The Brothers Karamazov [Naxos AudioBooks Edition]

By: Constance Garnett - translator, Fyodor Dostoevsky

Narrated by: Constantine Gregory

Length: 37 hrs and 4 mins

Publisher's summary

Fyodor Dostoyevsky is a titanic figure among the world's great authors, and The Brothers Karamazov is often hailed as his finest novel. A masterpiece on many levels, it transcends the boundaries of a gripping murder mystery to become a moving account of the battle between love and hate, faith and despair, compassion and cruelty, good and evil.

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Public Domain (P)2013 Naxos AudioBooks

A Spiritual and Philosophical Tour-de-Force

At 39 years old, this is my first reading of "Brothers K". From the first chapter, this title was nearly impossible to put down. Upon completion, this book immediately rocketed to the top of my all-time favorite reads. Glorious!

"How did one person write this book?" is the question I ask myself over and over. And to think that this title was only HALF of what Dostoyevsky really wanted to finish: just outrageous! The absence of this second volume due to his death is perhaps one of the greatest losses in the history of world literature. To consider the circumstances of the author's life (the death of his real-life epileptic son Allyosha, the murder of his real-life father, etc.) and how they intertwine with this title is near overwhelming.

I can't even begin to offer a degree of plot summary that does this title justice. Perhaps the best advice to the new reader is to not worry over memorizing the convoluted Karamozov family tree (ex-wives, distant relatives, etc.). Stick to the father (Fydor), the three brothers (Mitya, Ivan and Allyosha), the four women (Katya, Grusha, Madame Hoklakov, Lise), the servant family (Grigory, Marfa and Smerdyakov) and the four monks (Zossima, Rakitin, Ferapont and Paissy). By the time other characters are introduced later in the book (the children, the captain's family, the courtroom, etc.), you'll be ready for them.

This translation (Garnett) is indeed great for first-timers and Gregory's narration is knockout. Every minute of this title is meant to be savored--relax, be prepared for brilliance around every corner and enjoy what surely must be one of the best rational, spiritual and philosophical reads I'll ever experience in my life. "Hurrah for Karamozov"--then, now, and for generations to come!

Best "Karamazov" yet.

Constantine Gregory decided to give a reading of the Constance Garnett translation of "The Brothers Karamazov". Constance Garnett is no longer considered the best translator of Dostoevsky. She goes to great length to "pretty up" the rather rough and bumpy language of the original. Richard Pevear and Larissa Volokhonsky’s new translation of "The Brothers Karamazov" is now regarded by most critics to be definitive as it does not try to mask Dostoyevskys idiosyncratic prose.

Gregory gives a rather calm and relaxed rendering of the work, which is nice in the long run.
My dream "audio" Karamazov would be David Horovitch narrating the Pevear and Volokhonsky’s translation.
However as it stands now, this version by Constantine Gregory is the best "Karamazov" available.

How can we judge what is in a person's heart?

Any additional comments?

I wonder what inspired Dostoyevsky to write this novel? During the trial it is mentioned that there was a woman in St. Petersburg who had given birth and then killed the infant, hiding the little body and then later it was discovered she had done this numerous times. I wonder if, assuming that story is true, Dostoyevsky began to wonder about how difficult it would be to forgive someone like that, to see into their heart and find something good. This novel is, after all, about that very idea, the idea of never being able to know what goodness really lies in another persons heart and how difficult it is, or even how inappropriate it is, to judge anyone, no matter how evil they have been.

The novel ends with a promise, a promise that all the boys and Aloysha will never forget each other, never forget little Ilyusha, and never forget the goodness of their childhood memory together. Even, if later, they grow cynical or do many terrible things, Aloysha asks them to always remember this one good moment in their life because it may save them someday, just as an onion almost saved another sinner. Those small moments of goodness could, at least in the eyes of God, be the one link to salvation for even the most terrible sinner.

The novel also deals with the questions of faith and belief and it is these parts I found most fascinating because Dostoyevsky makes the strongest case I've yet heard that counters the scientific arguments of logic and reason. And while I think Dostoyevsky was too hard on science and too opposed to the good science can do for humanity, he does show how logic and reason can absolutely condemn an innocent person. At times I wondered if Dostoyevsky was trying to tell us it would be better just to forgive all criminals and then let God figure it all out later.

And that's the real issue here: forgiveness. How difficult is it really to forgive someone. Not just any regular sinner either, but a person who has done something horribly terrible. And what sort of world would we live in if we did, in fact, forgive everyone easily? A world where we forgive a terrorist or the rapist of a child? Can we even imagine such things? In the character Smerdyakov we have someone who is cunning and ruthless and who takes advantage of the people around him, but we never really know why he does what he does. Smerdyakov is the closest character to the 'main villain', but we never get his own thoughts, we only see him through the eyes of others. He is difficult to forgive because we don't know him, yet this is exactly they point Dostoyevsky is trying to make: we MUST forgive Smerdyakov, he is in the greatest need of it as Father Zosima alluded to earlier in the novel.

Dostoyevsky is not foolish enough to think that we can always forgive, however. He knows we will always be carried away by our emotions and passions. He knows those passions will lead us to do terrible things and to also condemn others, too. He quite clearly sees the onion layers that make up human interactions, the dual nature of all people who can be both good and bad at the same time. He knows how complicated people really are. But he also plants that seed of doubt in our mind while reading this novel as to if we really are qualified to pass judgment on any person. He wants us to know that nothing is what it seems and even when we are positive we know a person we might very well be wrong about them. He's showing us the danger of gossip, of judgment, of not walking in another person's shoes. And he's also showing us how we are all conflicted, how we ebb and flow between goodness and sin and even how what we perceive in others as sin might actually be virtue as in the case of little Ilyusha and his father, Captain Snegiryov, or even the Grand Inquisitor who though his actions go against God he is actually doing so because he is for God.

Then there is the faith question, the tricky nature of how faith works. Here he shows us that if God himself showed up at our doorstep and said "I am God, here I am", we would actually doubt the existence of God even more. But the lack of any proof of God, the absence of proof is the very thing that is needed for their to be faith. If we know for certain there is the possibility of salvation at the end of life then what point would life have since that would take away our own free will? We would already know beforehand if we are saved or doomed so why bother going through the motions?

The book even goes so far as to make me want to be a better person. I found myself questioning my own opinions and judgments of others while at work and out and about town. I started wondering what sort of life each person I saw was really living, how good or how bad, what tragedy or joy they were dealing with. I started to wonder if perhaps you could just do away with all the different religions in the world and have everyone read this novel instead.

And even as I write this it does sound rather absurd and I can imagine anyone reading this saying "Well clearly this person has a religious agenda", but that's not the case. In fact there is no way I could convince you that I don't have an agenda because you can't see into my own heart and know how I really feel about this subject. All I can say is that I was sincerely moved by this novel and that it makes me want to look at the world differently and that I had a better understanding of belief and faith than when I began the novel.

This book is not some "depressing Russian tome", but aside from its philosophical and theological nature it is a well plotted family novel and murder mystery. Like all of Dostoyevsky's other works it's wordy and characters seem to speak in long speeches, but it's never boring - even when it is. Dostoyevsky also makes a great counter to Tolstoy in that Tolstoy allowed you to see into a character's mind where Dostoyevsky is always more interested in looking into his heart.

This is a novel of great compassion and is one of my favorite reading experiences I've ever had.

Wowee Zowee!

Do yourself a favor and listen to this rendition. I had to buy three different versions before I found this one. Don’t bother with the abridged version. That’s like reading an abridged version of “Gone with the Wind “- She didn’t love him. She did love him. He didn’t give a damn.”

You know how when you were a kid you wondered what was so great about the “classics”? Was it just old people thinking their stuff is the best? LOL
Then you grow up and realize that some books go beyond explanation. I read Brothers Karamazov when I was young but not much if it stuck. I’ve always been a vociferous reader and still am but a great narrator like Constantine Gregory brings a long book like this to life. He could not have done a better job.

As for the book, I do not understand why I liked it so much. I shouldn’t. Its wordy yet wordy is the very reason I don’t enjoy Dylan Thomas. Sometimes he goes off on a seemingly unrelated tangents But I don’t mind that either. I can’t say I’m crazy about the ending but it didn’t bother me like some do. Maybe because it was honest. All I know is, with so much mediocrity, thank god for classics, old and new.

Maybe you can’t explain a classic. Maybe, classics last because regardless of technology or fashion, the basic humanity that connects us, remains. The need to be loved, sadness when we are not, shame when we are at our worst and the complicated nature of human relationships are as true today as they were 200 or 2,000 years ago.

Worth The Effort

Would you consider the audio edition of The Brothers Karamazov to be better than the print version?

Yes. I need the momentum of the audio version, during some of those long Russian monologues. I like alternating between audio and text. This audio is the Constance Garnett translation which sounds good on audio.

What did you like best about this story?

I liked that the characters surprised me. I liked the world of the story, the sense of sacredness, the way that big questions were brought up in conversation. It's a lot different from the everyday world of today.

What does Constantine Gregory bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?

He was very subtle in his character work. I could distinguish characters most of the time. Sometimes I could not. He did a wonderful job overall.

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

No. It took a few weeks.

Any additional comments?

I'm glad I listened to it. It was a difficult book, but it was ambitious.

abridged

it starts in the middle of the book, it leaves out book one which I feel is important to the story, book one is short I recommend reading it online for free (can knock it out in an hour or so) then coming back and beginning the audio book

Riveting, if not for the drunken geldings

Dostoevsky's fascinating exploration of religion, Russia, family and evil -- the 3 Brothers Karamazov -- is likely one of the top 10 novels of all time.

Maybe I'm mellowing. I found Dostoevsky's THE IDIOT more enjoyable and compelling. I also prefer Tolstoy.

A general thought and criticism of Dostoevsky's work: though I don't know much of Dostoevsky's background, I believe he was mistreated by the opposite sex; I find his females hysterical (and I don't use that term to mean "extremely funny").

An assessment of the narration: the narrator has 2 of the 4 important male characters, the father and son Dmitri, neighing like drunken geldings.

Great Story; Great Narrator

If you're going to listen to someone for 36 hours, they better be just right, and this guy was amazing. He was able to give the different characters the subtlest of vocal differentiation so that the story and its many plots and and subplots did not get too confusing in an an audiobook format.

The story was very long, but rewarding. There is a reason this book is a much loved classic. If you have a couple if long road trips, this is the book for you.

Reading this book is a life changing experience.

Because of its prodigious length, I recommend listening to this audiobook at 2x or 3x speed.

great reader

read it and heard audio, too. recommend that kindle book be downloaded at same time.

Beautiful, Addictive, Rewarding

Never mind that my listening experience was marred by strange glitches in the audiobook (downloaded in enhanced quality) that mysteriously kept reappearing once in a while when I was listening on my iPod* but disappeared when I listened to it in iTunes, ”The Brothers Karamazov” is a jewel.

There were places when I was ready to give up, and only kept going because of pride. After a difficult section or two, however, I found moments of such sublimity of prose and characterization it’s impossibly beautiful, addictive and rewarding. I don't believe in the kind of self-deception that attaches importance to moments one doesn't like merely because the work at hand is a canonized classic. Instead, a work, when it really and truly does overwhelm its reader, itself gives meaning to the parts perceived as meaningless by the reader in the first place. One sees with new eyes if one is converted, and isn't that ultimately one of the goals an author tries to achieve? To convert us to believe, follow and take the leap? I did, and do.

"Karamazov" indeed works for me as described, shedding light retrospectively to portions of the book I couldn't connect with, these portions now illumined and shining brightly with new-found, glowing meaning. The result is that one wishes to return to those places that now possess a magical, glimmering new depth and colour.

Constantine Gregory certainly helps. His reading is among the finest I’ve heard, and I’ll certainly find out more works read by him. I also love Garnett’s translation, so I’m doubly satisfied.

* imagine lying in bed, the house all quiet, everyone else sleeping. You’re slowly drifting off yourself, still minutely hanging there as to be able to make sense of what you’re hearing, when suddenly there’s a loud electronic noise as if somebody yanked the plug from the surround system – that’s the kind of leisurely listening I’m referring to.

sublime

superb and intelligent performance of perhaps the greatest novel ever written. the best thing I've heard on audible

Hard work

Narrator was fine but this book is a slog. Abandon all hope ye who enter here.

Wonderful classic story

I have really enjoyed this audio book. It is slow to start off with but as a reader you soon begin to appreciate the gentle pace. Dostoyevsky transports you to another time. He relates conversations beautiful. The philosophical dialogues are thought provoking. This wonderful novel then culminates in a riveting murder mystery. The narrator is extremely talented. I thoroughly recommend this audiobook! It is long but well worth every minute.

Diving into human nature

What made the experience of listening to The Brothers Karamazov [Naxos AudioBooks Edition] the most enjoyable?

The distress Dmitri was under in the later parts of the book. His state of mind and delirium made me realize I could never be a criminal. Much like Crime And Punishment, but Dmitri had way more support

Who was your favorite character and why?

Ivan because of "The Grand Inquisitor" poem/story. I must admit it was somewhat over my head but it was the most interesting part of the book and the part I will go back to and read again. Assuming that in the 1880 Russia, questioning religion was way more taboo than it is today

Was there a moment in the book that particularly moved you?

The instant switch after Dmitri "altercation" with his father and his quick downwards spiral. I feel like that is where the book really took of and started a faster pace. Sadly it was in the end of the book but lasted til the very end!

Any additional comments?

I finished Crime And Punishment before reading this one and could easily see how they came out of the same author. Similar style, similar mental states of mind, but broader since it had more aspects of human nature woven into it

Overall the book was good but I strongly prefer the other one over this. But parts of the book is unforgettable. Really enjoyed the trail and the characters had depth, although the book overall was fairly slow and much like Crime And Punishment it only really took off at the last 10-15%

Excruciating

I thought I was going to enjoy this huge tome, which I, of course, understand is a classic, but I struggled a quarter way through and finally gave up. It grated. I don't know whether it was the narration, the translation or the story itself or perhaps a combination of all three, but I hated it. I rarely give up on a book. I hadn't read it (or listened to it) before so I didn't know what to expect. Evidently, the book is satirical, but I couldn't make out (aside from the obvious) where the satire was directed. The narrator provides horrendously whiny and grating voices for just about every character without fail and I hated them all.

Not a pleasant listen!

Hard to separate the reader from the book, could not get far enough to judge but am sure it is the classic described. Truly awful reader, simpering voices for females and a whiney voice for father, a straight read would have been better. There are enough excellent readers available so I find it hard to understand why this person was chosen.

An epic novel with an everlasting feel

A fantastic book that is both deep and rich. Incredibly well read and includes many life lessons that are still important today. Impeccably read and worth every minute.

Russian materpiece read with aplomb

What made the experience of listening to The Brothers Karamazov [Naxos AudioBooks Edition] the most enjoyable?

Characterisation without resorting to cod accents

What was one of the most memorable moments of The Brothers Karamazov [Naxos AudioBooks Edition]?

The narrator bought the story alive and the listening time flew. It is a fascinating story masterly weaving many themes.

What about Constantine Gregory’s performance did you like?

Good pacing. Great characterisation.

Any additional comments?

Another brilliant Naxos unabridged novel in the Russian canon. Highly recommended. Never did it drag or bore - Mr Gregory caught the spirit of the novel in his marvellous reading.

excellent Narrator..

after listening to Crime and Punishment from the Same Narrator I chose this book as it is from the Same Author. Was not disappointed