** spoiler alert ** 
 Fyodor Pavlovich Karamazov's four sons, Dmitri, Ivan, Alexei and, illegitimately, Smerdyakov - their relationships with their father and each other and the two primary female charaters, Katerina Ivanovna Verkhovtsev and Agrafena Alexandrovna Svetlov (Grushenka) are explored in the context of Fyodor'd murder and the subsequent trial of Dmitri 
 Amid much philosphising on human nature, religion and god, nobility we see extraordinarily well developed characters with simple plotline throughout 
 Despite somewhat bleak storylines in parts, really struck by the humour, laugh out loud in many places - especially Ivan's dream with the devil, his catching cold while traveling through space incarnate as example ("ha, ha, ha...") 
 Liked the link at end between boy Ilusha's funeral where no bodily decay was evident and the earlier death of monastic elder Zossima with excessive decay contrary to popular expectation.