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Crime and Punishment (1866)

by Fyodor Dostoevsky, Fyodor Dostoyevsky, Fyodor Dostoyevsky, Fyodor Dostoyevsky

Other authors: See the other authors section.

MembersReviewsPopularityAverage ratingConversations / Mentions
43,95449238 (4.25)3 / 1011
Classic Literature. Fiction. HTML:

Fyodor Dostoevsky's Crime and Punishment is one of the world's first psychological thrillers. A mesmerizing detective story with an intriguing and multifarious central character, Crime and Punishment hinges on the ethical dilemmas and angst of the student Rodion Romanovich Raskolnikov who plans and implements the murder of a ruthless pawnbroker. Rodion convinces himself that in killing her he will both solves his financial problems and divests the world of a wicked leech. But can he commit a murder and escape all consequences?

.… (more)
  1. 250
    The Idiot by Fyodor Dostoyevsky (PrincessPaulina, zasmine)
    PrincessPaulina: "The Idiot" is overlooked compared to Dostoevsky's other work, but in my opinion it's the most engaging. Deals with upper crust society in pre-revolutionary Russia
    zasmine: For more of his social dissection
  2. 222
    Anna Karenina by Leo Tolstoy (Booksloth)
  3. 204
    The Trial by Franz Kafka (SanctiSpiritus, Kantar)
  4. 186
    The Stranger by Albert Camus (chrisharpe, DLSmithies)
    DLSmithies: A compare-and-contrast exercise - Raskolnikov is all nervous energy and hypertension, whereas Meursault is detatched, calm, and won't pretend to feel remorse. Two masterpieces.
  5. 123
    Notes from Underground by Fyodor Dostoyevsky (SanctiSpiritus, Kantar)
  6. 51
    The White Tiger by Aravind Adiga (infiniteletters)
  7. 51
    The Man Without Qualities: A Sort of Introduction; Pseudo Reality Prevails {Vol. 1 of 2} by Robert Musil (ateolf)
  8. 52
    Hunger by Knut Hamsun (ateolf)
  9. 10
    Too Late the Phalarope by Alan Paton (ubgle)
    ubgle: Another novel with the theme of a man's downfall, though you connect with the characters less than you do with Crime and Punishment.
  10. 22
    The Lost Highway by David Adams Richards (figsfromthistle)
    figsfromthistle: Both novels show the unravelling of the human conscience and the lengths the main protagonists go to convince themselves that their crime was necessary.
  11. 23
    Herzog by Saul Bellow (SanctiSpiritus)
  12. 89
    The Tell-Tale Heart and Other Writings [Bantam Classics] by Edgar Allan Poe (GCPLreader)
  13. 611
    Perfume: The Story of a Murderer by Patrick Süskind (klerulo)
    klerulo: Both these works attempt to get inside the head of singularly amoral sociopathic murderers.
AP Lit (133)
Read (1)
Wanted (2)
1860s (9)
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Showing 1-5 of 422 (next | show all)
This review may contain spoilers, so read at your own risk. This is more of my thoughts during the book rather than a traditional review. Also, I started reading this as an ebook and, halfway through, I bought a physical copy.

Starting this book, I wasn't sure what to think or what I was going into, but I really wanted to read it because it's listed as a classic and most people have read it during school, something which I didn't have the option to do.

My biggest annoyance with this book is the fact that most of the time, full names are used each time a character appears or speaks rather than just their first or last name. Given the fact that it takes me ages just to sound out the names, to begin with, it's fairly annoying having to repeat both first and last names every time that character appears.

About halfway through this book, I came to a simple conclusion: all of the men in this story are nuts. They talk on for ages and most of it is just jumbled nonsense. They're worse than a couple of old maids gossiping at the salon lol

Razumihin, for whatever reason, quickly became my favorite character. There was just something about him that drew me in, but I had to seriously rethink this the moment he met Dounia. He turned into a total neckbeard and reading it made me feel soooo uncomfortable. He definitely lost a lot of respect from me for that scene, yeesh.

Now, as stated in the beginning, I started this book as an ebook on Google Play because it was free but I hate reading digital books. It's just not the same as holding a physical copy in your hands, plus headaches, ugh. I really enjoyed this book so far, so I bought a physical copy and they seem to be quite different. The PC has been edited to make more sense and, at the time, I was faced with a choice - continue on with the digital copy which I wasn't fond of, or pick up halfway through the PC and let the cards fall where they may. I suppose both are saying the exact same thing, just in different wording, yeah? I chose the PC.

I can't stand Peter. He's so damn self-righteous and full of himself. I think he might even believe the bullshit that comes out of his mouth. Dounia can do so much better than this douchebag. It kinda sucks because I was actually rooting for him when he first made his appearance, and totally not just because I love his damn name. Peter Petrovich - beautiful name, ugly-ass man. He's the type that always has to have the last word and won't let anything go, he just keeps coming back for more.

"He failed to understand how others could not but admire him for his heroism."

I won't lie. I literally laughed out loud when I read this damn line. The NERVE of this man! He has such a god complex. Even thinking about it now, I'm trying not to laugh.

Now, I'm not sure if there's anything wrong with Rodia, if there is any, but I get the feeling that maybe he's depressed or feeling anxious. Then again, he's under a lot of stress so maybe it's not a disorder and it's just stress. Either way, I feel for him. I really fell for this character.

And can I just mention how fucking suspicious Porfiry is?? I honestly can't tell if he's being genuine or playing cat-and-mouse with Rodia and it makes me uncomfortable. It feels like the Cheshire cat swatting at a mouse. I don't know if he suspects him or if he's just weird and I know it's stressing Rodia out because it's stressing ME out by reading it.

There's a couple times when the story shifts to focus on people other than Rodia and when it does, it becomes so boring for me to read, like a chore I'm forcing myself to do that I'd rather avoid. It's strange because I feel super invested when Rodia is the center focus but the side characters, at least the ones chosen, I have no love for and I just don't care about them. By the way, Katherine is a total fucking bitch and I can't stand her. She reminds of me of Mean Girls 50 Years Later. Those poor kids, man.

I actually didn't hate Svidrigailov when he first appeared. I thought he was quirky and interesting, but my god. When he started talking about his 16-year-old fiance, I felt so creeped out. The way he talked about her and knowing how young she is, it was so fucking creepy. Now I can't think about anything else when he appears. Plus, his name is used so many damn times I found myself repeating his name in my head like a random song that starts playing in your head for no reason. So thanks for that, I guess.

Aaaaand his creepiness just hit the fucking roof when he tried to take advantage of Dounia! What the fuck, man. I would have been so pissed if he hurt her. His only redeeming quality is the fact that he let her go without hurting her. I mean, yeah he's being super generous with his money which is praise-worthy but that doesn't forgive the shitty way he acts and treats people. He could give away a lifetime of fortune but he'd still be a fuckin' creep.

"He began to undress her."

Reading this line while following his storyline made me feel sick to my stomach and my mind immediately went to the worse (as it typically does). I had a feeling he was going to kill himself, but I wasn't sure if the book was going to take that turn or not, but it did. Damn.

When it came to Pulcheria's death, that really struck my heart hard, I almost started crying. She was so distraught without even knowing the full extent of the situation. Maybe it was worse because she didn't know and her mind was able to run wild. That poor woman, may she rest in peace ='(

So, the physical copy of this book came with an Afterword by Robin Feuer Miller and he asks a few questions that I'd like to try and answer.

Q) Is this the ending to the novel that you expected?

Honestly, I wasn't sure what to expect with the ending. If I had to guess, I would have leaned more toward the side that he would keep holding the secret as opposed to turning himself in.

Q) Did the narrative tone of the epilogue jar you?

I didn't even really notice a difference, to be honest. It just felt more... rushed and jumbled together but I guess that makes sense since the story was officially over. It was just a kind of TL;DR of what happened after he turned himself in.

Q) Now that you have finished this novel, do you know why Raskolnikov committed his crimes? Has he really repented of them?

I don't. I don't think anyone can know for sure without walking in his shoes. Personally, I feel like he committed the murder, not for money, but because he wanted to see if he could get away with it. I want to believe he repented because I really do love him, but the pessimist in me says he doesn't and probably never will. He doesn't regret his choice and he would probably do it again if he had the chance to rewind time.

Q) Has he changed much from the character that he was at the beginning? If so, at what point did this change occur?

I feel like he changed a couple of times. He seemed fairly normal and relaxed at the beginning, but he quickly started to spiral into madness with emotions running high and he became super irritable, like a grumpy old man. The smallest thing would set him off. But then, when the time came, he started to show a bit of who he really is deep down, I think - the soft, caring Rodia as he hugged his mother. I feel like this is his true self, a warm caring man that he hides heavily behind moodiness and by shoving people away. Then I feel like he became super cold during the Epilogue like he was trying to pretend he had no feelings. Finally, in the very last portion of the Epilogue, it's like he became a whole new person. Like, he WAS a new person, it was strange.

Q) Why did you first decide to read this particular novel? What kept you reading it?

I chose to read this book because 1, it was free and 2, it's a classic. Lots of people have mentioned/praised this book, or have been forced to read it in school. Since I never got that opportunity and it was free, I decided to give it a shot.

Overall, I enjoyed this book and got really attached to the main character and his story, though I don't think it hit me as hard as it was meant to because I'm not very smart lol Most of it went over my head in terms of politics and psychology. ( )
  AnnoyingTiger888 | Feb 19, 2024 |
jo-der ( )
  seralv04 | Feb 14, 2024 |
The complexity, yet simplicity of the act and it was done. Dostoevsky weaves together the world of Raskolnikov, a destitute former law student who wanders through the vibrant slum district of St. Petersburg, when news reaches him of his family's situation. This further degradation is unbearable, and through impulsive and passionate tension, the act ...is done.
But all actions have consequences, and ones that affect more than just Raskolnikov.
What follows next, is a grand dance with a host of characters, with each their own lives and thoughts entwined in this story as Porfiry Petrovich tries to uncover who could've committed such a heinous act, while Sofia Marmeladova (Sonya) tries to find her own path despite being the daughter of a drunkard and forced into prostitution.

Dostoevsky delivers a psychological read that showcases a variety of characters of both spectrums on the scale of morality, each unique in their characterizations with their own thoughts and goals, and all influenced no matter how large or small, by the act that Rodion Raskolnikov commits very early on in the novel. 4.5 stars out of 5 ( )
  NobleHouseLibrary | Jan 27, 2024 |
“To go wrong in one’s own way is better than to go right in someone else’s.”

I read this book without any anticipation yet it is one of my best read in 2022. I found the characters are all peculiar especially Rodion Romanovich Raskolnikov, which turns out have a strange idea about extraordinary men in life. And while we deal with his strange ideas, Dostoevsky used the other characters to depicts about crimes in general, such as when Porfiry Petrovitch believes the environment influences the crime and Razumihin is against it. Razumihin believes if society is normally functioning then human nature would never be recognized, and there will be no living soul left. Those moral compass of Raskolnikov was surely different than everyone around him, yet it’s possible to have that meaningless ideas. He believes that he did a good thing for the society by taking the pawnbroker’s life especially knowing the daughter of his acquintances, Marmeladov, chose to be a prostitute in order to fulfil their daily needs. His anger was boiled more when he knew his sister, Avdotya Romanovna Raskolnikov, was about to get married in the sake of their family’s financial status.

“You can’t skip over nature by logic.”

The villain of this story is Pyotr Petrovich Luzhin, the man that was about to be married with Dounia in order to make their life better. But from the very first time our protagonist met him, they have an opposite ideas, not only in general but in a specific way such as the way they see Dounia. Raskolnikov wants only happiness for his sister, yet Luzhin have other idea. He believes that in marriage, the wife should owes money from the husband so they have no power. For derogating women, Luzhin pays his karma.

“To beg her tears again?”

Sonia Semyonovich Marmeladov is the heroine of this story. Comes from a shady background, lives in despair yet believes she still has some good deeds even though she’s a sinner, Dostoevsky put a quite charming and warming love story between Raskolnikov and Sonia. She accepts him for whoever he is, without any prejudice and pestering him about faith. ( )
  awwarma | Jan 24, 2024 |
Certainly the most dramatic novel ever written. I loved it. ( )
  MylesKesten | Jan 23, 2024 |
Showing 1-5 of 422 (next | show all)

» Add other authors (178 possible)

Author nameRoleType of authorWork?Status
Dostoevsky, Fyodorprimary authorall editionsconfirmed
Fyodor Dostoyevskymain authorall editionsconfirmed
Fyodor Dostoyevskymain authorall editionsconfirmed
Fyodor Dostoyevskymain authorall editionsconfirmed
Batchelor, PeterNarratorsecondary authorsome editionsconfirmed
Björkegren, HansTranslatorsecondary authorsome editionsconfirmed
Borja, CorinneIllustratorsecondary authorsome editionsconfirmed
Borja, RobertIllustratorsecondary authorsome editionsconfirmed
Brockway, HarryIllustratorsecondary authorsome editionsconfirmed
Brodal, JanTranslatorsecondary authorsome editionsconfirmed
Canon, Raymond R.Introductionsecondary authorsome editionsconfirmed
Coulson, JessieTranslatorsecondary authorsome editionsconfirmed
Eggink, ClaraEditorsecondary authorsome editionsconfirmed
Eichenberg, FritzIllustratorsecondary authorsome editionsconfirmed
Garnett, ConstanceTranslatorsecondary authorsome editionsconfirmed
Geier, SwetlanaTranslatorsecondary authorsome editionsconfirmed
Guidall, GeorgeNarratorsecondary authorsome editionsconfirmed
Heald, AnthonyNarratorsecondary authorsome editionsconfirmed
Hoffmann, RichardTranslatorsecondary authorsome editionsconfirmed
Hollo, J. A.Translatorsecondary authorsome editionsconfirmed
Jullian, PhilippeIllustratorsecondary authorsome editionsconfirmed
Katzer, JuliusTranslatorsecondary authorsome editionsconfirmed
Konkka, JuhaniTranslatorsecondary authorsome editionsconfirmed
Kropotkin, AlexandraTranslatorsecondary authorsome editionsconfirmed
Kuukasjärvi, OlliTranslatorsecondary authorsome editionsconfirmed
Lazar, ZoharCover artistsecondary authorsome editionsconfirmed
Magarshack, DavidTranslatorsecondary authorsome editionsconfirmed
Manger, HermienTranslatorsecondary authorsome editionsconfirmed
McKean, DaveIllustratorsecondary authorsome editionsconfirmed
Meijer, JanTranslatorsecondary authorsome editionsconfirmed
Meyer, PriscillaIntroductionsecondary authorsome editionsconfirmed
Pampaloni, Genosecondary authorsome editionsconfirmed
Pevear, RichardTranslatorsecondary authorsome editionsconfirmed
Prina, SerenaEditor and Translatorsecondary authorsome editionsconfirmed
Ready, OliverTranslatorsecondary authorsome editionsconfirmed
Reedijk, LourensTranslatorsecondary authorsome editionsconfirmed
Rydelius, EllenTranslatorsecondary authorsome editionsconfirmed
Scammell, MichaelTranslatorsecondary authorsome editionsconfirmed
Volokhonsky, LarissaTranslatorsecondary authorsome editionsconfirmed
Vuori, M.Translatorsecondary authorsome editionsconfirmed

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On an exceptionally hot evening early in July a young man came out of the garret in which he lodged in S. Place and walked slowly, as though in hesitation, towards K. bridge. (Garnett translation)
Toward the end of a sultry afternoon early in July a young man came out of his little room in Stolyarny Lane and turned slowly and somewhat irresolutely in the direction of Kamenny Bridge. (Coulson translation)
On a very hot evening at the beginning of July a young man left his little room at the top of a house in Carpenter Lane, went out into the street, and, as though unable to make up his mind, walked slowly in the direction of Kokushkin Bridge.
At the beginning of July, during an extremely hot spell, towards evening, a young man left the closet he rented from tenants in S____y Lane, walked out to the street, and slowly, as if indecisively, headed for the K______n Bridge. (Pevear and Volokhonsky translation)
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The original Russian title is “Преступление и наказание”.
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Classic Literature. Fiction. HTML:

Fyodor Dostoevsky's Crime and Punishment is one of the world's first psychological thrillers. A mesmerizing detective story with an intriguing and multifarious central character, Crime and Punishment hinges on the ethical dilemmas and angst of the student Rodion Romanovich Raskolnikov who plans and implements the murder of a ruthless pawnbroker. Rodion convinces himself that in killing her he will both solves his financial problems and divests the world of a wicked leech. But can he commit a murder and escape all consequences?

.

No library descriptions found.

Book description
When Raskolnikov, an impoverished student living in the St. Petersburg of the tsars, commits an act of murder and theft, he sets into motion a story that is almost unequalled in world literature for its excruciating suspense, its atmospheric vividness, and its depth of characterization and vision. Dostoevsky’s drama of sin, guilt, and redemption transforms the sordid story of an old woman’s murder into the nineteenth century’s profoundest and most compelling philosophical novel.
Haiku summary
Student with an axe:
Napoleon or madman?
Siberian gaol.

(Michael.Rimmer)
Good boy gone bad in

this novel: comic version

removes most drama.

(legallypuzzled)
Young murderer
Meets pious prostitute
No hilarity
(starwing)

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Penguin Australia

2 editions of this book were published by Penguin Australia.

Editions: 0451530063, 0140449132

Urban Romantics

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Tantor Media

An edition of this book was published by Tantor Media.

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