The Brothers Karamazov

Penguin Classics

By: Fyodor Dostoyevsky, David McDuff - translator

Narrated by: Luke Thompson

Brought to you by Penguin.

This Penguin Classic is performed by Luke Thompson, best known for his role in the hit Netflix drama Bridgerton. This definitive recording includes an introduction by David McDuff.

The murder of brutal landowner Fyodor Karamazov changes the lives of his sons irrevocably: Mitya, the sensualist, whose bitter rivalry with his father immediately places him under suspicion for parricide; Ivan, the intellectual, driven to breakdown; the spiritual Alyosha, who tries to heal the family's rifts; and the shadowy figure of their bastard half-brother, Smerdyakov. Dostoyevsky's dark masterwork evokes a world where the lines between innocence and corruption, good and evil, blur and everyone's faith in humanity is tested.

Translated with an introduction and notes by David McDuff.

©2003 David McDuff (P)2021 Penguin Audio

Critic reviews

"The most magnificent novel ever written." (Sigmund Freud)

Exceptionally Good Narration

This translation is very close to the Pevears & Volokhonsky version which I read while listening. The narrator acted his way through the text and was just brilliant. The Brothers K is now in the top five reading experiences for me.

A masterpiece!

Encouraging from beginning to end spellbinding and final error ! I couldn’t wait to read it

Incredible depth and detail

Oh, and extremely long narration, the coverage of the lives of the characters, was extensive, and complex. The depth of indulgence in religious and secular ideology of the time and place permitting the reader in depth immersive ideological and philosophical detail.

Luke Thompson is a god!

I was the only one in my book club that listened to Luke build this world. The nuance of class he was able to bring to each chatacter was nothing short of brilliant. What an actor. Amazing! I think I was the only one that understood what was going on.

Fantastic performance of TBK, just outstanding!

The Brothers Karamazov doesn't need my review, it's monumental and one of the greatest novels ever written. On top of that, Luke Thompson, who performed it, read it in a way that made it absolutely come to life. His differentiation of the characters made each one distinct and recognizable (and his various English accents made wonderful sense of the Russian characters) but most important, he read with such detailed comprehension of the meaning of each passage. I was astonished to learn that Mr. Thompson is so young (I'm twice his age), with such mature empathy and understanding. Thank you for your humanity and your artistry, Mr. Thompson. It was a delight to spend 43+ hours with you in my ears!

Narrator is absolutely gifted

The narrator is by far the most imaginative, gifted actor I’ve even encountered. I could NEVER have read this book. But he brings the characters alive in the way I’m sure Dostoevsky intended them to be. He makes me understand the true genius of the write, and why this books is an enduring classic. Absolute joy to listen to, give that man an Oscar!!

Epic

An epic work of art with a dramatic reading performance to match! A masterful study of all that is broken within us and that to which , or more precisely to whom, we give ourselves in rejection of God.

The reader was amazing

The reader did an amazing job having appropriate and consistent voices for all the characters throughout the story. He read with emotion and appropriate additions of sighs and laughs. He skillfully did things that other readers aren’t willing to do and he enhanced the story very much. I read the brothers K myself a long time ago, but this readers performance made the book come alive for me now on my second go through the book.

Loved the translation and the reader

David mcDuff did a masterful translation of the novel and Luke Thompson performs an absolutely outstanding reading, allowing the reader to create vivid images of the characters, their personalities, their love and their suffering. This was one of the most enjoyable audiobooks I have ever listened to.

Old or new

Fascinating that something that was written in 1870s has such relevance in today’ world. The writing style is beautiful. The narrators abilities to read the text made it extraordinary listening.