h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

One of the few books I've read almost cover-to-cover in one sitting was Fyodor Dostoevski's "The Idiot".

It was one of those rare compelling reads with seemingly real characters in real situations. He seems to have foretold the coming Revolution and its reasons some decades before it finally arrived in 1917.

It is also a book I could go back to time and time again. Brilliant!

Well . . . I really didn't enjoy reading The Idiot. Part of that was simply my inability to comprehend the plot (due in part to my poor memory of Russian names), part was my frustration at plodding my way through translated text (not that I'd like to try plodding through the original!), and part was my short attention span, which left me unable to deal with the pages and pages of inaction - for instance, the gradual wasting away of what's-her-name. Sorry, I can hardly remember any of the book now.

What do you think of other Dostoyevski books, for instance Notes from Underground?

I have to admit that I haven't read Notes from the Underground yet. One of many books on my "to read" list.

I read Crime and Punishment on holiday last year (there's nothing like relaxing on a beach in Cyprus with a light read!) and didn't enjoy it as much as The Idiot. I found more difficult than usual to keep going - perhaps because I was on holiday in Cyprus!

The Russian names are difficult to keep up with - I keep having to refer to the dramatis personæ at the front to remind myself who is who!

So far I have found The Idiot the easiest to read.

I've read Notes twice and really enjoyed it. There's a lot of heavy philosophy and sociology there, though. You can read it online for free.