The greatest myth about this book is that it is not as accessible as Dostoyevsky's shorter works. The Brothers Karamazov is, on the whole, very readable; it is only the sheer size of the work that fosters the delusion that readers would be well-advised to chose a different book. The plot, which is summarized elsewhere, is simple, the themes profound. The range of characters is impressive, but not too great (as it is, arguably, in Tolstoy's War and Peace): the reader is invited to share the experiences of (above all) three brothers, each one of whom is wholly different from the others. But as so often with Dostoyevsky, the characters are interesting not only in themselves but because they embody or reflect on greater ideas. Ivan Karamazov, for instance offers some particularly trenchant criticism of optimistic religious views. In fact, those readers who are interested in questions pertaining to God will find in this book one of the most powerful indictments of the concept of wholly benevolent deity. As Ivan says, surely no greater good, no blissful after-life can justify the suffering of CHILDREN?!
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