Notes From a Dead House

by F. Dostoyevsky

Hardcover

Published January 1, 1960

Reviews

[Jonathan · Rating 3 out of 5]

I took forever to finish this book. Though it took me forever i had enjoyed my read. The character descriptions are in depth. You are able to be put briefly into the world of living in a Siberian labour prison through the eyes of a nobleman. Each entry jumps from distinct moments during his prison stay. This shows what was profound to the writer but it drags on. There is no coherent story to follow and it makes it less of an enjoyable read for someone like me. Characters are introduced and then never spoken about again, and when they are i found myself forgetting their backgrounds. Probably due to me picking up and putting down the book a lot. This book was not as intense as i thought it would be. It was mainly a lot of complaining about being around knuckleheads.

[and17m · Rating 5 out of 5]

deeply psychological, telling stories of criminals without judgement, with compassion even
I know this book is based off of Dostevsky's actual memories and experiences but the good will is nonetheless remarkable
the style is very loose and easy to read, especially compared to the author's other books
however that sounds, these memories of a very real and cruel prison have helped me immensely with getting through a little prison of mine

[Schabus · Rating 1 out of 5]

udało mi sie przeczytać 90 stron ☠️ Dostojewski what are you yapping about. nie lubię twórczości Dostojewskiego, bo pisze o 10 wątkach na raz i czytanie jego utworów jest jak rozmawianie z dzieckiem i tak właściwie to nigdy nie wiadomo o co chodzi.

[Pablo Hurtado · Rating 4 out of 5]

My first F. Dostoyevsky, I expected this to be incredibly dense and a bit of slog, but i was pleasant surprises by how much I enjoyed this. Dostoyevsky's writing while complex and detailed feels modern and is digestible, the characters who seem on the surface simplex, are often profound as are the topics covered in following the lives of these different men in a Russian prison. From how their interactions are defined by their class to the ethics in punishment, psychopathy in how it relates to crime and those who are then punished for said crimes, and the role of a guard/authority to those he watches over. A really fantastic book.

[Ian Rashevskyi · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is the first Dostoevsky book which gave me positive Vibes in the end!!!!

[Charles Anderson · Rating 3 out of 5]

This one really surprised me! I happened to pick up this book at the book store and began reading and couldn’t put it down for a while. I think the intro is excellent and almost romanticizes Siberia and the brutal setting in general. Unfortunately I think the first half of the book is a lot more interesting than the second half. The second half is… fine? But the first half is really great I think. This book is a beautiful depiction of the human spirit in the face of brutality and it’s as moving as it in grim. If I had to give it a rating I think it would be like a 3.8 but I can’t figure out if you can give half stars on here and I just can’t round up to a 4 haha so 3 stars.