The Brothers Karamazov is a Russian novel written in the 19th century by Fyodor Dostoyevsky that asks the question "is there really a God?". It centers around 3 brothers: Ivan (Vanka) an intellectual Atheist, Alexei (Alyosha) faithful and religious, and Dmitri (Mitka) a cad, and their relationship with their father whom Dmitri most emulates. Yes, they all have nicknames (several in fact) you'll need to keep up with.
I am really excited to read this (I got in about a hundred pages once and didn't finish). Back in the day, I got into old Russian novels so much I wanted to learn Russian just so I could read them in their native language (mostly Tolstoy). Well, that didn't happen, but all of the ones I have read have been beautifully translated so I guess I can live with that.
If you read from a kindle or a tablet, the free version on Amazon is currently unavailable, citing some problem with it's typing or format or something similar. But there are several .99 copies still. I sprung for a 1.99 version that is annotated- I figure for this book, I am really going appreciate having that (it also has illustrations- bonus).
Since we are moving into summer, and this book is fairly long and arduous, let's go until the end of July. Hope you all like it, and happy reading.
(As happy as dreary, philosophical old Russian novels can get anyway.)
Excellent choice! Dostoyevsky is so much easier to read in the summer. This book is one of my favorites, and contains what I believe to be one of the very best lines in all literature. Without actually quoting, it basically says, 'We are all guilty, for all, and before all.' Sounds grim, but somehow I find it completely liberating and somehow hopeful.
ReplyDeleteI'm glad you joined Jane! Ami tells me that we read the same books. Love the "quote" and I know what you mean. There is nothing like a grim and gloomy book to make you evaluate your own life and find out what is working for you and what isn't.
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