Crime and Punishment (Penguin Clothbound Classics) Hardcover – October 9, 2018

This novel was everything that it's cracked up to be. It was my first Dostoevsky novel now I want to read the rest of his works, because holy moley, I get it. A fair warning: This novel might consume and dominate your thoughts. It's so good.

I know a lot of future Dostoevsky readers are occupied with deciding the best translation to pick up for each novel, especially with so many translations out there, with this classic in particular. And so I wanted to add an educated opinion and note on McDuff's translation (considering I am Russian), one point would be on faithfulness (of translation) and the other being readability.1. Faithfulness: McDuff, as usual with his Dostoevsky translations, is able to convey to the English reader a fine sum of elements found in original Russian work with his translation. Not only does he go the length in his attempts to never omit any bits of information (as in literal words or conveyed meanings), he also attempts to not alter or change information by the act of translation. Of course, this is done in a practical manner, that is to say, it is not an exact literal translation, as no literary translation should be (we are here to read a story, not learn Russian). With that being said, he doesn't do so perfectly, but he does do so better than most in my personal opinion (see final note). In doing so, McDuff is able to keep the source material to a sufficient degree, while also keeping the translation a readable and English one, thus providing English readers the mannerisms and quirks of the Russian language through the English language, and with it, distinctive qualities of the culture and author.2. Readability: Firstly, McDuff's philosophy of translation leads people to consider translations such as McDuff's as sometimes difficult to read, which I personally find to be strange. Not that I'm invalidating the experiences of people who say so, it's just that if you pick up a Russian novel (whether it's a translation or not), it would seem to me that you are open to experience, well, a Russian novel, and not an English one, be it difficult as it may. Russian is a strange language compared to English, not only strange through translation, but it is fundamentally different not only in syntax, but manner, content, and tone. If one rather just consume the overall "meaning" and story of the novel, while avoiding the "Russianees" of the novel, and with it, some of its literary significance, then perhaps other translations are a better fit, but I personally believe this to be a perversion of the medium of literature.Secondly, the McDuff translation is chiefly British, and somewhat highbrow in my opinion. In that sense, the translation has relative personal degrees of readability that should be taken into considerations. Being a non native English speaker, especially not British English, I had some difficulties at times reading this, just having to check certain definitions, nothing major.Overall, I enjoy and appreciate McDuff's translation, and for anyone who is particularly bogged down with finding the "best" translation, I would rank this, as well as the Katz translation, as two highly respectable options.

Product Quality: My new copy came in close to Excellent, not perfect. There were about 4 or 5 visible marks, the ink quality was perfect, and thin pages that are expected of penguin classics. Not a perfectly new copy but what is ought to be valued is the story inside.Translatition and Notes Review: Since I started and finished reading this version as a high school freshman, this translation is excellent and my preferred and recommended one. The notes are outstanding with accurate and intriguing details about references in the book.Story Review: This book is the Bible of fiction/historical fiction after The Iliad, a masterpiece that is commonly valued by the giants of fiction literature. Spoiler: It is a slow paced masterpiece that describes a man (Rodion Romanovich Raskolnikov) that has killed humans and has to live with it. After I read this book, I never saw the world the same. Dostoyevsky’s literary figures are so incredible that metaphors are sometimes stretched across multiple pages. The first book that made me really sense and imagine things with Fyodor’s precise descriptions. Parts like the end of the third part made me shiver and have anxiety and others had me at the edge of my seat. This literary document has gone the deepest into thematic material than any other and deserves a perfect 10/10 as my favorite book of all time.

Dostoevsky is a literary genius. I’ve never been one to stayed entertained with longer books, but this one kept me on my toes. It’s easy to say all the suspense kept me intrigued throughout the story. My only concern is that the red decal on the cover does scratch off insanely easily. My suggestion would be to seal it if possible. But other than that, it’s a great purchase

The book was interesting I couldn’t put it down