Crime and Punishment

After reading The Brothers Karamazov (also from Dostoevsky) and War and Peace (from Tolstoy) this is my third Russian classic. I mostly started reading these as the cost-per-page is pretty good, but the stories so far have proven quite entertaining too. :-)

Like The Brothers Karamazov this book takes a single plot and weaves it into a long story, exploring many aspects of human nature, ethics, and Russian society. I’m not a fan of pages-long monologues where each character in turn explores a single choice that is being made, but here it is mixed with progress on the main plot to good effect. Also: did anyone count how often the protagonist’s name is being said?

I listened to the Audible production of the translation by Richard Pevear and Larissa Volokhonsky, narrated by Bill Homewood. I initially disliked the narration, but got used to it after a while, and started enjoying his reading more as I progressed through the book. I also liked how the book wrapped up, leaving very little dangling for a (hinted at) sequel that never happened.