample space to interpret how this young man became a killer. Near the end of the book, R's mother says to him, "ever since your father died everything makes me cry" – as often happens, we're given a glimpse of something largely out of sight, in this case the emotional impact of that loss on R himself.

For me, part of what makes C&P great is that it somehow makes me feel empathy for odious characters like R and Svidrigailov. Reading it this second time – in Oliver Ready's excellent translation – also made me appreciate more the book's social commentary, the way city life isolates vulnerable individuals, and how alcoholism and economic inequality blights the lives of poor women and children especially. The desperate scene involving Katerina Ivanovna and her children, where they're forced to dance and sing to beg for money, is one that will always stay with me.

The scenes involving R and Porfiry are also very memorable for me. Not just for the interplay of detective cat & mouse, but also for the way their conversation contains some of the book's big ideas, giving us a sense of the intellectual climate among the radical youth of Russia at the time. Dostoevsky seems keen to show how these ideas can become corrosive outside the framework of faith and community.

C&P is far from perfect though – for me, the book's big flaw is how the figure of Lizaveta is largely forgotten, allowing R off the hook. How and why he inspires such loyalty and devotion in those around him remains a mystery to me; for example, like Ruth in the Bible, Sonya says she will follow R to the ends of the earth. That said, I personally prefer C&P to The Brothers Karamazov, which despite all its strengths I found too bloated and didactic at times, complete with an epilogue that was even more sentimental than this one. ( )

Five stars for the novel, 3 for the bizarre dainty-lady translation. Must get hold of another version of this.