Humiliated and Insulted

My first Dostoyevsky work, and the best I've read so far. Do not miss it! I was lucky enough to get this book as a gift from a relative in Belarus. The translation captures Dostoyevsky exctremely well. In simplistic terms, this is a "love story," Dostoyevsky style. That discription does not do it justice, though. Do not be turned off, this is NOT Danielle Steele or some other WalMart romance brand. The emotion is subtle, but gripping. The characters are such that a reader will relate to this story intimately. You will not be able to tear yourself away from this tale of human weakness as it appears on so many levels and in such provoking form. A must have for a fan of great Russian literature.

this story really did move me !saddness ,joy ,hatred and above all pity and love for the faithful Inav Petrovitch,the loving Natasha ,the spitful Prince and the Proud little Nellie! such books are written only once in a lifetime of a special Genius ,wounderfull .

Fans of Fyodor Mikailovich, don't miss this one! A jewel of a story which gripped me from the first page, with the death of the old man's dog, to the last, with (read it and see). Little Nellie, a relatively minor character, could fill a whole book by herself. Other characters are familiar, but even better (if possible) versions of those from his more widely-read works. The Aloysha/Myshkin character, vivid and true-to-life, shows the destructive side of innocence in a way that his dopplegangers have not. Every person in this story is so real I felt I already knew them all. The story involves irresistable passion, unbearable sorrow, gentle love unswayed by ruinous insult, and the impossibility and inevitability of forgiveness. Multiple conflicting emotions battle it out in every breast. I have read this book at least five times. I can't recommend it enough.