Never too Late to Read Classics discussion

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, judgment, and reason, set against a modernizing Russia, with a plot which revolves around the subject of patricide. Dostoyevsky composed much of the novel in Staraya Russa.

The Karamazovs are a very interesting family. The brothers all have distinctive personalities and views of life. Their father is a horrible man- a really horrible man.

I have read this book before and the only thing I will say because I don't want to spoil it for others is that you will love it!

Doreen, I agree with you. It is a very worthwhile read.

This is a long book, so please be reassured that you will be able to make comments at any time. The thread does not close even after we start a new book.

I've not yet started and I have already learned something. In the List of Characters, it says the "z" in "Karamazov." is pronounced like the 'z' in 'zoo' not like the 'z' in 'Mozart.'
Oops.

One of the greatest books ever written! You'll love it!

I have started and finished the first 2 Parts at page 91 of the Pevear version. My comments are:
1. It is difficult as I thought. As with the Idiot and C&P, It takes me a while to get into the groove with a Dosty so its too early to evaluate it.
2. As i learned in previous Tolstoy and Dosty reads, I bookmark the character list since I spend a lot of time going back to it because one character gets called various names, such as Dmitri, will get called Mitya, Ivan called Vanya, Alexei called Aloysha, and I just want to see if a new character has come in.
3. So far, Papa K is, as a chapter head called him "the Old Buffoon," and see where he is also, as Rosemarie says "a really horrible man." I'm surprised he has been allowed to live this long.
4. The brothers are introduced well, so you get an idea of their personalities, but I'm now trying to see their true characters as they react to the plot developments.
5. I plan on this read taking at least the whole month of May.

Brian, the book is worth the effort.

Brian wrote: "I have started and finished the first 2 Parts at page 91 of the Pevear version. My comments are:
1. It is difficult as I thought. As with the Idiot and C&P, It takes me a while to get into the groo..."

Haha same thing here. Very first thing I did was bookmark the character list because of my experience with Tolstoy's writing.
I'm a little further than you (different version, though) but at first I thought the book would be about Papa K (lol) and his brother that was talked about in the translator's intro -- but oh well. But yeah - like, kinda want Papa K to die or something 'cause he's just ....

In my previous post, I should have said I had finished the first 2 BOOKS not PARTS. There are 4 Parts with 3 books each, totaling 12 Books, along with an Epilogue. Each book contains between 3 and 12 Chapters. The novel is well-divided.
I have finished 4 Books and am in Part II.
I often think 19th Century Russians seem so intense. Granted there are intense characters in American and British lit, like Ahab, but even the common characters here all seem so intense, like the entire Captain Snegiryov family.

Maybe that is why I like this novel, and all of D.'s novels so much--the intensity. That is a fitting adjective for many of his characters.

Brian wrote: "In my previous post, I should have said I had finished the first 2 BOOKS not PARTS. There are 4 Parts with 3 books each, totaling 12 Books, along with an Epilogue. Each book contains between 3 and ..."

Thanks for the comment about intensity, it warms my heart as Dosty (my Lord, love this name) is my favourite.

And you mentioned the lists of names, so great an observation. The variations can cause confusion, have never thought of that

I have now finished Part II - almost half way. I feel like there has not been much plot yet. The last 100 pages has been mainly discussions, the first part with Ivan and Alyosha/Alexie in the tavern followed by the biography of the Elder Zosima as told by Alexie in his manuscript.
The most memorable part of these 2 sections has been a story or parable. For the Zosima bio, it was the The Mysterious Visitor and his story of his secret evil deed.
For the Ivan/Alexie tavern talk, it is the famous Grand Inquisitor story/parable told by Ivan to Alexie. I can see why the Grand Inquisitor tale has been referenced in other fiction, including a major part in a Tony Kushner play on the Bush administration
I will be interested to see how the plot develops in the next 2 Parts.

Well, the plot does develop to a tale of a murder trial, more of a Crime and Trial than I expected. Some comments after finishing the novel right before my end of May deadline:

1. While Alyosha/Alexie is considered the "hero" by Dosty, he does not take as active a role in the plot as Dmitri and even Ivan. Alyosha is most active in the side plots, both with the monks and the Snegiryov family and school kids, culminating in the novel closing Speech at the Stone. Perhaps he plays a role similar to Levin in Anna Karenina, the author's philosophical hero, who is not really a vital participant in the major plot.

2. The trial's closing arguments were realistically lengthy; it took me an hour to read the 31 pages devoted just to the prosecutor's closing.

3. While a rewarding read, in that I feel a sense of accomplishment at reading a great and important classic, I can't say that I really enjoyed it. I will reflect more on it, but my initial feeling is that I enjoyed reading both the Idiot and Crime and Punishment more.

The plot is more focussed in Crime and Punishment, and the character of Prince Myshkin is the focal point of the Idiot. In The Brothers K. the plot is more diffused, and there are more side plots and digressions. But overall, there is a wealth of material to think about after reading the book.

Rosemarie, you may be right and the fact that I "enjoyed" reading The Idiot and C&P more than Brothers K may not mean I will regard them as better novels.
I read C&P years ago and I think my translation was more Anglicized, making for an easier and more "enjoyable" read than the Pevear translations I have read recently. Now that I know better, I want to read the translation that best captures the intent and tones of the novelist and not the most comfortable read.
I also had an easier time visualizing The Idiot's scenes, maybe because I started staging it as an opera early on. Its the characters' intensity that makes for the operatic elements.

I realize that since finishing The Brothers K, I have now read all 10 of what Somerset Maugham considered in 1954 as the Ten Best Novels which are:

The History of Tom Jones, a Foundling
Pride and Prejudice
Le Rouge et le Noir
Père Goriot
David Copperfield
Madame Bovary (Centaurs Classics)
Moby-Dick or, The Whale
Wuthering Heights
The Brothers Karamazov: A Novel in Four Parts and an Epilogue
War and Peace: A Historical Novel

Brian, I read all the books except Moby Dick. My daughter's goal was to read that book while she was on a one-year maternity leave. She finished it about two days before she had to go back to work.