I used to read Dostoevsky when I was younger; tried to re-read C&P recently and couldn't stand it. Too painful. So the moral would be: read Dostoevsky while you still have the intestinal fortitude of youth.
I loved it. Was it painful because you didn't enjoy the writing, or because of the murder aspect?
The writing, and plot, was great. But it's not a happy book, is it?