poor folk

[andrew]

Poor Folk is the next novel on my list, and I was uncertain as to whether it would differ radically from the majority of the works since it was written before Dostoevsky's imprisonment. Any input on the topic would be greatly appreciated. Thanks.

[Asia]

Yes, it is quite different from Dostoevsky's other novels, but it is a lovely read.  I have read it some time ago, after reading some of the "heavier" works and I was not disappointed.  Enjoy!

[lerik]

It is very different.First of all,it is written in a letter type,which makes it stand out from all the other novels.

[poor knight]

I really enjoyed it. In many ways it has all the elements of his later novels but in a much less developed form. It was received very well by the literati at the time, unlike many of his subsequent stories. What I liked best was how FD built the impending inevitability of the story given the constraints of the letters back and forth between the main characters. It has a romantic era base to it but he gives it a hard edge.

If you like it, I'd follow up with Netochka Nezvanova, a story he started just before going to prison. It has a similar edge.

[Tetsu Arre]

I must be in the minority, 'cause being the uneducated, casual, poor reader that I am - I didn't much like it. The format could have been better if Fyodor had just thoroughly answered more questions. Too many gaps, literally, in the story.

I would have liked Gorshkov's family to have been written about more, and to be honest - I enjoyed the description of Varvara's life in the country more than anything. That, and the section when...Well, I don't want to spoil it for anyone, but lets just say it involved one very desperate Gorshkov.

I suppose it's the format in which this work was written that left so many loose ends.