Crime and Punishment (Recorded Books Edition)

By: Fyodor Dostoevsky, Constance Garnett - translator

Narrated by: George Guidall

Length: 25 hrs and 1 min

Publisher's summary

Fyodor Dostoevsky's Crime and Punishment is universally regarded as one of literature's finest achievements, as the great Russian novelist explores the inner workings of a troubled intellectual. Raskolnikov, a nihilistic young man in the midst of a spiritual crisis, makes the fateful decision to murder a cruel pawnbroker, justifying his actions by relying on science and reason, and creating his own morality system. Dehumanized yet sympathetic, exhausted yet hopeful, Raskolnikov represents the best and worst elements of modern intellectualism. The aftermath of his crime and Petrovich's murder investigation result in an utterly compelling, truly unforgettable cat-and-mouse game. This stunning dramatization of Dostoevsky's magnum opus brings the slums of St. Petersburg and the demons of Raskolnikov's tortured mind vividly to life.

Translation by Constance Garnett, originally published in 1917.

Public Domain (P)1991 by Recorded Books, Inc.

Critic reviews

"The novels of Dostoevsky are seething whirlpools...which hiss and boil and suck us in. They are composed purely and wholly of the stuff of the soul." (Virginia Woolf)

Wonderful

I was absorbed by this great story and the reader made it come alive. I want more Dostoevsky read by Guidal. My 13 year old listened to portions and fell under it's trance. I fell in love with Sonya.

Very good if you have the time

This book requires time and patience, but it rewards both. I struggled initially to settle into the pace and let it unfold as it wished, but once I did, I enjoyed it quite a bit.
The narrator was excellent - very clear, wonderful use of pauses, well paced.
My only complaint is that it was hard to learn the Russian names of the characters, many of whom have two different names. I often had to guess which character was whom based on how the narrator acted that character - so it helped to have a very good narrator.
Ultimately, I'm glad I invested the time in the book, though I almost gave up at the beginning.

Enjoyed this book

I was a little hesitant to get this book, because I was afraid I would lose track with all the Russian names, etc. This was not the case. The reader, George Guidall, did an excellent job of altering his voice enough for the different characters, that I was only rarely confused about who was talking.

A masterwork that holds up

I read this book thirty years ago, but remembered only that Raskolnikov "took an axe, gave the pawnbroker 30 whacks, when he saw what he had done, he gave her sister 31." (This was a popular ditty in my literature class.) I also remembered that I liked it.

When I purchased this audio version, I was surprised that it was long-ish. When I started listening, I was amazed how psychologically intense it was. I don't know if it was the narrator's skill or my own maturity, but I found this book incredibly disturbing.

We suffer with Raskolnikov. We share his fears of his own sanity. We also see the injustice done to innocent Lizavetta, something that virtually no one in the book mentions.

Raskolnikov's justification for his actions, and lack of remorse, reminded me of what might be the sentiments of the various killers who feel that the sacrifice of innocent lives in a cause they believe is just is not worth any consideration.

This is truly a work well worth hearing.

loved it, didnt think i would

I decided to try listening to some classics since I have a lot of driving time. I figured I would get this and make an attempt to listen and if I couldn't stand it just chalk it up to experience. But even for a confirmed science geek this was a great listen, well worth it.

punishing and inspiring

Way to drawn out yet wonderfully completed. Not in my favorites list but powerfully preformed.

heavy stuff

well written, a classic, but heavy heavy stuff... very dark, but what else can one expect from Dostoevsky? Narration was good, voices well distinguished... but heavy, dark, and made me seek out something light and fluffy for my next one. I probably won't listen to this again.

Suspenseful moral conflict

The performance was great how it changed voices and inflection based on the character and topic in the book. The author writes in a way that it is hard to put the book down. He also looks at the crimes we create in our mind before we commit a sin and fully develops the reasoning. I almost felt sorry and had empathy for what Roger went through in his life and mind.
I like how Dostoevsky had Roger confess his sins to the woman he admired as pure of heart, Sonia and how by doing this compelled him to ultimately confess to the Police.
It also speaks a truth about our family, as his mother knew Roger wasn't the same during her visit she knew he was really hurting inside and showed love and compassion without knowing the sins that he had committed.

A masterpiece.

The book that got me into audio books in the first place. Thank you George Guidell. Thank you Audio Books.

Saints and Sinners

I have heard it said that all Americans should read Dostoevsky because the Russians show us the heights and depths of humanity. In other words, Dostoevsky shows us the saint and the sinner, not in their mediocrity, but in their purity of their brilliance or folly.

I found this to be true in reading Crime and Punishment, which lays before our eyes in the starkest of colors all of our presuppositions about life, and Dostoevsky wrenches from you a profound consideration of the nature of human beings. All of our modern way of thinking is there in a strange and somewhat grotesque clarity. I cannot recommend this book enough.

As for the narration, George Guidall is simply unparalleled. The different voices used throughout, make it feel like a dramatic retelling of a novel, not a monotone recitation of words. I wish he would narrate all of Dostoevsky's works!

I'll keep this short and sweet, and just say, if you are on the fence, buy this book and enter a world eerily familiar and yet mysterious. You will not regret it.

AUDIBLE 20 REVIEW SWEEPSTAKES ENTRY