While the philosophical moments hit incredible highs, there is also a LOT of filler. Additionally, Alyosha is a mediocre main character surrounded by a sea of brilliantly written characters. This means many scenes are consistently weighed down by Aloysha, who is simply too one-note as a character. I'd strongly recommend Crime and Punishment over this book.

If you choose to read this book, I hope you enjoy Ivan as much as I did. He's undoubtedly the best character and I'd happily defend him as one of the best written character of all time.

The 3 star is deserved because when you rate Dostoevsky, you are rating against the best of the best. The only people reading The Brothers Karamazov are the people interested in the best humanity has written. Therefore, 3 stars is deserved within the context of the greats.