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Mattjmjmjm

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Blood Meridian, or, the Evening Redness in the West by Cormac McCarthy

Faust, First Part by Johann Wolfgang von Goethe

The Man Who Was Thursday by G.K. Chesterton

The Brothers Karamazov by Fyodor Dostoevsky

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Mattjmjmjm is Currently Reading

Mattjmjmjm is currently reading

A History of Modernist Literature (Blackwell History of Literature)

by Andrzej Gasiorek

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Apr 19, 2026 12:57AM

Mattjmjmjm is currently reading

The Brothers Karamazov

by Fyodor Dostoevsky

bookshelves: my-fav-books, currently-reading

Reading for the 2nd time

read in June 2020

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Mattjmjmjm said: " If you are into Philosophical novels like The Magic Mountain By Thomas Mann, looking into themes of God, free will, and morality and what it means to be human(topics of criminality) then this is the book for you. This is definitely one of the Masterp If you are into Philosophical novels like The Magic Mountain By Thomas Mann, looking into themes of God, free will, and morality and what it means to be human(topics of criminality) then this is the book for you. This is definitely one of the Masterpieces of Western Literature and of World Literature, Fyodor Dostoyevsky and Leo Tolstoy are near perfect writers in my opinion. This book is about the murder of the brutal landowner Fyodor Karamazov, his three sons which is the reckless Dmitri, Ivan an intellectual and the monk Alyosha. Half of the book is establishing the debate about God, morality, and Socialism, as well as the relationship the Karamazov, have with each other and other important characters. The half is more of a whodunit murder plot and proceeding court case at the end of the book.

There is a reason why Dostoyevsky is considered one of the greatest novelists, his characters are stand out as the embodiment of contradictions within all humans and characters like the father Fyodor Karamazov who is a blend of brutality and pathetic sentimentality, I am never bored with Karamazovs. You sympathize most with Alysoha at the start of the novel then come to empathize more with the humanity of Dmitri. I feel all the main characters are very well fleshed out and the plot keeps me engaged almost all the time. The strongest parts of the novel are the relationship between the sons and father, the familial conflicts are something we can all understand expect this book takes this conflict to the extreme. The philosophical aspects are mostly woven well into the book through character actions and dialogues, there are parts where there are philosophical dialogues that can slow the pace of the book, might not be to every reader's taste but I enjoyed them for the most part. The drama of the murder plot is very fun to read, just pure suspense and intrigue.

The things I didn't like was the very wordy and slow court proceedings, where characters just repeat evidence in extremely long paragraphs and slow the book down for me too much. Some of the minor characters like Liza Khokhlakov seem there just to demonstrate the self-destructive element of humanity, she veers from serious and to joking often. I don't find her very compelling, the whole dualism and the irrational theme are done a bit much with this book, but for the most part it is done well across the novel. If you are looking for a prose stylist like Henry James or Joseph Conrad, Fyodor Dostoyevsky is the weakest in this regard. In every other regard, plot, characterization, and an immersive world he is a master.

Yes, this is an almost 900-page book(depending on the edition), it not an easy read but some of the greatest books are not easy to read. If you take your time and enjoy the character dynamics and handling of philosophical topics, this is one greatest novel you will read, period. I read it in 2 weeks, 50-100 pages a day, I enjoyed almost every minute of it. ...more "

Jun 27, 2020 09:44PM · see review

Mattjmjmjm’s Quotes

“A classic is something that everybody wants to have read and nobody wants to read.”
― Mark Twain

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“Struggle so that all may live this rich, overflowing life. And be sure that in this struggle you will find a joy greater than anything else can give.”
― Peter Kropotkin, Anarchist Morality

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“Mine is an enthusiastic and dionysian pessimism, like a flame that sets my vital exuberance ablaze, that mocks at any theoretical, scientific or moral prison.”
― Renzo Novatore

tags: anarchism, egoism, nihilism

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“Men are apt to idolize or fear that which they cannot understand, especially if it be a woman.”
― Jean Toomer, Cane

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“I believe that the phrase ‘obligatory reading’ is a contradiction in terms; reading should not be obligatory. Should we ever speak of 'obligatory pleasure'? Pleasure is not obligatory, pleasure is something we seek. 'Obligatory happiness'! [...] If a book bores you, leave it; don’t read it because it is famous, don’t read it because it is modern, don’t read a book because it is old. If a book is tedious to you, leave it, even if that book is 'Paradise Lost' — which is not tedious to me — or 'Don Quixote' — which also is not tedious to me. But if a book is tedious to you, don't read it; that book was not written for you. Reading should be a form of happiness, so I would advise all possible readers of my last will and testament—which I do not plan to write— I would advise them to read a lot, and not to get intimidated by writers' reputations, to continue to look for personal happiness, personal enjoyment. It is the only way to read.”
― Jorge Luis Borges, Professor Borges: A Course on English Literature

tags: happiness, only-way, reading

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