Recommend me a Dostoevsky book that's not as boring as C&P

[Dostov]

I spent months reading the first half of C&P. There wasn't much action besides Raskolnikov lying sick on his bed/sofa. Needless to say I found the first half of the novel very painful and boring. The second half was a lot more tolerable and I finished it fairly quickly, but during the whole time I spent reading the novel I didn't really care about the fate of the protagonist. Is he going to confess? Flee to America? Kill himself? Lie and get away with murder? Who cares? Overall, I didn't like C&P nearly as much as I liked the Brothers K or Notes from Underground.

I'm currently trying to figure out which Dostoevsky novel to read next. Possible candidates include:

The Idiot
The Adolescent
Demons (The Possessed)
The Double
The Gambler

Can someone suggest which novels I should read first? I want to read a Dostoevsky novel that will make me feel as excited as I felt the first time I read Notes from Underground.

[Slovenly Old Man]

Out of those, for you, I would recommend 'The Double'...... it's a very entertaining book about a perhaps schizophrenic protagonist.... it's a psychological thriller really... The recent movie 'The Machinist' seems to have been directly influenced by this story... also, The Double is only about 150 pages

When you're through with that, check out 'The Idiot'... it's an excellent book

[absolutelyabsurd]

I think that, of all of those options, 'The Idiot' is the best.

[andrew]

It's been so long since I've even thought about Dostoevsky - good starting place would be The Double if you're into psychological themes. I remember reading somewhere that this influenced Carl Jung's archetype of "the shadow." Also to reply to Slovenly Old Man - did you notice that Christian Bale's character was reading The Idiot in one scene? Nice.

[SebyMeister]

          If you say that C&P was boring I'm sorry to say this but you are not worthy of Dostoevsky's literature..C&P is full of psychologic meaning which you must discover as the reader..There are 2 kind of book readers:
                  1. Readers who can FEEL and UNDERSTAND what the author have to say in that book
                  2. Readers who just read to ,,appear" more intelectual or they heard from some sources that ,,X" author ROCKS!. And trust me these kind of readers remain with absolutly nothing after they done a book

         A book must be read with Eyes, Brain and most important with your SOUL..I feel very sorry that you find Crime and Punishment boring
 Maybe this author don't fit your personality. Try someone different: Paulo Coelho, Stephen King for example.

[carnage_complex]

Before you pick up one of his longer novels, maybe you should consider checking out some of his short stories.  A lot of them manage to capture the fundamental essence of Dostoevsky, and each can easily be read in one sitting.  You can find some of them for free here: http://www.online-literature.com/dostoevsky/.

[PastMeridian]

I too had some difficulty with C&P, though not because I thought it was dull (though not much does happen for extended periods throughout the narrative) but because I felt it was too didactic, at least for my tastes.  I felt Dostoevsky was trying to convert me on practically every page, at least during the second half of the novel.  His solution to the problems that faced Raskolnikov was far too simplistic I felt.

I also couldn't believe Sonya and felt she was a poorly written character.  The saintly prostitute has been used so frequently (though perhaps it was newer at the time) and I just found her far too saintly to be believed.  I understand her symbolic value in the novel, but symbolism as character only works (especially in a novel that is aiming for psychological depth) if the character is still treated as a character and not merely a symbol.

[Donato]

I just finished reading Crime and Punishment, and all I can say is "Wow!"  While there are chapters where the characters ramble on and on, once you get to the heart of the work, it is utterly absorbing.  My only criticism of some of Dostoevsky's longer novels are the parts where characters ramble on and on and on for pages.  I understand the literary purpose for these monologues, but they can be tedious to read. You have to plow ahead, though, like a gold digger, to reach the truly precious metals.  
 My next goal is to read some of Dostoevsky's short stories. Then I will return to a novel, i.e., The Idiot.