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Crime and Punishment (Audio Connoisseur Edition)

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Crime and Punishment (Audio Connoisseur Edition)

By: Fyodor Dostoevsky, Constance Garnett - translator
Narrated by: Charlton Griffin
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About this listen

 This magnificent novel is about the murder of a miserly, aged pawnbroker and her younger sister by a radical, destitute St. Petersburg student named Raskolnikov, and the emotional, mental, and physical effects that follow. It is a remarkable masterpiece about a man's turbulent inner life and his relationship to others and to society at large. Dostoevsky explored the human condition on many levels in this great piece, and among the main themes the novel explores is the rather strange theory that criminals have a spiritual need to be punished - that indeed they demand it. Today we might think of this as masochism and dismiss Dostoevsky's thesis as the powerful wanderings of a mind steeped in the mysticism of the Eastern Orthodox Church. But this wonderful classic is far more complex.

Raskolnikov the intellectual divides humanity into two types: the meek, submissive mass of mankind and the "Supermen". The Nietzschean Superman can violate any law or principle to attain his beneficial ends. Since Raskolnikov has allied himself with the Superman, he intends to prove his superiority by committing a murder without remorse by eliminating an "undesirable" person.

The novel's central question is whether it is justifiable to commit an atrocity in order to improve humanity. Dostoevsky shows us that a person cannot control and direct his life solely with his reason and intellect, that free will is limited. Listen as one of the finest psychological novels ever written unfolds.

Public Domain (P)2007 Audio Connoisseur Classics Genre Fiction Literary Fiction Psychological Fiction Crime
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The way it was read made so much more enjoyable! The story is a classic and the performance was nothing short of that level. thank you

Loved it

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Engaging performances throughout a very long novel made it a pleasure to listen to.. A great book if ever there was one

A classic in every way

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Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?

Absolutely! Great narrator, very easy to keep track of the Russian name diminutives. Compelling story. The psychological tension and physical manifistations Rakolnikov endures in the struggle to understand that the suffering of condign punishment is easier to endure than the weight of the crime completely captivated me.

What about Charlton Griffin’s performance did you like?

The animation he brought to the characters

Any additional comments?

I was so enraptured that I tripped while listening and broke my arm. I took the time to pause the book before calling the ambulance so I wouldn't lose my place.

Spellbinding!!

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I have derived a great deal from this and have found listening to Dostoevsky easier than reading from the page - something to do with all the long Russian names I suspect. It is a fascinating tale, vividly rendered and well worth the time commitment. I have , however, struggled with the infuriatingly querulous, pathetic voice the reader gives, without exception, to every female character regardless of the substance of what is being said. Once I realised what it was that was grating on me so strongly (about two thirds of the way through), finishing the book became something of a challenge. I feel that Dostoevsky identified strength and nobility in some of his female characters but this is sadly lost in the delivery here. Well worth a listen regardless.

Painstaking exploration of human motivation.

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I loved this staggeringly brilliant book. The acting was incredible; Griffin's voice is amazing, and he does a scarily accurate old woman voice.
Watch out for a major spoiler in the intro however. Don't know why they put a synopsis of the story (including detailing the ending) in the introduction of the book?
Other than that simply brilliant. An extremely sophisticated story and an equally sophisticated performance.

Exquisite Performance of a True Classic

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