Book · 1866
Crime and Punishment
by Fyodor Dostoevsky
A destitute former student murders a pawnbroker to test his own theory that some men are above the law, then can't stop thinking about it.
What does Reddit think of Crime and Punishment?
The most-upvoted comment in this sample (↑478) isn't praise, it's a warning: don't hand Crime and Punishment, Anna Karenina, or Dickens to someone asking for their first book back into reading. Everything else here argues the opposite case, for readers who are past that stage. One commenter got pulled in unexpectedly "30% of the way through," staying for what the book does with "a guilty mind" (↑373). Another calls Raskolnikov "fucked-up in the head" and "incredibly easy to root for," and names this Dostoevsky's most digestible novel besides (↑368). The verdict repeats in shorthand, too: "deeply psychological," one reply says, nothing more needed (↑423). r/suggestmeabook's tracked sentiment reads positive; r/booksuggestions comes back mixed, which tracks with a book that earns its fans slowly and loses patience quickly. Recommended, with a runway attached.
Community feedback & reader fit
Themes
- · Raskolnikov's guilt-wracked psychology as the book's core draw
- · A recurring warning: great book, wrong first read for new readers
- · Called one of Dostoevsky's more 'digestible' works, a relative claim
- · A default recommendation at enormous scale across r/suggestmeabook and r/booksuggestions
Common praise
- + One reader calls Raskolnikov "fucked-up in the head... incredibly easy to root for," and names it Dostoevsky's most digestible work (↑368).
- + Another describes getting unexpectedly pulled in "30% of the way through," staying for the look into "a guilty mind" (↑373).
- + It's a recurring "deeply psychological" one-word verdict repeated across threads years apart (↑423).
Common criticism
- − The most-upvoted comment in this sample (↑478) names it directly as a bad first recommendation for someone new to reading, alongside Anna Karenina and Dickens.
- − r/booksuggestions' tracked sentiment lands mixed against r/suggestmeabook's clearly positive numbers, a split that tracks with the "great book, wrong reader" caution above.
- − Even the positive reads concede a slow entry: one commenter's own arc took "30% of the way through" before the book earned its hold (↑373).
Who it's for
Not your first novel back into reading; one of the most-upvoted comments in this sample (↑478) says exactly that, grouping it with Anna Karenina and Dickens as recommendations that backfire on beginners. Willing to give a book thirty percent of its length before it grabs you? One reader's own account of getting hooked runs on that exact timeline (↑373). Want Dostoevsky but worried about the length of his other novels? Multiple threads here call this his most "digestible" entry point (↑368), just not the entry point for reading itself.
Mentions over time
Top subreddits
Which Reddit comments matter for Crime and Punishment?
The most relevant excerpts across the subreddits where this book is mentioned — opinionated, argued takes first, then top-upvoted mentions. Click through to read the full thread.
“I don’t downvote but my pet peeve is when someone says they’re a first-time reader and asks for a rec to get them started into reading.... and people recommend really dense literature. Like Crime and Punishment, Anna Karenina, or anything by Dickens or David Foster Wallace are bad choices for this c…
“Crime and Punishment by Dostoyevsky Deeply psychological.
“Crime and Punishment by Dostoievsky. The protagonist is a student who lives a miserable life, in part due to the circumstances, and because of his own actions which had life-changing consequences. This is one of the best example of a protagonist who wasted their life, at least from a superficial pe…
“Crime and punishment by Dostoevsky It was surprising how much I got into it around 30% of the way through. It was a great look into a guilty mind and just how much he tortured himself internally.
“Crime and Punishment- the main character, Rodion Raskolnikov, totally fits this bill. F*****-up in the head, thinks he’s above the law, but incredibly easy to root for. If you haven’t read it, I’d highly recommend. Definitely one of Dostoevsky’s most easily digestible works too.
“You probably HAVE heard of this one, but I recently read Crime and Punishment by Fyodor Dostoyevsky (hoping I spelt that right). Its about a man called Raskolnikov who is living in the slums of Russia who basically gets the idea that he's going to kill this elderly pawn broker. It's a pretty long bo…
“Crime and Punishment
“This is really cool. Crime and Punishment - Dostoevsky The Book Thief - Markus Zusak Edit: thank you SO much everyone! I’d drive myself crazy replying to each of you but just know that I’m saving this post so I can come back and pull books from this comment if I’m ever without one. I’m trying to…
“War and Peace, or Crime and Punishment
“Fyodor Dostoevsky's "Crime and Punishment" is a must-read.
“I have to highlight 3 major books: East of Eden - Evil as an innate human problem but hopeful in the idea of overcoming it by our own choices. Crime and Punishment - Amazing book that explores how we may perceive ourselves to be and how we really are and the way we interact with society and others…
“Crime and punishment for sure
“Any Dostoyevsky, but especially Crime and Punishment and Brothers Karamazov. The best writer I have come across so far.
“Crime and Punishment & The Brothers Karamazov by Dostoevsky; Both books have deep and philosophical dialogs that will stay with you forever. Also the characters are so well written you will feel as if you know them personally.
“Check out Crime and Punishment by Fyodor Dostoyevsky.. The main character, Raskonlikov, will take your description to an extreme like few of the other suggestions could.
Convinced? Pick up Crime and Punishment
Readers also mention
All books like Crime and Punishment →Books that share discussion threads with Crime and Punishment — counted from the comments, not curated.
Guides featuring Crime and Punishment
Ranked best-of lists and editorial guides where this book's tracked mentions place it.
Crime and Punishment — frequently asked
Is Crime and Punishment a good first book for someone who doesn't read much?+
No, per the most-upvoted comment in this sample. It names Crime and Punishment specifically, alongside Anna Karenina and Dickens, as a bad recommendation for a first-time reader trying to get back into books (↑478). Every other comment here argues from the other side, for readers already comfortable with dense, slow-building fiction.
What does Reddit actually say about Crime and Punishment?+
That it rewards patience. One reader got unexpectedly pulled in "30% of the way through," staying for the portrait of "a guilty mind" (↑373). Another calls Raskolnikov "incredibly easy to root for" despite being "fucked-up in the head," and names this Dostoevsky's most digestible novel (↑368). A third comment just says "deeply psychological" (↑423), the shorthand version of the same verdict.
Is Crime and Punishment slow to start?+
By at least one account, yes. A reader in this sample says they didn't get pulled in until "30% of the way through," at which point the book's look into "a guilty mind" won them over (↑373). Nothing here contradicts that; the praise consistently comes from readers who stayed past the slow part.
Is Crime and Punishment the easiest Dostoevsky novel to start with?+
One commenter thinks so, calling it "one of Dostoevsky's most easily digestible works" in the same breath as recommending it outright (↑368). That's a relative claim about Dostoevsky's catalogue, not a claim that the book itself is light reading; the same sample separately warns it's a bad pick for first-time readers generally (↑478).