Book Review: Crime and Punishment (choice)

For A.P. Literature and Composition, I had to choose a novel to read outside of class during the Fall season.  I chose Crime and Punishment by Fyodor Dostoyevsky because I thought it would be really interesting to read.  While it was extremely interesting and I'm glad I read it, the novel was incredibly long.  I never thought I'd be able to finish it.  I think one of the reasons it seemed so long was that it was incredibly depressing.  It takes place in 1860's St. Petersburgh, and is extremely bleak.  It is always blizzarding, and all of the characters are either living in poverty or are living tragic, empty lives.  For example, the main character, Raskolnikov, is a former student who cannot pay his rent bills.  He wastes most of his time either sleeping or at the bar, and has little to know contact with his family.  He is extremely bright, and he thinks quite a bit about the ideas of morality and justice.  He gets into quite a bit of trouble when he decides to act upon his ideas on this subject.  After he commits this crime, he suffers through much guilt and trauma.  He is unable to decide whether to turn himself in or cover it up.  He essentially goes insane, and ends up having to turn himself in.  While the ending is not exactly a happy one, it is a relief because he did what he had to do in order to get better.  Raskolnikov is in a much better place at the end of the novel in comparison to where he was in the beginning, along with many of the other supporting characters.  While the book is incredibly sad, it is almost addicting.  It is very suspenseful, and the reader can really feel sympathy for many of the characters.  Overall, it is a great novel and a must read!