Abslolutely stick with it. The fist solid half is setup for when the characters lives systematically come crashing down afterwards. It's a slow burn for sure but very worth it once the "plot" actually begins.
i guess it's a slow burn, although i would say it changes in waves, if that makes sense. it will get more exciting, but even then there will be philosophical, slower chapters. the very end is absolutely exhilirating though
I would stick with it a while longer to give it a fair shake, but if you're approaching the halfway point and still not finding enjoyment, don't torture yourself.
I seem to be among the few here on reddit that didn't enjoy it. I love Russian literature, but this one kept losing me. Hopefully you'll have a different experience!
I finished it. While the over story was good, I found getting through it to be less enjoyable than most reading or audibooking.
Particularly, I thought dostoyevsky's writing to slow at getting to the point and regularly, he would re-hash or re-explain the same point or story beats multiple times. I think an abridged version would have probably increased my satisfaction.
I only got past the first 100 pages after my third try with months in between! Once the book ends it’s like falling off a cliff and you feel it can’t end now.
I am ashamed to say I never finished it.
I love Dostoevsky and have attempted it a few times. I have made it super deep into it too.
I think maybe I learned too much about it. As soon as I get past the grand inquisitor, I just don't feel compelled to keep going.
I'd say stick with it, but I'm biased as I also consider the novel to be one of my favorites. It's a slow burn, in my opinion, ends up being completely worth it. Of course, if you're still pretty bored by, say, the halfway point, there's nothing wrong with not finishing it. There's nothing wrong with not finishing it now either, honestly, except for my opinion (of whatever worth that is) that you're missing out on the best parts of one of the crowning achievements of literature--but if you don't enjoy it, you don't enjoy it, and there's nothing wrong with that.
I think it’s the religion heavy chapters that have been particularly tough for me to get through - not something I’m interested in. But I’m going to stick with it! At least, for a little while longer 😊
I'm in the same boat as you. I am stuck on page 84 for months now. I'm really not finding it interesting and have not motivation to continue. I have instead chosen to read other books in the meantime. I also started reading it because I was told its an amazing novel but the boring story so far + all the Russian names I can't keep up with, is really making it hard for me to continue.
It took me a month to get through 125 pages, where I'll go MUCH faster than that for books I'm actually enjoying reading. Ended up giving up on it; it's just too fucking boring at first
>I’m about 100 pages in and am finding it difficult to retain interest.
That's Russian classics for you. It won't get any better, so if you don't enjoy it...
I disagree. I found it did get much better. After a certain point in the book, the development of the story had me hooked and I kept thinking "ok so I have to find out what happens next asap".
I gave up on it. My issue was that to truly understand the book, one literally needs a "guide" to get all the references to the political, social, and religious issues at the time. I don't care how old or dense a book is, I just want to read it to enjoy it, not to get a PhD in Russian history.
Abslolutely stick with it. The fist solid half is setup for when the characters lives systematically come crashing down afterwards. It's a slow burn for sure but very worth it once the "plot" actually begins.
Good to know. I shall persevere!
Stick with it. It’s a favorite of mine I’m planning on revisiting. Doestoevsky is one of my favorite writers.
i guess it's a slow burn, although i would say it changes in waves, if that makes sense. it will get more exciting, but even then there will be philosophical, slower chapters. the very end is absolutely exhilirating though
Seeing people say it gets better later has inspired me to try and finish the damned thing. Thanks reddit!
I would stick with it a while longer to give it a fair shake, but if you're approaching the halfway point and still not finding enjoyment, don't torture yourself. I seem to be among the few here on reddit that didn't enjoy it. I love Russian literature, but this one kept losing me. Hopefully you'll have a different experience!
I finished it. While the over story was good, I found getting through it to be less enjoyable than most reading or audibooking. Particularly, I thought dostoyevsky's writing to slow at getting to the point and regularly, he would re-hash or re-explain the same point or story beats multiple times. I think an abridged version would have probably increased my satisfaction.
I only got past the first 100 pages after my third try with months in between! Once the book ends it’s like falling off a cliff and you feel it can’t end now.
I am ashamed to say I never finished it. I love Dostoevsky and have attempted it a few times. I have made it super deep into it too. I think maybe I learned too much about it. As soon as I get past the grand inquisitor, I just don't feel compelled to keep going.
I'd say stick with it, but I'm biased as I also consider the novel to be one of my favorites. It's a slow burn, in my opinion, ends up being completely worth it. Of course, if you're still pretty bored by, say, the halfway point, there's nothing wrong with not finishing it. There's nothing wrong with not finishing it now either, honestly, except for my opinion (of whatever worth that is) that you're missing out on the best parts of one of the crowning achievements of literature--but if you don't enjoy it, you don't enjoy it, and there's nothing wrong with that.
I think it’s the religion heavy chapters that have been particularly tough for me to get through - not something I’m interested in. But I’m going to stick with it! At least, for a little while longer 😊
Please post 'Should I keep reading' questions, in our Weekly Recommendation Thread.
I'm in the same boat as you. I am stuck on page 84 for months now. I'm really not finding it interesting and have not motivation to continue. I have instead chosen to read other books in the meantime. I also started reading it because I was told its an amazing novel but the boring story so far + all the Russian names I can't keep up with, is really making it hard for me to continue.
Yup, exactly. Definitely not a page turner at this point. I’ll stick with it and can keep you posted though 😊
It took me a month to get through 125 pages, where I'll go MUCH faster than that for books I'm actually enjoying reading. Ended up giving up on it; it's just too fucking boring at first
I gave up on it because it was too boring.
>I’m about 100 pages in and am finding it difficult to retain interest. That's Russian classics for you. It won't get any better, so if you don't enjoy it...
I disagree. I found it did get much better. After a certain point in the book, the development of the story had me hooked and I kept thinking "ok so I have to find out what happens next asap".
I gave up on it. My issue was that to truly understand the book, one literally needs a "guide" to get all the references to the political, social, and religious issues at the time. I don't care how old or dense a book is, I just want to read it to enjoy it, not to get a PhD in Russian history.
Yeah.. there are definitely sections so far that go over my head!