Crime and Punishment

By: Fyodor Dostoevsky

Narrated by: Walter Zimmerman

Length: 23 hrs and 21 mins

Publisher's summary

No literary work of fiction exceeds Crime and Punishment for its evocation of the deepest essence of tragedy, pity, and terror. 

Raskolnikov, a student in St. Petersburg, murders an old woman, a money-lender, to prove his theory that violence purifies the strong. But no sooner is the deed done than Raskolnikov begins to feel remorse. What follows is one of the greatest psychological studies in world literature.

Public Domain (P)1984 Jimcin Recordings

Well Done

Often in reviewing a great performance, it is difficult to determine which worked best; the actual performance or the material on which the performance is based. In the case of this audio book, both the story and the reader are very well done.

Great Book

Great book and very well read although, as I've said in other reviews, people have very different tastes in reading styles so make sure you listen to the sample before ordering.

Like listening to a robot

I've long wished to find time to read this famous (or, perhaps, infamous) novel, but never found the time. Here was--I thought--the perfect solution. However, the reader of this audiobook drones on as if the English language is new to him. The delivery is stilted and choppy, there is absolutely no personality involved, and the reader could be simply reciting a shopping list. Definitely disappointing.

Crime and Punishment

I remember trying to keep my interest in tedious Russian life many, many years ago. I listened to about 5% of the book this time, some 70 years later. I became completely morose. I congratualated myself on my strength of character, but at my advanced age I decided I didn't need to "keep hitting myself on the head with a hammer," and deleted the book.
Well, one becomes wise as one ages and one doesn't have to finish a school requirement!

Better than I expected

I loved Dostoevsky's 'The Brothers Karamazov' so I wanted to read this one as well. He has such an interesting sense of humor and a great understanding of people. Even though the story takes place in a different era and part of the world, Dostoevsky makes the character's motivations and responses to everything so real and honest that I can picture all of this happening in modern day America. The narration was decent, I would definitely recommend listening to this book rather than reading it yourself, unless you are familiar with the pronunciation of Russian names.

Skip this version - pick another

The audio quality is very poor, with numerous 'ghosts' and mike popping. I couldn't listen after awhile. There must be a better version.

Bad sound quality.

This particular version has bad sound quality. Choose some of the other recordings. The book itself is ingenious literary work.

Crime and Punishment

Great book, but the reading sounds like it is computer generated, with no emotion and a monotony which makes it unpleasant to listen to.

Great Book!

One of my all time favorite books with my all time favorite reader!

Great way to experience a classic

I was intrigued by the story throughout, including the ending. Definitely is an interesting read worth exploring.

Great classic audio book

I really enjoyable "read", a true audio classic in all its unabridged splendor, and I would recommend it to anyone. The only negative remark I would make it that this audio recording suffers from what is called "print-through" where as you can hear a slight pre-echo of what the narrator is going to say before they say it, which can be quite noticeable and distracting when listened to in a quiet environment.

Perfect gravitas in the reading of a masterpiece

Many contemporary narrators turn Crime and Punishment into something almost trivial and obvious. This version has real sensitivity and depth of intelligence in with unparalleled insight into the text. Highly recommended.