Notes From a Dead House

by F. Dostoyevsky

Hardcover

Published January 1, 1960

Reviews

[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

[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.