I just finished reading this novel. I started with an older translation, but it was painful, so I switched to the Pevear/Volokhonsky one after a short while. It was easier to get through.
The book is diffcult to summarize. Suffice it to say there are many tragic characters with the main one being the Prince who has fits and other issues at times, hence the title.
I cannot really recommend this book. It seemed overly long, tedious and somewhat incoherent/pointless in many places. I was glad to get to the end.
That being said, I did find the very first chapter, the first chapter of Part IV and the last two chapters of the book to be pretty good. The first chapter does peak one's interest as to what will go on in this novel. That of Part IV has some interesting insights into the character of certain types of people. The last two chapters build up a great deal of suspense and conclude tragically, and somehow surprisingly. There are some good parts scattered elsewhere in the book, but not that many in my opinion.
I have to say that the ending was memorable, but it sure took a long time for the author to get the reader there. Of course, he wrote a long time ago, and maybe it is a sign of the change in times that I say what I do here.
If you have a lot of time on your hands and don't mind a long wait to get to the ending, give the book a try. Otherwise, I would not attempt it.
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