A mostly enjoyable book illuminated by two marvellous sections of spellbinding literature.
This is a lengthy, complex read with many subtle ques and funny moments. That the humour still shines through is a testament to the writing. The historical context of the story is important, and this part does not break through as vividly - I listened along with The Very Bad Wizards podcast, this really helped me understand this aspect which enlivened the whole experience.
The story itself is not particularly gripping until the end of the book. The philosophical, phycological, and sociological commentary is what entertains and challenges us up to that point. The ending brings these aspects all together with the story - yet in many ways leaves most answers open. We are left to ponder and decide ourselves. The lack of resolution a comment in itself.
The two sections that jump off the page are rightfully world famous, and without knowing where they were I was still instantly gripped. The first are the arguments around God that culminate with the Grand Inquisitor. The second the delirious discussion with the devil - these reminded me of The Master and Margarita, a book written much later that i happen to have read before. Absolutely Outstanding, wow. I would suggest them as required reading for anyone religious in particular. And not just because they can be seen to push atheism, it is more subtle, more open to interpretation.
You can see why the book and Dostoyevsky influenced so much of continental philosophy and thought in the proceeding years. I felt the presence in works I've read by Freud, Nietzsche and several of the famous existentialists. Expect lots of thinking on meaning, free will, faith, freedom, justice, responsibility.
I'm personally not religious, though occasionally spiritual and the book speaks to that side of me. The boundless and non-dogmatic love that several characters either work towards or stumble upon. The more obviously Christian aspects are wasted on me, and i feel many of us in the 21st century. A simplistic reading could juxtapose reason vs faith as the central theme of the story, super important in the 19th century yes, but now, in modern Europe? For me at least the answer is clear. Though some snippets remind me of a full blooded youth - it being good for passion to override reason in the young for one.
I must give a mention to some of the funniest moments - the discussion on temporary insanity as a legal defence is hilarious and the quote that "generally speaking the Russian peasant deserves to be flogged" really tickled me!
The beginning is a little slow, and many of the characters are unbelievably melodramatic, and the very end gets very Jesusy all of a sudden but this remains a great read with important philosophical and psychological points - even if for me it may have lost some of its original force over the years.