Crime and Punishment (Everyman's Library)

I wasn’t sure if I would be able to get through this classic but the accolades given to the translators gave me the courage to give it a shot.Beware if you are not used to reading a slow moving and highly descriptive book. An avid reader interested in the classics will find this translation delightful but in the Twitter age many no doubt will drop off and lose interest. However, if your even reading this review and thinking of reading this classic then you’re probably a regular book reader. Nonetheless, just a warning more modern readers to be ready.For me, it was a bit challenging to keep the characters straight at times. Sometimes their proper name was used, other times their nickname. And there are quite a few characters and the Russian names made it a bit more difficult to track who was who. If you find yourself stalling as you read because of this, I recommend to keep moving otherwise you may get frustrated. It keeps it more fun and also there is a profound question/insight that is brought up by the main character that was fascinating. I won’t reveal and spoil it.If you’ve never read this book or tried in school back in the day but it made no sense, this translation may be the best for English speakers.

What can I add about this long-time magnificent novel "Crime and Punishment"? Written back in 1866, it is still very relevant and very "contemporary" because it is about you, him, her, and I; it is about humans and human nature. It is about wealth and about abject poverty. It is about selfishness; and about selflessness and sacrifices. It is about darkness; and it is about a bright new day after the darkest of the nights. This great novel is deeply psychological, but can easily be understood and appreciated if you are interested in human nature, its complexities, and the philosophy of good and evil. It is not just about Crime or about Punishment. The writing style may seem little odd, but I found it very interesting and engaging. Though a very serious and overall "sad" novel, it has an occasional small dose of quality humor as well. Richard Pevear’s translation is smooth, and it makes this great novel accessible and available to all who can read English.About this edition:"Everyman's Library" edition (hardcover) is so beautiful, and so majestic that I ordered a few other classics published by them. They all look great on my book-shelf while I plan to read them one great classic novel at a time.It is a long novel, but very absorbing and totally engaging.Dostoyevsky was indeed a genius writer, and an exceptionally skilled story-teller.I assure you that every second of your precious time reading it is totally worth it.Try it if you haven't yet....

Book arrived in good condition, with the cover slightly bent, but all in all it was sold at a good price and arrived early.

It is easy to see why this is considered classic Russian literature. The book does an excellent job bonding you with the main character, Raskolnikov. The narrative keeps you with him even though you fundamentally disagree with many of the ideas Raskolnikov begins to contend with. There are great themes and ideas such as "Morality for most people is really cowardice in disguise".The great part about the book is by the end of it, Dostoevsky completely undresses some of the central ideas that Raskolnikov has that causes him to commit his crime. Such as the idea that there are a select few people who are above morality and may shed blood without bias.I will definitely be rereading this book at multiple points in my life, there are countless parallels and bits of psychology that I know I am not smart enough to pick up my first time through.

Dostoyevsky's "Crime and Punishment" is a classic for a reason. It draws you in with a set of inter-woven stories and well-developed characters that really are reminiscent of something written by Charles Dickens.But "Crime and Punishment" certainly isn't Dickens. I've heard people say that reading Dostoyevsky is like having a disease or decending into hell. I'm pretty sure I wouldn't go that far, but Dostoyevsky brilliantly places you inside the mind of a man who is undergoing the most agonizing kind of psychological suffering and holds you there for the duration of the book. You literally become Dostoyevsky's character. Given his circumstances, it is a less than pleasant experience.Dostoyevsky's work also captures the Russian political debates of the late 19th Century and that uniquely Russian philosophy of the virtue of enduring suffering.This is a book that you can't put down, but at the same time, can't wait for it to end. What a statement that is for its author, who has captured the inner world of the mind of a man who has gone badly off course and is paying the inevitable price.Highly recommended.