The many strengths - and one weakness - of The Brothers Karamazov

What's left to say in summary re Fyodor Dostoevsky's The Brothers Karamazov? It's a vast novel on one level - quite long, so much so that, by the end, I'm guessing most people will have forgotten much of the beginning (in that way, it's like life, time always slowly erasing experience). It's far less plot-driven than Crime and Punishment, though it does center on a crime (which we never actually "see," which of course sharpens the drama and the mystery) - but does so through by building up to the murder trial and its outcome (which I will not divulge) - rather than on the details of the crime and its effect on the character of a protagonist. It's philosophical in its way, as we get several chapters in which various characters discuss their world view and their faith or lack thereof (middle-brother Ivan's Grand Inquisitor chapter being the most famous of these). Mostly, it's about character, I would say - with its detailed examination of the conflicted relationship among the 3 brothers (as well as, to a lesser extent, their relation to the out-of-wedlock brother); the father is quickly delineated but plays a surprisingly minor role - the victim - in the scheme of this novel. What most struck me on this reading was FD's strong feelings about cruelty to animals and, even more so, about our cruelty to one another; he sets this out to two counterbalanced monologues - in the first section of the novel the long account of the life story of the monk (Z) who is the guiding light for the youngest brother, Alyosha; and then, in the final chapter that will inevitably move you to tears, Alyosha's address to the young boys who are mourning the death of their mate. And of course there are some great dramatic scenes in FD unique dramatic style of heightened emotions and frantic action - notably oldest brother Dimitri's mad expenditures just after the murder scene.  Readers will also note that, as with pretty much all of FD's work, this is a male-centered novel, with the women playing secondary parts at best - none really opens up and becomes a thoughtful, rounded character; the women are "types" whereas the men are vivid, each burdened (or blessed) with a complex interior life. So - it's not a novel for all readers, and will require the dedication of a lot of time and thought and much looking back at the list of key characters at the front of at least this translation (Pevear-Volokhonsky) - but that said it's makes for good reading during a time of isolation and quarantine.