Crime and Punishment: The New Translation by Richard Pevear and Larissa Volokhonsky

by Fyodor Dostoyevsky

Genres: Classics

1 pages, Audio CD

Published February 20, 2025

About the author

Alternate spelling, see main profile Fyodor Dostoevsky

Reviews

[Toni F]

Crime and Punishment came across to me not only as a psychological novel but as a surprisingly philosophical one too. It raises these quietly unsettling questions about morality, guilt, and whether redemption is something we work for or something that just happens to us. The whole story feels like an exploration of what occurs when someone tries to reason their way outside normal moral boundaries — and what that ultimately does to them. Even though it’s an old classic, the themes feel timeless because they tap straight into the way people think and behave.
The writing can definitely be dense and slow in places, but the tension and introspection make it strangely gripping, almost like an early psychological thriller wrapped inside a moral puzzle.
It took me ten days to get through, which is totally out of character for me — I’d usually finish a book this size in a couple of days. I did enjoy it, but it definitely left me in a reading slump afterward. It’s the kind of book that settles into your mind and rearranges things a bit, so you almost need a moment before you’re ready to pick up anything else

[Eric Weiser]

Closest I’ve gotten to reading philosophy. Or political theory, or psychology. It’s also at its core a psychological thriller of course! Sometimes maaaaybe trying to do everything at once but otherwise threads the needle masterfully. Everyone seemed a bit too connected in a giant city for me to fully suspend disbelief, so I treated it mostly like a setup to wax philosophical (which I was glad for!), but the characters are very convincing and alive in each scene. I could imagine my psyche devolving and reacting similar to the that of the murderer’s. So yeah, for sure it slaps.

[Alertword]

Though i hold a partly-angered side of me for the fact that i read this classic at a profoundly young age, and vaguely glanced at it as a whole. I managed to capture the essence of it's meaning. Crisp and tranquil, Dostoevsky never ceases to let down. With a respectable and highly thought-provoking meaning, "Crime and Punishment" is nothing short of excellent. I fear that any praise i say, has already been heard.

[Alexander Heaton]

the middle portion turned me off for a couple months. On the other hand, some sections throughout hit the remarkable highs of moments in other Dost books such as white nights and notes. Definitely due for a re-read down the line and I would say overall it was worthwhile to read, even counting my struggles as times.

["Luckee"]

Honestly, it was very underwhelming in the beginning and kind of boring but by the time you reach half of part 2, thats where it starts to get good. Overall, very good book but i dont recommend it as your first book to fyodor

[Jesenia Vega]

This book exceeded my expectations. I didn’t know what to expect going into it, but was met with an incredibly dynamic story filled with interesting multifaceted characters. Dialogue heavy and largely stream of consciousness. It might not be for everyone, but I really loved it.

[Reader]

Love the book! There is a typo on one German word on the phrase „Gott der Barmherzige“ which means God the Merciful on page 415. Other than that it was amazing, and I love the notes in the back.

[Taylor Jade]

😭😭😭😭😭 there’s an annotation on every single page. I love this book 🖤

[Mason Johnson]

Profoundly human. Life is not often pretty, but redemption and fulfillment can exist for everyone. I think this sort of tale is going to continue to be more important in the world we live in.

[Nancy Sanders]

W O W

[Zaki]

need to read it again it was too good