40 pages • 1 hour read
Fyodor DostoevskyThe Gambler
Fiction | Novel | Adult | Published in 1866A modern alternative to SparkNotes and CliffsNotes, SuperSummary offers high-quality Study Guides with detailed chapter summaries and analysis of major themes, characters, and more.
Before You Read
Super Short Summary
In Fyodor Dostoevsky's novel The Gambler, Alexey Ivanovich returns to Roulettenburg, working as a tutor for a Russian aristocratic family. Alexey falls for Polina, the general’s stepdaughter, but his love is thwarted by his lack of wealth and the ruinous gambling of the general’s aunt. Attempts to win Polina over with gambling gains fail as she leaves for Mr. Astley, while Alexey descends into gambling addiction. The novel depicts addiction to gambling.
Reviews & Readership
Review Roundup
The Gambler by Fyodor Dostoevsky is widely acclaimed for its incisive exploration of addiction and human psychology. Reviewers praise the compelling characterization and intense narrative. Criticisms often focus on the uneven pacing and dense prose. Despite these flaws, the novel remains a powerful study of human failures and obsessions.
Who Should Read The Gambler?
A reader who would enjoy The Gambler by Fyodor Dostoevsky is likely intrigued by psychological drama, character studies, and the themes of obsession and self-destruction. Fans of Dostoevsky's Crime and Punishment or Leo Tolstoy's Anna Karenina may find this novel similarly compelling for its intense exploration of the human condition.
RecommendedReading Age
18+yearsBook Details
Classic Fiction
Psychological Fiction
Russian Literature
Existentialism
Emotions/Behavior: Love
Values/Ideas: Win & Lose
Values/Ideas: Power & Greed
History: World
Philosophy