Most people have said that the sheer size of The Brothers K is daunting, but when I started it, somehow, that never even came to mind. In fact, all I really cared about was reading more and more. Sometimes I even put it ahead of my schoolwork.
What I loved about it: By having all these characters (especially the brothers) with different philosophies and attitudes in life, Dostoevsky presents many sides of philosophy and almost leaves it to us to choose what we think best (I say almost because the plot leads you in certain directions at times). This is also seen with The Grand Inquisitor chapter and the teachings of the Elder Zosima. We can read them and pick up any gems that we choose.
This is why the comparisons to this great novel to Ayn Rand's Atlas Shrugged have irked me. The Brothers K presents life in 1000 pages and allows you to learn from it. Atlas Shrugged repeats one philosophy over and over and won't allow you to think otherwise - and even repeats its first 800 pages in a 70 page treatise at the end.
Not wanting to stray from The Brothers K: One thing that dissapoints me is that Dostoevsky never wrote the second part to this - and I wonder what more he could present then - especially in the character of Alexei - of whom I wanted to read more.
