The Brothers Karamazov

By: Fyodor Dostoevsky, Constance Garnett - translator

Narrated by: Frederick Davidson

Length: 34 hrs and 52 mins

Publisher's summary

After spending four years in a Siberian penal settlement, during which time he underwent a religious conversion, Dostoevsky developed a keen ability for deep character analysis. In The Brothers Karamazov, he explores human nature at its most loathsome and cruel but never flinches at what he finds.

The Brothers Karamazov tells the stirring tale of four brothers: the pleasure-seeking, impatient Dmitri; the brilliant and morose Ivan; the gentle, loving, and honest Alyosha; and the illegitimate Smerdyakov: shy, silent, and cruel. The four unite in the murder of one of literature's most despicable characters - their father. This was Dostoevsky's final and best work.

Public Domain (P)2000 Blackstone Audio, Inc.

Critic reviews

"[Dostoevsky is] at once the most literary and compulsively readable of novelists we continue to regard as great....The Brothers Karamazov stands as the culmination of his art - his last, longest, richest, and most capacious book." (Washington Post Book World)

Couldn’t get through the voice to explore the book.

Immediately disliked this voice actor and couldn’t listen to more than 10 mins or so.

As deep and challenging as a story could be.

This is a timeless classic. A story deep with philosophical and moral dilemmas. a tradgedy and triumph, both.

Add me to the list of narrator-haters

Some people love this narrator. I can't stand him. I've listened to a few hours of it, since sometimes an initially-annoying narrator will grow on a person - but not this one. If you're thinking of downloading this version, just make sure you listen to the full sample so you can know ahead of time whether Frederick Davidson's vocal stylings are for you.

Amazing.

This is an amazing book read by an amazing narrator. I am definitely going to reread this as soon as I can because it’s so good.

Narrator really shines

This is an interesting story involving passionate characters that become absolutely vivid through the narration. The narrator switches between accents so seemlessly, you know who is speaking without being told. Wonderful story and very touching ending. I would suggest pulling up cast of characters on Wikipedia and writing down the various nicknames each character has or you may get confused in the beginning. I would not have enjoyed the book one tenth as much as the audible version, as the narrator had such a good sense of the character of each person in the story and really illustrated said character through his narration.

such a great book!

kinda a long listen and not as interesting as Crime and Punishment. but the philosophy is intriguing.

Peaks and Valleys

Recommended to literary purists willing to make an exception on audiobooks.

I know it's considered a masterpiece, and it was highly complimented by fellow ministers, but I was underwhelmed. There were passages and a few chapters that sparked my mind and heart, but there were also some chunks of slooooow sections. Overall... Meh.

Greatest book ever written

Greatest book ever written in the history of the universe and this was an excellent reading.

True brilliance and artistry of the highest degree!!

This novel written by Fyodor Dostoevsky will forever be imbedded in my mind and has no doubt changed the course of my life through a most articulate account of the depth of the human condition.

Thought provoking

Good story where Christian morality is at the center. The narrator, as usual was fantastic!