3. Crime and Punishment
It has taken me about two weeks, but I finally finished Crime and Punishment by Fyodor Dostoevsky (translated by Richard Pevear and Larissa Volokhonsky). It feels like an accomplishment to finally be able to mark it off my list! It was a very dense book and an enduring read. I found I had to push myself through this one, particularly in the beginning. The Russian names were tricky, not only in pronunciation, but in that several of the characters were often referred to by another name. Fortunately, the version I had (Everyman's Library) offered some helpful tips for pronunciation, a historical chronology, and an appendix to help you understand some of the unfamiliar terms, such as "yellow pass". I have to admit, I'm not convinced I fully understood all of the literary elements of this book, so I might have to check out Cliff's Notes to help bring it together for me and enable me to better understand the consequential value of this classic. Even so, I read it, I enjoyed the story, and I'm finished with it! YEAH!
Also during these last couple weeks, I was able to watch the film version of "To Kill a Mockingbird" with Gregory Peck. I enjoyed watching the movie and being able to see the differences between the book and film, but once again, the book wins out - hands down!
"The Shack" is up next.
3 comments:
Wow... Crime & Punishment... I tried to read that. Once.
Maybe someday I'll try again. :)
LOL! Then I imagine you must understand my feeling of accomplishment on this one :) It was a challenging and intriguing book, and without question it would have been easy to toss it aside and not look back!
FWIW, I did read through some of the CliffsNotes summaries and analysis tonight and I found that helpful in pulling some things together and stirring my thoughts.
Good for you, Tina. I read it a long time ago, and I like you don't know if I understood the whole thing. I believe I remember the fact the main character is tortured by the crime, yes, and how it's not easy to accept the punishment because he is a good person involved in sinister circumstances too. A great (and depressing LOL) plot, Dostoevsky style plot.
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