Crime and Punishment

Pevear & Volokhonsky Translation (Vintage Classics)

By: Fyodor Dostoevsky

Narrated by: Peter Batchelor

Length: 25 hrs and 5 mins

Publisher's Summary

Nominated as one of America’s best-loved novels by PBS’s The Great American Read.

With the same suppleness, energy, and range of voices that won their translation of The Brothers Karamazov the PEN/Book-of-the-Month Club Prize, Pevear and Volokhonsky offer a brilliant translation of Dostoevsky's classic novel that presents a clear insight into this astounding psychological thriller.

"The best (translation) currently available." (Washington Post Book World)

This audio edition of Crime and Punishment is expressively brought to life by Peter Batchelor.

©1992 Translation Copyright by Richard Pevear and Larissa Volokhonsky (P)2020 Echo Point Books & Media, LLC

waited for this translation

For many years, I've waited for the audiobook versions of the Pevear & Volokhonsky translations of Dostoevsky. Though I have read C&P several times and have listened to two audiobook versions, I quickly purchased this new audio version. Unfortunately, I cannot say good things about the narrator. He mumbles and does not perform female roles well.

Narrator is horrible

If you are considering this audiobook, you must be warned that the narrator is horrible. He simply reads the entire story with the same monotone disinterest. His lack of appreciation for the novel is apparent and greatly affected my enjoyment with the story.

Crime and Punishment, a great listen

The narrator is a bit slow, so I turned the speed to 1.25. Great book!

Spliced narration is annoying

For some reason, in hundreds of places throughout the book, a different narrator has been spliced in . The voice changes and you temporarily wonder if the character has changed . It’s very annoying .

Poor audio editing

The narrator did an excellent job overall. Unfortunately, there are many times when audio edits are very jarring and distracting. This happens more in the beginning of the book than toward the end, but it was very frustrating. The book itself is fantastic, and I would recommend the book to anyone. If you can find a better audio than that may be preferable. I chose to finish this audiobook because I enjoyed the voice of the narrator.

Excellent Psychological Novel

It is a very long and slow-moving book, but it is deep and profound. Although it can be dense and hard to get through, it is well worth the read.

Great story, amazing themes.

Tough with translations but amazing story, a lot of perspectives that get your mind turning.

Good book, at times hard to get through

The book nearly lost me from the start with a vivid and violent scene of animal cruelty. The characters take a long time to develop and there is a fair amount of unending dialog that felt like filler. you never get the satisfaction you seek and I felt let down.

What an excellent translation

I can't add to the endless reviews and scholarly examinations of Crime and Punishment. But I can say this translation was rich with concepts and word choices. The audio engineering was spotty, but being lost in the book those trivialities faded into the background for the most part. Definitely worth a credit for those who enjoy Russian literature.

Is crime ever justified?

A brilliant take on some of the many 19th century philosophies. The novel causes the reader to contemplate when and if crime is ever justified or even honorable. Each character seems to share there own take on morality which enriches the main plot.

Incredible Story, Unlistenable Performance

Great story but I found the audio editing to be unlistenable. The narrator mumbles a lot, and doesn't make much of an effort to distinguish characters through voicing etc. The worst part of all however, is the editing and arranging that has been allowed to stay in this audiobook. At numerous random points throughout the performance, the voice will suddenly change, as though recorded at another time, perhaps even by a different person before being poorly edited in.

It's frustrating because it was recommended to me that I should listen to this particular translation of the novel. Don't bother, go for a different one unless you can tolerate confusing and jarring changes in the flow of speech 5-10 times per chapter.