When I first opened this book I was afraid, afraid because of how big a classic it is, because I'd never read Dostoevsky before and because there was the faint possibility of me not liking it.

All my trepidation was unjustified, on this wonderfully conceived masterpiece, Dostoevsky shows how great a storyteller he is, building a wide range of characters that are both complex and real, displaying great insight into human nature and meticulously developing and carrying the plot to its climax.

But it's not perfect, but, then again, nothing is, the mostly lengthy and wordy dialogs feel more like a collection of monologues, than, well, dialogs, which is, although Dostoevsky manages to keep a constant tension to the bulk of them, a little irritating and unrealistic.

This is an awesome book! It is not an easy read, but it rewards close reading. It's about a struggling Russian college student named Raskolnikov, who decides to kill a certain old moneylender (and a nearby witness) just to see if he can get away with it, and also to take her valuables so that he can cash them in at a later time.

But he is haunted by feelings of guilt and paranoia. His faithful friends and family are unaware of his heinous crimes. They shower the sickly Raskolnikov with unconditional love and acceptance, and it makes him even sicker with guilt. He can hardly keep from discussing the crimes with others, and it rouses the suspicions of the police.

The book is more or less a commentary on Psalm 32, with its timeless expression of guilt and release. It is also a commentary on the Lazarus story of John chapter 11 from the New Testament.

The book puts you inside the mind and heart of a criminal, and it will stay with you long after the last page is read. One of the greatest books of all time.

So let me ask a question in a primitive, modern way...

Is this damn thing any good? Uh, yeah.

Fyodor's novel is called one of the greatest ever written for a reason. It is a masterful work, filled with suspense, fascinating characters, great atmosphere, intelligent dialogue, twists and turns, and a great, satisfying ending. It is a true cerebral novel, one that really emulates Dostoyevsky's outlook on life and art itself. Raskolnikov is one of the most fascinating, well known characters in all of literature, and even to this day, he is still talked about and discussed. This book, along with Notes from the Underground, are my favorite Dostoyevsky novels.

I also love this book because it shreds the idea of Nietzsche's "superman" ideal. Many have grossly misinterpreted Dostoyevsky's attitude towards Raskolnikov. Some make the argument that he is a model of the Nietzschian superman. Raskolnikov certainly acts like the "superman", thinking that since he has a superior intellect that that entitles him to, essentially, shred off the chains of the morality that governs others, and that he is free to do what he wishes, as the laws of "lesser men" don't apply to him. Fyodor, however, does not agree with this and shows that it is a false assumption that intelligent people make when they believe they are superior to anyone. We can argue the wider point that the Nietzschian superman isn't a superman at all, but an arrogant, deluded man who puts himself above everyone because he believes he is superior to everyone. Raskolnikov is exactly like this, until reality and Sonia make him realise that he isn't the Superman at all, just another human being, and a deeply human one at that. I believe many people who interpret Dostoyevsky as "pro-Superman" (in the Nietzsche sense, not the Marvel Comics one) are simply putting their own personal beliefs on Dostoyevsky's prose, and are not looking at the novel with clear and thoughtful eyes.

This is a wonderful novel, one of the greatest ever written, and one that can be revisited again and again.

I don't think any book creates the inner tension like this one. This and Brothers Karamzov are must reads of FD.

Fyodor Dostoevsky (1821-1880) is along with Count Leo Tolstoy the greatest Russian novelist His study of criminal mind is without peer in world literature.
"Crime and Punishment" (1866) is set in Saint Petersburg located on the Neva River near the Finnish border. This fog enshrouded capital of Peter the Great is the site of the murder story. A young, penniless former law student Rodion Raskolnikov is a scholastic dropout who spends his days in the squalor of a small apartment in the slums. He has been imbued with the philosophy of Nietzche and the nihilism which were popular beliefs nineteenth century Russian intellectual circles. Raskolnikov believes he is superior to the vast majority of humankind. To implement this hubristic stance he decides to kill a greedy pawnbroker. He kills the old lady and her sister with an ax. He robs them and believes he will never be punished for the crime.
In addition to this major story we meet Raskolnikov's sister who has been seduced by a rich aristocrat and is living at home with their mother. We also meet the saint-like Sonya a poor girl forced into prostitution as a means to feed her starving family. All of the major characters are undergoing poverty, illness and suffering through their tormented lives. Countless pages of the long novel deal with their various philosophies concerning life, the fate of Russia and the Christian gospel's relevance and importance in modern life.
The novel ends with hope as Raskolnikov repents of his crimes; is sentenced to eight years in Siberia and wins the love of the prostitute Sonya. Dostoevsky is adept at exploring the minid of his characters. His descriptions of St. Petersburg life are detailed bringing his tale to life.
This is a pyschological novel which has influenced the course of the introspective novel of the twentieth century. Dostoevsky had been banished to Siberia and understood human suffering perhaps better than any major novelist. It was refreshing to this reviewer that the novel is written from a Christian perspective giving sinners home for forgiveness through the grace of Jesus Christ.
Due to the long Russian names, the complicated plot and the number of characters the book is not an easy read. It is, however, worthy of your time and attention. Dostoevsky is an author well worth knowing. The book can be read and re-read throughout life with profit to the reader. It is a spiritual odyssesy through the rings of hell culminating in the joy experienced by earthly and heavenly love.

Brilliant book. I just got done reading "Pillars of the Earth" and read the glowing reviews so I am writing this review just to get the bad taste out of my mouth.

Also, how can people give this book 1 star? Are you kidding. Please stick with television if you think this book is anything but sublime.

The author draws you in slowly, cunningly, and with great precision. Never have I read a novel where the characters are so real. It's as if the author is painting a masterpiece from the impressionist period. The author has exclaimed on paper what every man feels. Every man believes what they feel, no other man has felt or shared. The author has made human the emotions between good and evil, light, and darkness, shallowness, and depth, depravity, and fortitude.

The author has also illuminated and underscored the premise that to suffer, is good. He is right. Would Spring be so welcome if we had no Winter? The guile the author gives the characters is amazing considering this is a novel of the 19th century. That said, this book is such an easy read compared to the fright I had upon beginning it.

The first 50 pages of this novel are as gripping as anything Stephen King writes.

I have been trying to get my wife to read Crime and Punishment, a true masterpiece, for years with no success. So I thought let's try this CD as she listens to books-on-CD during her commute - well it worked and she loved the CDs and said it was like the speaker was acting out the parts not merely reading them, so it clearly deserves 5 Stars.

I have heard of this book for years but did not think I would like it. I got it in a lot of books I bought cheap and decided to give it a try. It is the translation by Magarshack and is highly readable. What a great story! It has a little of everything: crime, social commentary, feminism, romance, intrigue, comedy, ethnicism, class wars and religion. I could not put it down! The main character murders a couple obnoxious women for their money, believing at first that he is doing society a favor, and later is tortured by guilt. Throughout several subplots, many different types of people are drawn into his life with varying degrees of intrigue and he tries desperately to hide what he has done in the midst of all of this. There is a lot of dialogue in this book but it is interesting and engaging; one is drawn into the lives of the characters and feels like they are in the room with them.

Please don't bypass this one because of its age and being a "classic". How refreshing to read an intellectual, well-written book!

I have heard of this book for years but did not think I would like it. I got it in a lot of books I bought cheap and decided to give it a try. It is the translation by Magarshack and is highly readable. What a great story! It has a little of everything: crime, social commentary, feminism, romance, intrigue, comedy, ethnicism, class wars and religion. I could not put it down! The main character murders a couple women for their money and is tortured by guilt. Throughout several subplots, many different types of people are drawn into his life with varying degrees of intrigue and he tries desperately to hide what he has done in the midst of all of this. There is a lot of dialogue in this book but it is interesting and engaging; one is drawn into the lives of the characters and feels like they are in the room with them.

Please don't bypass this one because of its age and being a "classic". How refreshing to read an intellectual, well-written book!

This book is one of my favorites... it's one I think everyone should read and give a change.

What a wonderful, or horrible, mirror to my soul. And of course, the price of all actions.

Gripping is the word. This novel grabbed me and held me in its spell from cover to cover. I found it so intense that my paperback copy is all twisted and bent, so firm was my grip upon it as I read. Gripping, indeed!
Dostoyevsky's characters are as rich and multi-layered as Shakespeare's, and his ability to get inside the mind of his main character Raskolnikov is nothing short of genius. We FEEL his guilt, we FEEL his paranoia, as Raskolnikov imagines everyone is looking at him and thinking "Murderer!" The mood is dark and gloomy throughout -- the gloominess of poverty, of murder, of guilt.
I've read countless novels -- from DeFoe to Dickens, from Twain to Tolstoy, from Hardy to Hemingway, but Crime and Punishment is far and away the greatest of them all.

Crime and Punishment is: laced in great characters, a compelling drama, a page turner, at times laugh out loud funny, an opportunity to experience Dostoyevsky in classic form, thought provoking, unpretentious and an easy to read classic. You would be doing yourself a favor to read this book.

I liked this slightly better than The Brothers Karamozov which is also one of the best books ever! The book is similar to Poe's, A Tell-Tale Heart in which a man commits a murder that absolutely nobody suspects. What becomes his undoing is only his guilty conscience.

I went into this with an open mind. I had heard of the author, of course, but never expected to read anything of his. Someone left a copy lying around. I grabbed it to have something to read while I soaked in a hot bath. The bath turned cold and I was still reading.

I'm not sophisticated enough to expound on the deeper meaning or the underlying philosophy. For me the book was simply a highly entertaining read. I couldn't put it down, as they say. I didn't want it to finish. The author created a world in which you could fully "immerse" yourself. Good reading for the bath.

I had my doubts when I started this book. One problem I had was that I bought, what I later discovered, a really awful translation. Several times durring the story I felt myself thinking "oh common, lets move this along!" It seemed like yet another book where there is a main plot that deviates into several smaller plots along the way just to "beed up" the story. I wanted to give up. Fortunately, I'm pig headed and I kept with it to the very end, and I'm glad I did. Upon finishing the book I realized just how beatifully written it actually is. It's honestly a work of art. The development of the characters and the graphic descriptions are so fantastic that I really did lose myself in it.

This book is a masterpiece. Fyodor Dostoevsky makes it so pyschological that you become the murderer and start worrying yourelf. He takes the reader in and out of the mind of a murderer and his consequences. The book is also very fast paced and doesn't lag at all, which is a plus.

The only downside is that the Signet Classic version of Crime and Punishment smears like crazy. The book is tiny itself and your thumbs have to go on the book but then it would also smear letters and make it look ugly.

Part mystery, psychological portrait, crime story, social commentary, this novel has so much to offer. One of the few classics I found truly enthralling.

Perhaps Dostoevsky is not so radical today as he was in his own time. His rather "crazy" characters are now more common in literature, but thanks in large part to him. Would we have Beckett without Dostoevsky?

The novel does have its flaws, as you can see from other reviewers. A recurring complaint is the weakness of the philosophy, and how it wasn't developed enough. But the main thing to consider is that this is the philosophy of the protagonist (not Dostoevsky's) and it is introduced mainly to add to the richness of his character. The protagonist isn't obligated to fully develop his philosophy -- unless he strikes you as the type that would do so -- and this character doesn't strike me as the type. So Dostoevsky is writing to explore the character of someone who might hold these ideas. In fact, the starting point for the novel was a similar real event.

Perhaps I'm so satisfied because it's one of the only mystery novels I've read where the characters are explored to their fullest, and illuminate human nature so well. And think about it -- a murder mystery where you know who murdered who, and roughly why, and yet it still manages to build suspense! All based on psychological exploration, and the question of if or how the murderer will be caught. I think his psychological observations and insights are why he's considered so great. He and Nietzsche paved the way for Freud, and voila, 20th century man.

If you could just add a touch of the metaphysical a la Moby Dick to this novel, you would have, in my opinion, a perfect novel. But alas, mere greatness will have to do. Part mystery, psychological portrait, crime story, social commentary, this novel has so much to offer. One of the few classics I found truly enthralling.

Perhaps Dostoevsky is not so radical today as he was in his own time. His rather "crazy" characters are now more common in literature, but thanks in large part to him. Would we have Beckett without Dostoevsky? I think not.

I've read the criticisms here. Too many digressions -- perhaps, so skim through them, you as reader have that right. Anti-semitism, troubling. Now for the philosophy -- it's not great philosophy, nor was it intended to be, Dostoevsky is on record saying as much. Besides, the philosophy is that of the protagonist (not Dostoevsky's)and is meant to add to the richness of his character. Dostoevsky is writing to explore the character of someone who might hold these ideas. In fact, the starting point for the novel was a similar real event.

Perhaps I'm so satisfied because it's one of the only mystery novels I've read where the characters are explored to their fullest, and illuminate human nature so well. And think about it -- a murder mystery where you know who murdered who, and roughly why, and yet it still manages to build suspense! All based on psychological exploration, and the question of if or how the murderer will be caught. I think his psychological observations and insights are why he's considred so great. He and Nietzsche paved the way for Freud, and voila, 20th century man.

This is a most excellent work of fiction, though it can not hold a candle to, say, The Idiot or The Brothers Karamazov. As a Dostoyevsky fan, I rank this book as number three in his best works (out of the ones I've read so far). It's amazing, but I always manage to find myself in one of his characters. I think everyone can, and perhaps that's why Dostoyevsky is considered such a great writer!

Rodion "Rodya" Raskolnikov is a Russian college student who (to put it in his best friend's words) is "morose, gloomy, proud and haughty, and of late has been suspcious and fanciful. He has a noble nature and a kind heart. He does not like showing his feelings and would rather do a cruel thing than open his heart freely. Sometimes, though, he is not morbid, but simply cold and inhumanly callous; it's as though he were alternating between two characters. He never listens to what is said to him. He is never interested in what interests other people at any given moment. He thinks very highly of himself and perhaps he is right . . ."

This last part is probably the most true. Rodya thinks so highly about himself that he has written an article titled "Crime" in which a theory on the Extraordinary Man claims The Extraordinary Man, according to Rodya, has the full right to commit any crime he wishes and get away with it granted, of course, that the crime is aimed at improving the human race and society at large.

Rodya is so convinced that he's an Extraordinary Man that he sets out to prove it by commiting a murder. He so happens to know a cruel old woman who gives loans in exchange for collateral. She is very smart but unkind and abuses her younger sister constantly. Rodya sees the world as a much better place without her and sets out to "cross the boundaries that the Ordianry Man will not cross."

what can be said this is a very dark story full of pain and sorrow. But it is a beautifully written story of Russia and its common people. A must read for all lovers of great lititure.

In this most excellent work, Dostoyevsky handily delivers us into a fascinating period of enclave urban Russian culture. I've read everything I can find in terms of Russian literature (and all other literature too!) and the writing and story in this one is just tops.

Of course, it's a story of crime but, maybe more importantly, it's an account of how human rebellion against the unjust facets of flawed leadership can culminate in tragedy for the masses and for individuals. We also get an historic peep at how anarchist and like philosophies of the period all over Europe may have been sparked.

As far as gratification for the reader goes, thanks to a shrewdly-placed epilogue, most of us are sated with an ending which we can all live with. The book is not entirely about human misery, though -- there are long moments of hope and even some intermittent humor. My favorite character of the entire work is the loveable scoundrel, Marmeladov.

So, what is the story about? The principal character, a dour, poor, off-and-on scholarly student by the dubious name of Raskalnikov (in English, it's wonderfully ironic that this name closely resembles the word "rascal"!), perhaps as a result of an entire life of pure misery, mentally evolves two demented ideas: the first is that, for certain "great leaders" (e.g., Napoleon), it's really a matter of destiny that they might, along their rise to power, kill off some of the insignificants of the world, and this is acceptable if it ultimately leads to a positive, (or even negative), notable conclusion. Raskalnikov's second idea is that he might just BE one of these fated Napoleons and, in his own rise to right all the injustices around his poverty-stricken environment, he is faced with killing a very nasty old woman whose primary offense against her peers is unscrupulous "usury" -- she's the local pawnbroker. The old woman also grossly mistreats her half-witted half sister who is clearly a decent person, and so Dostoyevsky makes it easy for all of us to hate her adequately to be coshed in the forehead with the back of a shrewdly-wielded hatchet. And it's no spoiler to say that Raskalnikov DOES murder the old woman in just that manner. BUT, an UNFORTUNATE CAVEAT immediately follows this case of "somewhat-justified homicide" in Raskalnikov's not-so-well-thought-out plan and THAT is what really gives rise to, and further fuels, the main story. The ensueing pages detail Raskalnikov's mental wrestlings with himself, his family, his friends, his enemies, and with one very shrewd "homicide detective" (examining magistrate) who is clearly and quite literally a "proto-Columbo," and notably hilarious in his own mild-mannered way.

There are multiple sub-plots as well, all of which yield ethical "flavours" and elements. In the end, the reader is rewarded with much more than s/he pays for to say the least, and will find this master-work of literature to be just a darn good read, albeit just a little depressing at particular moments. I say it's a "Must-Read."

Acquire it, read it, and keep it in the bookcase for a re-read!

grandson has an interest in Russia and introducing him to one of its authors.

I've read this novel four times now, and it grows in strength each time. I only award it four stars because there is, presumably, a five-star novel out there existing in the minds of the Olympians. The only more perfect novel I can think of is Gustave Flabuert's "Madame Bovary."

Let me say this about my first reading of "Crime & Punishment." It was my senior year of high school. My teacher, Harriet Balle of University City High School in San Diego, was largely a waste of time in terms of her ability to teach us anything useful about the book. Fortunately, she had the good taste to recognize Dostoevsky as a author worthy of teaching to 12th-graders.

Upon starting the book at the time -- keep in mind I had read most of Shakespeare's plays, Graham Greene's "Power and the Glory," as well as Solzhenitsyn's "The First Circle" -- I thought it an immense waste of time. In fact, I can honestly say that I read through the bulk of its 400 plus pages without batting much of an eye until the very end, when Raskolnikov, such a [..]through most of it, suddenly begs the forgiveness of Sonya, the prostitute.

That's when I wanted to get down on the floor myself. It was quite unlike any other sensation I've ever experienced before or since, and no other art form has ever produced it in me. It was a "riding to Damascus" experience, and I, like St. Paul, had suddenly been knocked off my horse.

Other Dostoevsky novels have almost, but not quite, replicated the sensation of shock that this one produced in me.

Crime and Punishment examines one man's decision to kill and his ultimate punishment for it. After one man who feels a sense of desperation (Raskolnikov) decides to kill an old pawnbroker, he delves into a realm of psychological and spiritual anguish and despair. Beforehand he concludes at points that his deed will benefit humanity, for the woman was a despicable person, but the repercussions in the aftermath, namely the isolation from several people of his life--his mother and sister, as well as his friend Razumihin--serve as an avenue to conscientiously come to terms with the act's immorality.

Dostoevsky's work creates an atmosphere which is part crime drama and part psychological thriller, but it also has deep philosophical undertones about man's existence---physically and mentally--after the most extreme of crimes. Yet the crime of killing is not the pinnacle of the story (it is committed in the early part of the book), but rather Raskolnikov's punishment, that is, his fall from the depths of society and his mental and physical sickness, that are the novel's essence. Raskolnikov not only deals with his own sense of isolation and delirium as well as the rising suspicion from several officials, but also tries to deal with the problems of his mother and sister, who come to visit him for a time.

As unsympathetic as Raskolnikov seems at points, there is also some evidence that he has a moral conscience, and this seems to bring him out of his mental stupor. Under his extreme nervous state he gives his last money to a poor family who eventually loses their father. He also feels a moral obligation to make sure his sister marries someone who is suitable, and that his mother is also taken care of. It takes him quite a deal to get to this point, and because of his agitation, he tells his friend Razumihim to go to his family and make sure they are comforted.

It is an association with another troubled character that aids the protagonist. Later in the novel, there is a spiritual connection between Raskolikov and Sonya, a girl who was forced to prostitute to support her family. Unlike Raskolikov, Sonya is deeply religious and moral, praying often and sacrificing and caring for her family and siblings, and seems to bring a healing to Raskolikov's troubled mind. Sonya, in a book rich in despicable characters, symbolizes the purity and saving grace in Raskolikov's world.

Dostoevsky's work is rich in philosophy about the nature of crime on one's conscience, this being the novel's crux. Raskolnikov's progression and the penance he must serve are not only in his own suffering, but in his experiences and observations of man's lowliness. The paramount flaw is his belief that he can escape his crime: "If he has a conscience he will suffer for his mistake. That will be punishment..." (pg. 246).

Over all, this is a complex, deep novel that makes one think; this is one of the best psychological crime novels out there, and a superbly written book.

Crime and Punishment examines one man's decision to kill and his ultimate punishment for it. After one man who feels a sense of desperation (Raskolnikov) decides to kill an old pawnbroker, he delves into a realm of psychological and spiritual anguish and despair. Beforehand he concludes at points that his deed will benefit humanity, for the woman was a despicable person, but the repercussions in the aftermath, namely the isolation from several people of his life--his mother and sister, as well as his friend Razumihin--serve as an avenue to conscientiously come to terms with the act's immorality.

Dostoevsky's work creates an atmosphere which is part crime drama and part psychological thriller, but it also has deep philosophical undertones about man's existence---physically and mentally--after the most extreme of crimes. Yet the crime of killing is not the pinnacle of the story (it is committed in the early part of the book), but rather Raskolnikov's punishment, that is, his fall from the depths of society and his mental and physical sickness, that are the novel's essence. Raskolnikov not only deals with his own sense of isolation and delirium as well as the rising suspicion from several officials, but also tries to deal with the problems of his mother and sister, who come to visit him for a time.

As unsympathetic as Raskolnikov seems at points, there is also some evidence that he has a moral conscience, and this seems to bring him out of his mental stupor. Under his extreme nervous state he gives his last money to a poor family who eventually loses their father. He also feels a moral obligation to make sure his sister marries someone who is suitable, and that his mother is also taken care of. It takes him quite a deal to get to this point, and because of his agitation, he tells his friend Razumihim to go to his family and make sure they are comforted.

It is an association with another troubled character that aids the protagonist. Later in the novel, there is a spiritual connection between Raskolikov and Sonya, a girl who was forced to prostitute to support her family. Unlike Raskolikov, Sonya is deeply religious and moral, praying often and sacrificing and caring for her family and siblings, and seems to bring a healing to Raskolikov's troubled mind. Sonya, in a book rich in despicable characters, symbolizes the purity and saving grace in Raskolikov's world.

Dostoevsky's work is rich in philosophy about the nature of crime on one's conscience, this being the novel's crux. Raskolnikov's progression and the penance he must serve are not only in his own suffering, but in his experiences and observations of man's lowliness. The paramount flaw is his belief that he can escape his crime: "If he has a conscience he will suffer for his mistake. That will be punishment..." (pg. 246).

Over all, this is a complex, deep novel that makes one think; this is one of the best psychological crime novels out there, and a superbly written book.

What can I say that hasn't been said already?
This is probably the best fictional study of the effects of guilt and radical ideas on a troubled mind. The prose is flowing, and it's not hard to see why Dostoevsky considered his novels "poems".
Dostoevsky's works in general are marred by a flaw I prefer to ignore as much as I can, and in this novel it is hardly present. Dostoesky's politics are odious, his nationalism, anti-Semitism, and anti-Polish sentiments absolutely ruined a section of The Brothers Karamazov for me and in The Gambler I felt their effect dramatically. They only crop up once in Crime and Punishment, that is when (plot spoiler coming soon) Svidrigailov is about to shoot himself, when Dostoevsky describes the Jewish guard as having "that sour look common to all members of that tribe", or something very close to those words.
All in all, I feel that Dostoevsky's politics can be excused, and prefer to focus on the positive attributes of his writing. There are many, and it isn't difficult.

After reading this book, it is very clear to me why Dostoevsky was one of the most influential writers ever. Nietzsche was in love with him, and valued his insight into the psychology of human nature. Even though I read a translation, it was still a work of brilliance. I can only imagine how great the original is.

While I have not yet had a chance to actually read the book (because of other reading obligations with grad school), the book itself appears to be in good condition.

The negative reviews of "Crime and Punishment" seem to fall into two catagories: those that found the book "boring," "full of digressions," and "not believable," and those that took issue with the underlying message, confirmed at the very end, that Christianity promises a new life for misguided souls like Raskolnikov who have been corrupted by immoral modern ideas.

I once counted myself among those who were bored with the book. Back when I was in college, it did not hold my interest and I set it aside after ten pages or so. I preferred more "realistic" novels, i.e. those that felt exactly like my small world. Fifteen years later, I found the book absorbing and insightful, but not because I thought Raskolnikov's crime and subsequent states of delerium were exactly "true-to-life" in all their specifics. I agree with those who were perplexed by Raskolnikov's erratic behavior. At times, it was tiring to follow along with his endlessly agitated moods and continual exhaustion. It seems as if he's at the end of his rope from the first page to the last. However, taking a broader view, he is a young man who rationalizes premeditated murder as a way for him and his mother and sister to escape lives dogged by humiliating poverty. His philosophical notions about crime are a smokescreen and basically immaterial - they're a mishmash of trendy ideas about 'progress' that will enable mankind to escape from 'beastly' fears. Blah, blah, Nietzsche, whatever. What really sets him off is the belief that his sister, whom he obviously loves, is forcing herself to enter a loveless marriage to a wealthy jerk so her family can get a few handouts because her brother is a loser and can't support them. So for me, the book is not about Christian values triumphing over athiestic modern philosophies, and readers who get caught up in this (very thin) thread in the novel are missing the point. I don't even care to know that Dostoevsky's religious beliefs at the time were such and such, and those ideas were simplistic, and they are evident in the novel and... therefore the novel is no good and Dostoevsky is not a great writer... Hunh? If you like fiction and appreciate fully-realized characters whose behavior--Raskolnikov's fits notwithstanding--is rooted in basic human emotions that everyone can identify with like fear, pride, love, guilt, and shame, I think you will enjoy this book. Imagine having to face your own sister after she learns that you murdered two people. The religious angle is not as prominant or as distracting as some of the reviews would lead you to believe.

As for the book's "meaningless digressions" and improbable coincidences, I felt that the author was mainly concerned with the psychological struggles going on within and among the characters and that he stuck to that theme unwaveringly. I read that the published version was 'cut down considerably' from the serialized version by Dostoevsky himself, and I never had the sinking feeling that he was stretching the soup just to fill pages. It's not a sleek modern detective story. It's about people. Admittedly, there were a few 'chance' meetings that felt contrived, but nothing really incredible that made you lose faith in plot--and they usually served to heighten the drama.

Here's a teaser: "Generally speaking, Mr Luzhin belonged to the class of people who are apparently extremely courteous in society, and indeed extremely anxious to be courteous, but who, if anything should happen to upset them, immediately lose all their airs and graces and become more like sacks of flour than breezy gentlemen whose very presence brings a breath of fresh air into society." Nice, right?

In the story of Raskolnikov , a young student in Petersburg who commits a double murder,Dostoevsky explores the themes of guilt and redemption. Raskolnikov is driven to the point of madness by his awareness of what he's done and his expectation that he will be exposed at any moment.

As he falls deeper into his delusional state the novel's suspense is created by the anticipation of his being caught. He is suspected by a detective who uses very subtle techniques(think - Columbo) to slowly confirm his suspicion and the interaction between the two of them provide some of the more tense and poignant moments in the book.

There are many other well realized characters in the novel including Raskonikov's mother and sister, his close friend and a young poverty stricken girl who turns to prostitution out of desperation.

Crime and Punishment is a challenging novel and as with much 19th century literature it is extraordinarily detailed in Dostoevsky's descriptions of both characters and settings. I was drawn in and wanted to finish this but I must admit there were a few sections where I almost set it aside.
Persistance paid off because I consider this a very rewarding read and time well spent.

When I read the Constance Garnett translation of this novel 15 years ago, it became on of my favorites. But when I was reading the Larissa Volokhonsky, Richard Pevear translation I had trouble staying with the book for any length of time. So I switched to the David McDuff translation and I really began to enjoy the book again.
I just think that Volokhonsky and Pevear don't write english very well. Frankly, there are frequent times when their translations make no sense at all. There was a big marketing effort behind the publications of their translations, and I bought into it. I liked the blurbs on the back covers, and tried reading some of their russian translations. But once I got into the habit of comparing translations, I saw that McDuff, Jessie Coulson, and others write much more readable translations.
These books aren't easy to get through; and I would hate to see someone discouraged by a poor translation. I recommend comparing one paragraph in two translations if you can. You'll notice the difference, and be able to pick out the translation that's right for you.

Dostoevsky is one of the best. Some people get a little lost with his philosophy but I find him very insightful. Often I see his ideas in todays movies and TV shows. He has had a bigger impact with his writing then many people realise. I would rate this his second best surpased only by "The Brothers Karamazov". I read this book twice.

Be sure to get this particular translation because it is the best by far. I skimmed across a couple others before I went with this, and it makes a difference.

I loved this book. I couldn't put it down. It is one of the most intense books I've ever read. It totally draws you into the psyche of the character and have you pondering on those questions of morality. It makes you realize there is no clear cut line of good and evil.

I don't want to split hairs here, but it just seems odd to me that the previous reviewer thought that the philosophical exploration in Crime and Punishment was somehow to be found in Rascalnikov, an obvious experimental protagonist like unto the lead revolutionary in The Devils, but by no means the philosophical key and insight into the mind and values of Dostoyevsky (the phrase, "Great literature, mediocre philosophy," is what sticks out at me). If this comes from teaching highschool or middle school, then I truly sympathize.

The police investigator, a marginal character, really, speaks a line way into the novel, after the murder of the landlord and the investigation is well under way, that pierces through the pages of the book and spells it out for us (at least it did for me): "Be the sun, and all will see you!" This line, in one sentence, spells out the author's true life-revelation and philosophy at that point, I think, if any can be said to exist in the book. It says be honest and open and loving and repenting of things you are not proud of (and eager to be something that others can be proud of?). It's one of those lines that are what make Dostoyevsky a master of philosophical fiction, like in the Grand Inquisitor's dialogue with Jesus. He takes you to a point where you are right with him and abbreviated dialogue are all that is required, if you are even paying attention. (Is this sounding too indignant?) That was just so obvious to me (even if I hadn't taken a college class on Dostoyevsky's entire oeuvre). This is born out by his many other novels and short stories. Pretty boring factoid, really, but one I thought worth pointing out to the previous reviewer. I think it is safe to say that the most poignant and revelatory utterance of the book outweighs the nervous ramblings of the protagonist, which is not a devout Russian Orthodox, as was Dostoyevsky, btw (that was such a big clue to most Literature buffs, I would imagine...).

The whole "fighting modernism" thing of extreme political movements only starting to get roused in his day (like would later blow up into fullblown, black-booted isms like Communism, Nazism, and Italian Fascism) was a phenomenon that concerned their precursor, Dostoyevsky, a great deal, probably more than would be popular to speak about today, not for being a reactionary as often charged, however, but more for seeming to go against the grain of proletarian sympathies. Maybe the key here is to remember that the Cultural Revolution of Mao, and the book 1984, both come after Dostoyevsky. I think this is the kind of image of the revolutionary that Dostoyevsky may have had in mind. In this way he is something of a prophet (and I have not heard this angle frequently taken up, oddly). This comes out in The Devils, not his best, but easily his most politically insightful, where he almost spells out his distaste for politically-born, "above the masses" morality (as if that even makes any sense). Nietzschean figure though he does cut (Rascalnikov), I knew that he predated Nietzsche when I read it, and, even though I had already started reading up in my philosophy classes on Frederich by then, it never really struck me as a true likeness. Nietzsche is such a searching experimental outcast looking for his true calling (later possibly found in the quest for "Truth"), often over-committed and infrequently sold on action. This is completely unlike Dostoyevsky, who, by the time of the writing of Crime and Punishment, had long ago made more Christian and idealistic commitments that solidified in his stint as a political exile in Siberia.

(Is it bad to start to feel yourself becoming the Amazon.com review police?)

Crime and Punishment happens to be the first Dostoevsky novel I've read, but it certainly won't be my last. I was engrossed in this book from the first page until the last.

The books begins with Rodion Romanovich Raskolnikov, the character who's path we will follow from the beginning till end. He isn't the classic hero--he's actually quite far from it. He is an impoverished student of the young age of 23, barely surviving. His clothes are torn and ragged; he rarely eats... He is at war with himself over whether he should go through with *it*. This thing, this theory, will decide who he is. Raskolnikov aspires to be a great man, and is a great admirer of Napolean Bonaparte. He wishes to be one of the great revolutionaries of his time, to do great good to society. But then we learn that this thing, this "it" is the murder of an old, wretched woman. This will be the first step, the first act. With the old woman's wealth he wishes to begin...

...But he only succeeds in part--and from there things go quite awry. This is the real point at which the novel settles in for a good, consistent pace. Ras. falls into delirium, his mother, Pulkheria Aleksandrovna, and sister, Avdotya Romanovna (called Dunya for the greater part of the work) show up in his room. His sister announces that she is going to marry a wealthy man that Ras. hates, a Pyotr Petrovich--a man 30 years older than Dunya herself is... And Porfiy Petrovich is getting closer and closer to discovering that Raskolnikov is the murdererer... in fact he may already know.

But about the characterization... I didn't come across one character who wasn't completely real and believable to me, so much so that I know this book will remain with me for a long time. Sonya, Raskolnikov, Dunya, Razumikhin, Svidrigailov... all impeccably real. My only personal complaint would be the extreme similarities between Pulkheria Aleksandrovna and Katerina Ivanovna's persons, but that may have been intended, and therefore is no discredit to the author.

The book is also chock full of intensity and as far as I know, is the only classic author to actually written something that had a degree of horror in it, especially in the dreams of Svidrigailov... so, if you also like a bit of suspense, you'll especially like this novel. Each scene is so real and intense that you can feel the pain with each of Katerina Ivanovna's coughs, the heat of Sonya's every tear, and Razumikhin's enthusiastic outlook on life. It also possesses a very epic-build feel during the last 60 or so pages, so much so that you might suddenly here the themes to the Lord of the Rings flash through your head.

McDuff's translation is very good, and easy to read, and the notes are nothing if not very helpful. This easily breaks my top 3 all time classic novels (or modern ones, for that matter), and is awesome to behold the story of one man's struggle with himself, those who tried to bring him down, and those who tried to lift him up. The humanity is wonderfully inspiring.

Note to first time readers: whenever a character breaks into a dialogue that lasts several pages (Marmeladov in the drinking den, Pulkheria Aleksandrovna's letter, etc.) make sure you pay attention, even make notes if you have to, because they are usually very important and give a lot of background that is extremely helpful.

This is a moving story about sin, remorse, and partial redemption. Fyodor Dostoyevsky (1821-1881) was a master at character development and getting inside the souls of those he wrote about. This is the story of Raskolnikov, a destitute young student who decides to kill an old woman pawnbroker. The world would be better off without this old cheat, Raskolnikov decides in his self-appointed position as judge, jury and executioner. Of course, things don't go according to plan, and Raskolnikov ends up killing another person as well. The story then proceeds to Raskolnikov's conscience, the investigation, and the entry of other people into his life - including Sonya, a young woman forced into prostitution by economic necessity. Readers get a feel for city life in Czarist Russia circa 1866, plus its dire poverty and other problems.

Russian literature can be difficult for English speakers, but this book is probably one of the easier works by Dostoyevsky (or other Russian novelist). This powerful tale of sin and redemption is well worth reading.

This was one of the most entertaining stories I have ever read. I was immediately taken in by the plot and fascinated by Raskolnikov's "experiment". I know a lot of people don't think that long Russian novels are going to be a lot of fun, but this book was. It had an odd, dark sense of humor that I really enjoyed, and one of the most interesting debates over the morality of various life choices I've ever seen. It was really accessible to the modern reader and I think all that speaks to its timelessness.

While reading Fyodor Dostoyevsky's Crime and Punishment again, I realized that the book was actually pretty good.

Dostoyevsky does a good job of bringing the characters to life, whether it be the crazed psychopath Rodion Raskolnikov, the incorrigible prick Svidrigailov, or the prostitute Sonia.

Dostoyevsky also brings the setting to life, putting them in St. Petersburg during a time when an intellectual "revival" was taking place- a "revival" that the young tragic hero, Raskolnikov,finds himself in.

All in all, a good book and a real classic for the ages. A 5/5.

While reading this book for my AP English class, I found something out that, judging from all the 4-star and 5-star reviews that I've found on this page, nobody else seems to know: Fyodor Dostoyevsky's "classic" just plain sucks.

Now, I'll give Dostoyevsky credit for actually bringing his characters to life, whether they be the crazed psychopathic killer Rodion Raskolnikov, the repulsive prick Svidrigailov, or the horrid prostitute Sonia. He does do a good job of that.

However, that's about all he does well. The plot line is less than decent (I was surprised that Raskolnikov kills both Alyona and Lizaveta, however) and his characters are, at times, hard to follow.

Overall, from beginning to end, reading "Crime and Punishment" is an exercise in futility. There are many other things you could be reading- things that could actually be called "classics". Unlike this piece of sh*t.