The only book I read in the month of November, due to being in a reading slump from October. So that may be why this is a 4.25 and not a 5. But overall I did enjoy this and enjoyed the beautiful writing, the extreme characters, and the interesting interactions. When there is a lot of action or interaction this is brilliant. But when the action dies it becomes a bit of a slog to get through (like a lot of Russian classics heavy in religious, legal, and philosophical preaching) at times. Prince Myshkin is such an interesting character considering he is so pure and trusting. He is not a 'Gary Sue' but a culmination of all a person's vulnerabilities and innate goodness and the risks you can take showing that to society. You feel for his pain, his embarrassment, and his vulnerabilities. And while each character is interesting, I found them all a bit 2d, the complexity comes from the characters seesawing from extremes of emotions and actions rather than shades of grey from real people, as each character becomes an archetype to further the plot. Rogozhin is unstable, Myshkin is naive, Nastasya is bitter, Aglaya is spoilt, etc. This makes it a bit unrealistic and more like a delivery system of drama. But the drama is good, really good. Overall worth a read and better than some classics I have read.