I started reading this book with a group of friends. To my knowledge, I am the only one who finished it. I'm not sure who among us was the wisest.
I did not enjoy this book. I know it is a classic but neither the characters or the story was gripping enough for me to justify the amount of time it took to read the almost 800 page monster. I have nothing against long books (Les Miserables at 1200 pages is my favorite book of all time), I just wasn't compelled enough early on to stay mentally and emotionally with this book. By the last half it was just sheer will that got me through it. By the time something actually happened I was so sick of these hyper-sensitive, overly-philosophical, and exceedingly nick-named characters that I just wanted them to go away.
I know I'm being a little harsh, and there were some interesting commentaries on atheistic relativism, the nature of man, meandering chit-chats with Satan...etc. Perhaps I would have enjoyed the book more if I had a guided discussion group or class, but this experience was painful. Next time I have a need for Russian fiction, I'm going back to Tolstoy.
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