The Adolescent (Vintage Classics)

I found this to be one of Dostoyevsky's funnier novels, the tone is a bit in keeping with the narrator from Notes from Underground, although in this case Arkady is not cynical and jaded, he isn't on the other side of life having been crushed by it, looking backwards. In this case he is idealistically blind and without a clue--the figures in his life move about making plans and...more

I found this to be one of Dostoyevsky's funnier novels, the tone is a bit in keeping with the narrator from Notes from Underground, although in this case Arkady is not cynical and jaded, he isn't on the other side of life having been crushed by it, looking backwards. In this case he is idealistically blind and without a clue--the figures in his life move about making plans and dashing their hopes while he misinterprets everything! In other words, a typical story of a teenager moving into adulthood by a lot of fumbling and stumbling. I found it to be one of my favorite Dostoyevsky novels.   hide

wish I read this in high school