Crime and Punishment question

The whole book from the beginning to the end is just superb, the best parts typically start near the climax which are from the crime till the end of the book.

I liked the build up the the crime and the actual crime. It drags a little in the middle, but it gets exciting again when Marmeladov and Sofia enter the picture....in my opinion

I read crime & punishment after a long break from reading and I was blown away by how it gripped me and just wouldn't let go. This didn't happen right away as the story seemed to drag in the begining but after reading it again (I just had to!!!) I realised not only was this due to my lack of concentration but having not read too many books I was unfamiliar with the style in which this was written. I loved the depth in which everything was described and even though it was a long read I found myself with such vivid images rushing around in my mind. At the time I was reading this my own thoughts were quite heavy, almost soul destroyingly dark. so much so that I felt disturbingly connected to Raskolnikov, not that I ever thought about committing such a terrible act mind you.

For me, this was a truly thought provoking read with many intriguing & insightful passages. A worth while read which will without a doubt be with me for the rest of my days.

I suprised myself with this book. I thought it was going to be really difficult to read but I really enjoyed it and the points that it brought up. Its been a while since I read it but think I might pick it up again soon.

From the first sentence.

If you find the very beginning boring, wait until the crime. If it doesn't pull you in after that I guess it's just not for you.

If you find that you're not getting into Crime and Punishment, give Notes from Underground a try. It's a quicker read, but it gets into the meat of the action faster and may be paced more to your style. The themes are similar, to some degree, as well. Then, once Notes has snared you, maybe you can try C&P again.

C&P is very much about style and craft. It hooked me right away, but the longer lead up to the crime and the draw down may not be for everyone.

Can't say it was entertaining, but it was some read; Crime and Punishment. But then again I guess one has to be in a certain mindset to enjoy Dostoevsky.

If C&P is not your cup of tea, I highly recommend 'The Idiot' or 'Notes from The Underground', but as I said earlier one cannot simply enjoy D while living in the present, you have to go to that dark alley of your mind that looks at humanity with nothing but an amused eye and no expectations.

SusannaW wrote: "Ok, I finally decided to give Dostoevsky a go. I love 19th Century lit and love Balzac & Zola. I had such high hopes for C&P... but a few chapters in and I'm bored stiff.

At the moment it ..."

I realize you posted this a while ago, but I've just found the post. To your question, "When does it get good?" I answer, "Oh hush." I got hooked in the first paragraph when Dostoevsky used the word каморки to refer to Raskolnikov's room. It is a word that can be translated as "closet," "garret," or "room." Maybe you're looking for the wrong things when you read. I've read that book three times and it is my least favorite book by Dostoevsky.

I re-read Crime and Punishment last year. Read it first as a teenager and loved it for being so dark and doomy and oozing with Russian angst. But this time round, years on, I found it wonderfully funny. It came across as a brilliant black comedy. Do you know the wonderful movie, Grosse Pointe Blanke? A hitman goes to a re-union and when he is asked what he does for a living, he says: "Oh, I'm a hitman." - and nobody believes him. Crime and Punishment is just like that. Cusack would have made a great Raskolnikov.

Page one.

It starts "getting good" the moment u realize the good things in life sometimes take time.

I was hooked from the first very first page, the way he described the mental state and thoughts of Rodya. It wasn't an easy read though, at least not for me, as it was the first book in English translation I've read in years. But the plot, the ideas expressed and debated and in the manner it's written makes the book one of a kind to me.

SusannaW wrote: "Ok, I finally decided to give Dostoevsky a go. I love 19th Century lit and love Balzac & Zola. I had such high hopes for C&P... but a few chapters in and I'm bored stiff.

At the moment it ..."

it won't get better. I had to read it about 6 times during the course of my studies; when I was 15, 17 and 23. Do not get better with age.
Try Idiot or Demons by Dostoevsky, however I have to say I prefer to read them in Russian, in loses beauty of language in translation.

look into the relevance it is everywhere

I enjoyed the whole book, but I just loved one chapter when they are dining with his sister, mother and the sisters fiance. I don't know where it was though. but actually the best best part of the book was: "It was I.........."

I listened to the audio book and thought I must have missed out on something. Reading the mixed comments here, maybe I didn't. I still prefer Balzac, Zola, and Dreiser. And if you haven't read it, check out Frank Norris's McTEAGUE. I loved that book.

I have a hunch you should read The Idiot...

when he starts to find reasons why it is okay to kill the old woman.

I love this book. :D
I really admire the writing styles of Dostoevsky- the angst and stuff. i look forward on reading his other works. :D I am currently reading WHITE NIGHTS A SENTIMENTAL STORY FROM THE DIARY OF A DREAMER FIRST NIGHT. :DD

It get's interesting in the first paragraph, and when you are finished, you will cry because it is over. I strongly recommend anyone who has in mind to read this book, that they don't.

June 14 ... or so I've heard.

Since I just read this I would say that at part 5 (of my edition) is where all of the build up and mental/philosophical evaluation pays off big time and I could not put the book down.

It starts 'getting good' when "On an exceptionally hot evening early in July a young man walked out the garret in which he lodged......" i.e. the very first line of the book. To say the book is outstanding would undermine its brilliance. Such books come along but once in a generation. The Grapes of Wrath also being an example.

On first reading I'd say you'd be hooked after about a third in. On second reading right from the start but I didn't enjoy the book so much overall the second time. 'The Idiot' just gets better and better...

Dostoevsky's life story interested me. I picked up C&P without expectations, I rarely read anything about the literature I read beforehand. It pulled me by my hair immediately into the narrative. Dostoevsky's writing at times is cumbersome, or slower than other parts, but he def has an internal rhythm for why and when the "time" in the novel slows down and speed up to a bit quicker pace. I loved the fever in the beginning. The madness ensued. Social or mental or in between, the dude writes with powerful insight. Try a short story. "The Eternal Husband" lacks none of his finer qualities.

I loved it from the beginnning - read it in Russian and was sure, that it would be very hard, but it wasn't.
People told me, it would be extremely bleak - but actually it wasn't - it was full of black humour especially in the beginning and full of ironic moments almost to the end, at least for me.
That's why I enjoyed it from first line to the last.

The book started getting interesting for me after the entrance of Svidrigailov. I still think he was the only truly mysterious character in the novel; his recollections of the past, as well as his ghost stories, made up a complex puzzle whose pieces were just as interesting and enjoyable to me.

It was the curiosity this character evoked in me that made my reading experience more of a pleasure. Of course, the whole book was a pleasant read.

Personally, the height of excitement for me was in Part 3, Chapter 5, when Raskolinikov discuses his article about crime.

My first experience with Russian authors was with Tolstoy, and it was superb. So, when I read crime and punishment it was also good but in a different sense. I tend to agree that it grabs you from the beginning, however it gets better after the Sonia and the Marmeladovs get in.
I don't recommend reading Crime & Punishment if you're going through any moral crisis, you get to feel exactly the same like Raskolnikov-which is not very good feeling by the way, believe me it's so powerful.

I was drawn in from the very first page. I was prepared to slog through it, but the psychological skill Dostoevsky uses throughout the novel in the protagonist is amazing. It has its slow parts, but overall I was captivated from beginning to end.

I was hooked from the beginning, so for me it was good all the way... I personally do not read books for the entertainment value.
I should admit I haven't read it in English, so I'm not sure if it could be the reason. Or maybe it isn't the right book for you. Just because it is acclaimed, doesn't mean you have to like it, I think.

Turn away from one of the most important writers in history after a few chapters. Okay..

o_0

A relevant question! I have read a few of D:s works and I think they are beatiful, timeless and generally well worth the read. I can't help wondering though if maybe D would have been served by a better editor.

I've only read this one, and The Idiot, and by far, Crime and Punishment was superior. Very "Russian" -- cold, bleak, Petersburg...a pathetic lead character so richly drawn!

The Idiot started off very promising. In fact, I still regard the first chapter as my favorite first chapter ever! But the long, drawn-out lectures given my some of the characters slows the story down too much. At least for me they did. (Perhaps that's the book's whole point...?)

Hmm. At what point in the storyline are you?

SusannaW wrote: "Ok, I finally decided to give Dostoevsky a go. I love 19th Century lit and love Balzac & Zola. I had such high hopes for C&P... but a few chapters in and I'm bored stiff.

At the moment it ..."

I remember reading it straight through the first time I picked it up. I think you're either hooked from the start, or Dostoevsky is not your cup of tea. Peter Falk modeled "Columbo" after the detective in Crime and Punishment (or so I've heard). Maybe that will help get you into it.

I loved the whole thing and was hooked from the start too. It is very existential. My guess is - if it isn't drawing you in early on, it probably won't.

The first part does drag, but gets better when the...oops...occurs.

Everything before the epilogue is brilliant. What's not to like about the courage/insanity to transcend mere morality only to be sucked back in by your own inner conflict/demons/angels. Its an existential implosion.

Loved the work. Only wished Dostoevsky had the courage not to tack on that awful epilogue.
My 2 cents.

I was hooked from word one, but Dostoevsky is my favorite. Maybe try reading some of his shorter works, like the infectious The Gambler or Notes from Underground, to get a feel for him, or try a different translation that vibes more with you. Just please don't toss it aside, this book is worth sticking through as it will stick with you forever.

When Raskolnikov goes to jail

Well. I loved it from the first page so I guess if you don't like it now you probably won't afterwards. It could be the translations.I read it in polish & translation was fantastic.
The book I could never "make" myself to read was The Master and Margarita by Mikhail Bulgakov.

Soon he´ll whack the old lady in the head with an axe, her sister will show up and he´ll get her too. After that its pretty exciting.

I loved the book. It was my first classic novel and I picked it up in English even though I am not a native English speaker (lets just say it was really cheap).

For the first few pages, I was still a little unused to reading English, but it got better after a little while.

The book was very interesting from the first page on. But the first big 'wow' effect came when he went to the old ladies apartment and the paragraph when he rings the bell, was awesome. I think I read it a few times and even got back to reading this one a few times. Dostoyevsky is simply awesome!

I have read the book at four different times in my life. The first time when I was in college. The four time was when I turned 50. It is my all time favorite novel.

This book has a long setup. If you can stay with it, at about 3/4 of the way through everything starts to move and you are pulled along by the plot.

Can't say I loved it from page one as some folks are saying (in fact, don't think I've ever enjoyed page one of a novel/book - not abundantly anyway) but I LOVE Dostoyevsky's ideas - his views on reality, his exploration of human nature. So futile it is (a bit like Voltaire really)! The best parts of the book are the discussions on ordinary/extraordinary - look out for those, they tie the book together wonderfully. If you miss those parts, the book will be lost to you.

I guess if Dostoyevsky doesn't grab you in the first few chapters he may never.

I've liked it from page one even if his writing style was difficult to get into at first. If you haven't liked it yet, then chances are that you probably wouldn't like that even when the actual story starts unfolding. Dostoyevsky has a very different style of writing which can be difficult to digest.
But I'd suggest you to finish reading it - in case you end up liking it. :P

For me it was just before the end that the book started making so much more sense! It took a while for the story to really kick-in. It's still worth reading though!