The Brothers Karamazov Readalong Final Post
by Jenners • 10/08/2010 • 2.5 Stars, B Titles, Brother K Read-A-Long, Classics, D Authors • 42 Comments
I’m done! I’m done! I’m done!
Give me a shot of vodka! No … make that two! No … three!
It was a long haul, and I don’t actually think it was worth it, but I managed to read the entire book. (Well, except The Grand Inquisitor part … only the most important part of the book that I unerringly managed to skip over. It takes skill to do that, I tell you.)
I’m not going to bother doing a write-up of what happened in the last part of the book. All you need to know is that it involved a LOT of talking, Dmitri’s trial (SPOILER: he is convicted) and some other stuff but who cares because I’m done!!!!!!
At the start of this hell read readalong, I said I was reading it for two reasons. One was to connect with my father, who quoted this book to me in a letter I received in college. Well, the joke is on me as I never found the quote he shared. Either he misquoted it or got his Dostoevsky books mixed up. But no way am I going to read another book by Mr. D to find out. This one was MORE than enough.
The second reason I read this book was to answer the smart-ass question put forth by my friend Mr. Debbie Downer, who asked “Which Karamazov Brother is the hottest?” Since I plan on never discussing or thinking about this book ever again, I figured now was the time to answer.
- Dmitri is probably the hottest as far as looks (all the ladies seem to dig him).
- Aloysha is the hottest in terms of personality.
- Ivan is the hottest if your idea of hot is an insane, devil-hallucinating bore.
- Smerdyakov (the illegitimate brother) is probably the hottest from a temperature standpoint … as he turned out to be the murderer AND he committed suicide (frowned upon by the church) … so I’m guessing he is nice and toasty in hell.
So perhaps you are wondering if you should read this book? My answer (in a nutshell) is HELL NO.
The book is endlessly long and rambling and, if you can forgive me, boring. It was a slog to get through it. The only real benefit is you get some vague sense of accomplishment that you finished. Although the finer points of the book might be lost on me, I honestly disliked this book with the intensity of a thousand suns.
As far as I can tell, the only other two left standing in this readalong are the two that came up with the idea in the first place: Jill at Fizzy Thoughts and Trish at Love, Laughter and a Touch of Insanity. My suspicion is that if I hadn’t kept going, they would have quit the whole thing long ago. HAHA … the joke is on you, Trish and Jill! I stuck with it, and I bet you felt like you had to do it too.
I don’t think Smerdyakov did it. But I think we can agree to disagree on this point.
Please state your reasons. I thought it was fairly clear that he DID do it.
hee hee! i loved your hotness barometer! i have tried to read
that book 4 times, because i loved crime and punishment so
much. those dang russian brothers’ names kept messing me
up!
Do yourself a favor and just skip it. I mean, if you’ve tried 4 times, there is a reason you’ve never been able to finish it — and that reason is because it is HORRIBLE! : )
Congrats on finishing this BIG one!!
Thanks! It was a difficult horrible read. I’m very glad to be done.
I have to give you credit for reading it! If I struggle with a book I tend to cave…. reaching for another off the shelf or if I am really pouty, a comfort book like Harry Potter.
I think if I was reading alone, I would have quit. It helps to be part of a readalong to get through books like this!
Congrats on finishing it!
Ha ha, you sound like me after I finished Crime and Punishment. I decided the “crime” was that the book was considered a classic must-read, and the “punishment” is that I read it. Anyway, hated it hated it. How anyone can take a violent axe murder and subsequent spiral into madness and make it boring, I don’t know. But now I know it’s not just me, and it’s definitely not just Crime and Punishment. It’s Dostoevsky.
Glad (?) to hear The Brothers K wasn’t just a fluke in its awfulness!! I do think it take a special talent to write as long and boringly as Mr. D!
Yep, I have no interest whatsoever in this one…
I was hoping at some point, my mind would be changed but it never wavered at any point. Oh well.
I sure didn’t make it through! Congratulations! I think I enjoyed reading your posts (and Jill’s) more than I would have enjoyed the book.
In this case, I do think the posts were better than the book … but that isn’t too hard to do! HAHA!
Cheers to you for finishing!!!
LOL I’m so glad I read your review before deciding to pick up this book! Teachers have always told me “oh you should read it, it’s such a classic!) but I can tell that I would definitely not like it.
Congrats on being finished with it though!
I think you teachers just want someone else to suffer as much as they did reading it!
what sort of nutty people get involved in read-a-longs of giant books? silly, silly people..oh, wait….
Good one!
Noted – I will not be reading this series or book. My fun reading is so limited I would not want to waste my time here. Thanks for answering the hotness question – now I won’t be in suspense.
The Brothers K could NOT be considered fun reading in any sense of the word … that is for sure!
Congratulations on finishing!!! I can assure you that I have NO intention of reading this and appreciate your reviews which have helped confirm that fact. Thank you!
Glad to have helped save another one!
Yay! Congratulations on finally finishing! I loved your description of disliking it with the intensity of a thousand suns. It reminds me of a card my son made at preschool last year that I have on my fridge. It says “I love my mom more than a thousand people loving their moms.” (The teacher wrote down what the kids said – obviously.) Anyway, that makes my day every time I see it. Way off subject there.
I guess I’ll have to donate my copy to the library book sale. I’ve held onto it for years on the off chance I’d actually want to read it. Your pain has been enough to convince me otherwise.
Once again, I’m glad to have saved another book lover from a horrible read.
And that card sounds like the cutest thing ever!
You have me laughing! I think you should give another one of the books a shot and maybe you’ll find the quote, lol. :0)
Did anyone ever tell you that you are evil and sadistic?? : )
Disliked with the intensity of a thousand suns. I think I’ll take your advice and say, “Hell no” if anyone asks if I’ll read this book. I don’t mind working a little to read a book if the end result is worth it, but boring + difficult = pass for me.
Exactly … I’m willing to work if the payoff is there. But I felt like I put $100 into this particular slot machine and got back a nickel.
What would we do without dear friends like you who take one for the team? And read horrible, torturous books like this so we don’t have to? No worries on this count. I will never even consider reading this book.
You can rest assured you missed NOTHING of interest! ; )
That’s just like you – saving mankind one book at a time!!
It is the least I could do! : )
I have this book on my shelf, and in the past I have been tempted to read it. I am tempted no more! It sounds like it was awfully difficult, and I just can’t get behind a rambling book. Thanks so much for your honest opinions on this one. I am sorry it was such a slog for you!
If I can save just one person from reading this horror of a book, then my journey will not be in vain! Consider yourself saved!
Congratulations! Maybe in a while there will be a Grand Inquisitor Readalong….
Ha Ha. Very funny. I wish I’d just signed up for that and not the entire book.
I hate when I get a book where I have to slog through it. I read one recently that was a best seller and I thought it was a pile of crap.
You have to tell me what it was … and I’m sure it cannot be WORSE than the Brothers Karamazov, which might possibly be the worst book in the world!
I’ve finished, so nee neer nee neer nee neer. My post is all written and I think it posts on Monday. And I, too, voted it the worst book I’ve ever read. I also used curse words. It’s definitely an R rated review.
Oooohhh…I’m excited to read it! Cursing and hatred sounds appropriate for this book!