Review of Fyodor Dostoevsky from the Christian Encounters Series by Peter Leithart

Fyodor Dostoevsky By Peter Leithart is the first of the Christian Encounters Series that I have read. I became interested in Dostoyevsky after reading about him in another book and while I have not read any of his actual writings, he seems to be a compelling person. Not knowing a lot about him or his work beyond the few quotes in the other book, I was interested in reviewing this book about his life.

The use of fictional conversations and settings in the telling of his life certainly keeps it interesting, but I believe the reader is left with questions as to which parts are actually true and which parts are creative license. The writing style is good and kept my interest throughout. The author does not gloss over Dostoyevsky’s shortcomings as a man during his lifetime as some are prone to do, however some of the descriptions seemed a bit much.

The content is footnoted to show where the reader can get more information and as such is a good introduction to the life of this author with resources for those who want more than a surface-level understanding of this author. I would recommend this book to someone who knows very little of Dostoyevsky.

Disclaimer: I received this book as a part of Thomas Nelson’s Booksneeze program.