The Brothers Karamazov
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4.5 • 228 Ratings
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Publisher Description
The Brothers Karamazov (Russian: Братья Карамазовы, Brat'ya Karamazovy), pronounced [ˈbratʲjə kərɐˈmazəvɨ]) is the final novel by the Russian author Fyodor Dostoyevsky. Dostoyevsky spent nearly two years writing The Brothers Karamazov, which was published as a serial in The Russian Messenger and completed in November 1880. Dostoyevsky intended it to be the first part in an epic story titled The Life of a Great Sinner, but he died less than four months after its publication.
The Brothers Karamazov is a passionate philosophical novel set in 19th century Russia, that enters deeply into the ethical debates of God, free will, and morality. It is a spiritual drama of moral struggles concerning faith, doubt, and reason, set against a modernizing Russia. Dostoyevsky composed much of the novel in Staraya Russa, which inspired the main setting. Since its publication, it has been acclaimed all over the world by intellectuals as one of the supreme achievements in literature.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
The depth, complexity, and length of what many consider to be Dostoyevski's best work make it one of the hardest classic novels to bring to audio. The philosophical novel/murder mystery set in 19th-century Russia requires a strong and versatile narrator to keep listeners going for the day-and-a-half-plus duration. Thankfully, narrator Constantine Gregory masters the challenge. In doing so, he manages the omniscient third-person narration by using a pleasant mellifluous tone that invites the listener to relax and approach the text patiently and carefully. The novel also features first-person voices from the large cast of characters, such as Father Zosima, who, naturally enough, argues for the existence of a higher power and Gregory is able to imbue those sections with enough individuality to make them as distinct as the author intended.
Customer Reviews
The Brother Karamazov
This is indeed the full work of Fyodor Dostoyevsky. You lose nothing by obtaining this free version, and gain nothing by paying for another version. It is a literary masterpiece and all people have some to gain by reading it.
Amazing.
Heartrenching and hopeful, loved this book.
Very buggy edition.
I almost stopped reading many times. When changing the orientation from portrait to landscape it would not remain on the same page but would shift around by several pages. Also towards the end of several chapters it would just cut off and go to the beginning of the next chapter, skipping several pages that were somehow impossible to scroll to and read, they were just lost. I absolutely cannot recommend this digital version, and frankly would strongly advise against it.