Red Notebook Reviews

Two-hundred pages into what’s been argued to be the greatest book ever written, I’m starting to understand just how solid that statement might be. It’s been a while since I’ve read something with such vivid and enticing characters, and with a few favorites tucked into my heart, I just can’t get enough of these Russian names! Also, I’ll try to keep the spoilers to a minimum.  “In the first place, we’re overcome with practical concerns; in the second place, God provides so little time, only twenty-four hours in a day, so there’s no time to get enough sleep, let alone repent of one’s sins,” (138).    The father of all these brothers is a despicable human being who always seems to have the funniest things to say. Fyodor Pavlovich is shameless, to say the least, reckless, terribly selfish, hedonistic–he’s a heathen, really, and a fool. He’s defined by his foolishness and it’s compelling to see the ways his sons approach him, as well as the ways they do and don’t inherit some o...