Please reconsider using Sparknotes for this book. It spoils the plot of the book that you spent 350+ pages getting to, the part that the narrator hints at throughout the first half. I got it spoiled for me. Watch out!

Also, The P&V translation is closer to his real style but also clunkier and more difficult to read. I switched to the Garnett one and is was so much easier and I flew through the second half of the book, but I did lose some of the style by doing this. The second half of the book also is just easier to read in general, so once you hit the 400 page mark, I think you'll feel more confortable with the writing no matter which edition you read.