Hurrah for Karamazov!

I just finished Dostoevsky’s brilliant Brothers Karamazov. Maybe reading it while actually in Russia, having experienced Russia for a few weeks, weighted its influence, but as I listened, again and again I said to myself, I’ll reread this. I’ll read this book over and over, and it will affect me deeper every time.

ReliantK kept running through my head. Their song Forgiven is the perfect playlist for Brothers.

I could quote endlessly: the devil segment! “I did give away an onion.” Ivan’s famous poem. "If I forget thee, Jerusalem..." Lovely, lovely, lovely.

Tolstoy may have woven epic dramas for his characters in War and Peace, but here Dostoyevsky probes the heart.

And if Austen fans think Jane was any sort of pioneer with her fluttery mothers, they’ve never met Madame Hohlakov. That woman!

4 comments:

Anonymous said...

You've convinced me to give it a try! It's been intimidating me for a while now.

Noël De Vries said...

Audible has a really great version. Listening to the proper way the names and places are pronounced really enhanced my experience. And it spurs you on in dry spots where your eyes might have glazed ... plus, you can listen while washing the dishes!

Good luck!

hopeinbrazil said...

I found your review through the Semicolon Saturday Book Review. I hope to give that book a try. I'm impressed with your list of heroes. Many them are mine too.

Noël De Vries said...

Thanks for stopping by, Hope. Good luck with Brothers. Glad to meet another Nesbit fan anytime. I've skimmed her Book of Dragons, but not read it through...

Brilliant profile photo, btw!