Crime and Punishment (Annotated)

Poor and in desperate circumstances, Rodion Romanovich Raskolnikov plots the murder of a pawnbroker to steal what he considers her ill-gotten gains. To his mind, he is justified in eliminating an unscrupulous person who thrives on the misfortunes of others and using her money for more benevolent purposes. When his well-wrought plans go awry, Raskolnikov finds himself little better off financially, and now, a murderer. Wracked with guilt, he finds himself torn between confessing his crime to clear his conscience, or following the path that providence seems to be shaping to help him get away with the perfect crime.

Quotes from the book:

“Pain and suffering are always inevitable for a large intelligence and a deep heart. The really great men must, I think, have great sadness on earth.”

“The darker the night, the brighter the stars,
The deeper the grief, the closer is God!”

“To go wrong in one's own way is better then to go right in someone else's.”

Readers' reviews:

“This book is easy to read and clearly understandable. The reason for this is that Dostoevsky is an extremely good writer and his language is addressed to all centuries. Especially, the best part is how well he describes the characters.” (Yahya Han, goodreads.com)

“This is my all time favorite book ever. I've read it three times, and I have never found a book so compelling. Yes, the main story of murder is interesting, but it is the rest of the story that really catches my attention.” (Jason Reeser, goodreads.com)

“I love this book. I'm fascinated by Dostoyevsky's writing. He captures my attention and makes me live the lives of his heroes. I live with them and feel what they feel.” (in_art_we_trust, goodreads.com)