The Brothers Karamazov by Feodor Dostoyevsky

40 Inspirational Classics for Lent

The Anchoress, Elizabeth Scalia, recommends it highly.

Sigmund Freud called it “the most magnificent novel ever written,” not that I’m sure Mr. Freud and I would be in much agreement as to other reading choices. On this one, I almost concur with his opinion. I only reserve first place on that list of novels for Les Miserables.

A copy of The Brothers Karamazov was found on the nightstand next to Tolstoy’s deathbed at the Astapovo railway station.

Shelley at Book Clutter says, “I feel like I need to make a little notebook just for quotes from this novel. I could easily pull together my own sermon now, and it would be pretty darn good.”

Sarah at A Library is a hospital for the mind says, “I count the reading of The Brothers Karamazov by Fyodor Dostoevsky as one of my greatest literary accomplishments.”

Somerset Maugham placed The Brothers Karamazov on his list of the Top Ten Novels.

Noel Devries read it while traveling in Russia, and she says, “Dostoyevsky probes the heart.”

In my favorite TV series ever, LOST, while Ben (who was then claiming to be “Henry Gale”) was held captive in The Swan, Locke gave him The Brothers Karamazov for reading material. Ben responded, by asking “You don’t have any Stephen King?”

Eldest Daughter says, “Dostoevsky asks all the right questions and gives literature its most convincing and sympathetic good guy. I dare you to read it and not fall in love with Alyosha.”

And I just wish I could re-read The Brothers Karamazov, but too many books and too little time make that impossible, or at least unlikely right now. So why don’t you read it for me?

5 thoughts on “The Brothers Karamazov by Feodor Dostoyevsky

  1. Well, you’ve given me some encouragement to pick it up again. I have been slowly slogging my way through this book, but I was about to give up because I am really not enjoying it. I keep hearing how fabulous it is, so I feel like a literary “fail” on this one because I just don’t see the appeal yet. (I loved Les Miserables though!)

  2. this is a totally cute post! I, too, think about re-reading Brothers K, but don’t feel able or ready to invest the time — maybe next month. I did love Alyosha then but I was very young… would I still now? isn’t that the question when you re-read — do you love the same aspects as you did on the first go-round?

  3. The Brothers K is one of my Russian books I started while in active homeschool years but set aside for when I “had more time”. I must dust it off soon!

    Somewhere… sometime… I remember reading a fascinating article about how people came to know Christ through reading The Brothers K as well as Crime and Punishment during those years the Bible was outlawed in the Soviet Union.

    Goes to show you the importance of STORY. 🙂

  4. Pingback: Armchair BEA: Fifty Favorites | Semicolon

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