Reader discussion: The Idiot

Public reader discussion about The Idiot by Fyodor Dostoyevsky.

The Idiot by Fyodor Dostoyevsky

By waterolive4

Hey fellow book lovers, A few days ago I started *The Idiot* by Dostoyevsky. I picked it mostly because he’s a pretty famous author and everyone always recommends his stuff. Also, the title sounded catchy, and a friend suggested it too. The first 100 pages were totally okay, but after that I just started getting annoyed. It felt like there were a lot of random conversations, weird emotional reactions, and I couldn’t really understand why the characters were acting like that. It didn’t connect, and honestly it felt irrelevant. By that point, there were even some sections where the dialogue seemed pointless—like you could probably skim a good chunk (maybe 30–40 pages) and nothing would be lost. Once I reached around 47% (about 200 pages), I stopped. I wasn’t interested in picking it back up. At first I wondered if it was a bad translation, or maybe the book wasn’t edited properly. Then I looked up a few things on YouTube and read some articles, and it seemed like other people had similar opinions and also set it aside. I’ve also noticed that readers don’t seem to have the same issues with *Crime and Punishment* and *Brothers Karamazov*—those were actually really good, and I’d say they’re must-reads. Has anyone else felt the same way about *The Idiot*? P.S. Please don’t take this the wrong way—I’m only talking about this particular Dostoyevsky book. I just ordered the other two, and after I read them I’ll share my thoughts too.

The Idiot: Part 2 Chapter 2 Discussion

By Superuser

There’s a pinned thread for an open chat if anyone wants to talk about the blackout stuff—just try to keep it civil. A few things I’m still chewing on: picking back up with Myshkin, how does he feel different (or the same) compared to the one we got in part 1? Also, the whole scene at Lebedev’s before that private talk—did anything jump out to you? And the way executions keep getting brought up again, like this time it’s the Comtesse du Barry’s—why does Dostoevsky keep circling back to that? I’m also curious what everyone thought of the garden conversation between Myshkin and Lebedev: what do they seem like right after it, and where do you think each of them is mentally? Any guesses for what’s going to happen in Pavlovsk? And yeah, if there’s anything else you want to bring up, I’m open to that too.

Finished Dostoevsky's "The Idiot" and the ending absolutely wrecked me

By photongoose

I finished *The Idiot* a couple weeks back and I haven’t really picked anything else up since. The ending just wrecked me, and I’m still trying to wrap my head around it. Myshkin is so innocent and “clean” as a person that it almost feels Christ-like, which somehow makes everything worse. The way he holds Rogozhin at the end after Rogozhin kills Nastasya and then basically helps him look at what happened… that part was brutal. I also feel like he’s kind of too good for his own life, and by the time you get to the end he really does end up fitting the title. I’ve read *Crime and Punishment* and *Notes from the Underground*, plus this, and I’m planning to go into *The Brothers Karamazov* next. Honestly, I thought this was at least on the same level as *Crime and Punishment*—maybe even matching it for how much I enjoyed it. Dostoevsky really seems to understand people, and you can feel that in the characters.

Is there anything I should know or be aware of before starting "The Idiot" by Fyodor Dostoyevsky that would make the reading more enjoyable or add more depth to the story or characters?

By violet_willow

I grabbed this book the other day at the bookstore and figured I’d ask about it before I start reading. Before getting into Moby-Dick, I tried looking into the bigger themes like human mortality, the whole search for God/the unknown kind of stuff, and honestly, Moby-Dick is still my all-time favorite book. I don’t know, I’ve just never found another book where I can see the surroundings so clearly and still feel really connected to the characters. This is my first time reading this author, though—I did look up a bit about their personal life. Any thoughts? Thanks!

What's the best translation of "the idiot"

By YellowVelvet7

I’ve had this on my list for ages, and I vaguely remember reading that some versions are better than the others.