Crime and Punishment  By  cover art

Crime and Punishment

By: Fyodor Dostoyevsky
Narrated by: Will Poulter

Editorial review


By Mysia Haight, Audible Editor

FAN OF PSYCHOLOGICAL THRILLERS? THANK DOSTOYEVSKY FOR HIS GROUNDBREAKING CRIME AND PUNISHMENT

In Crime and Punishment, there’s no mystery about the identity of the murderer—it’s Rodion Raskolnikov, the protagonist, and the novel, while using a third-person narrative, focuses primarily on his perspective. The real mystery is his motive, and the tension comes from whether he’ll continue to justify his actions and struggle with his guilt—or confess to murdering two women.

Part one ends with the crime. The rest of the book—parts two through six—deals with the punishment. The detective tasked with solving the murders, Porfiry Petrovich soon suspects Raskolnikov but lacks evidence. As Raskolnikov becomes increasingly racked with guilt, Petrovich uses psychological means, escalating his suspect’s dazed and unhinged state in the hopes of goading him into a confession. But Crime and Punishment is about much more than a cat-and-mouse game. Through Raskolnikov’s internal torment and his relationships with other characters—the vulnerable and empathetic young prostitute, Sonya; his beautiful, strong-willed sister, Dunya, and the two reprehensible men determined to claim her; and his loyal friend, the honorable and resourceful Razumikhin—Dostoyevsky raises questions about what makes a person "good" (morally) or "extraordinary," and whether even the most noble humanitarian ends ever justify cruel and evil means. In our current political climate and social media landscape, such thorny questions—and our answers—matter.

Crime and Punishment is definitely an epic, and the audiobook runs just over 22 hours. With talented actor Will Poulter at the mic, however, you’ll find it hard to stop listening. And afterwards, you’re bound to keep thinking about Dostoyevsky’s take on immorality, the danger of both desperation and hubris, and the power of a guilty conscience.

Continue reading Mysia's review >

Publisher's summary

Often considered one of the first ever psychological thrillers, Crime and Punishment is a gripping tale of a poverty-stricken young man in Saint Petersburg, Russia, who hatches a plan to kill someone for money. Once the deed is done, he finds himself racked with guilt, confusion and disgust for his act.

In this new recording, Will Poulter (Detroit, Midsommar, The Maze Runner) gives new life to the troubled protagonist, Rodion Raskolnikov, in a performance that will have you questioning where we draw the line between right and wrong.

Public Domain (P)2020 Audible, Ltd

What listeners say about Crime and Punishment

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Amazing story and narration!

The Russian names are hard to follow at times for the listener, but not for the narrator.

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A must!!

Will Poulter does an amazing job of being each character to life. The novel itself is truly a masterpiece!! I wish I spoke Russian and could have read it in its original form.
We may be immune nowadays to the psychological insights and turmoils of characters. This was truly world changing and masterfully done!

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I wished I would have listened to this book sooner in life.

This is a wonderful book. The characters are extremely well written. The story is one of the best I have ever heard. I need to listen to it multiple times to get all the meaning this book has to offer. God is good, he can save us all.

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fantastic performance

Celebrity performances can very drastically. Hearing James Franco read Slaughterhouse Five was painful. Will Poulter clearly understood the assignment and took it seriously.

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Will Poulter is amazing.

Will Poulter can be the meanest, funniest, dumbest, most evil, nicest, most racist guy on screen and now you can add amazing narrator.
Great job!!!

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Fantastic reading of one of the greatest novels ever

This was my fourth complete reading of this incredible book. I own several other audiobooks of Crime and Punishment, and 4 other print and/or ebook translations … while they are all great, Garnett remains my favorite translation, and this performance by Will Poulter is top notch.

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My first audible book.I think it will be the best

this was absolutely amazing! narrating was powerful and very impressive. my first book and I don't see how they can possible get any better than this one

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Good narration like this is so rare!

Very few audiobook narrators have everything it takes to make listening as immersive and transformative as the book, but Will Poulter is burning the house down on here! No one has moved me so much since Alan Rickman read “Return of the Native” . Just perfect and beautiful. Someone keep him doing audiobooks please!

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Narration equal to the story

It is rare that one of the most exceptional books receives one of the most exceptional narrations but this title did just that. Incredible performance brings justice to the author.

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Captivating story, excellent narration

I had never read Crime and Punishment. I doubt I would have finished the story if reading it in book form. However, the telling of the story was captivating. The narrator was excellent and I was able to distinctly know the difficult names and the many characters from his outstanding telling of this classic novel.

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1 person found this helpful