Reviews

Don Quixote by Miguel de Cervantes

tommyb33's review against another edition

adventurous emotional funny medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

trin's review against another edition

3.0

Okay, first, can we pretend that this didn’t take me quite so ridiculously long to finish? Thanks. In exchange, I’ll admit that there’s probably not anything new or interesting I can say that would add to what’s already been said about Don Quixote. This review is going to be a couple of shallow thoughts strung together. Sorry. I’m too intimidated to even attempt anything more.

I would be lying if I didn’t admit I found this a bit of a slog. It’s more than 900 pages long, and parts of it—especially the first book—are very repetitive; lots of Don Quixote and/or Sancho Panza getting beaten up, poor guys. This translation also comes with about ten gazillion footnotes, most of which clarify something that didn’t need to be clarified—like giving the birth and death dates of an author referenced—and add nothing at all to the narrative. If I were to read this again (um. Give me twenty years at least), the first thing I would do differently is I would skip the footnotes entirely.

But I would also be lying if I didn’t say that parts of it were hilarious and awesome and great. Sancho’s long strings of aphorisms and sayings frequently cracked me up, as did much of the meta-humor—Cervantes making fun of the unauthorized sequel to the first book that came out before the second was published, and so on. And there were several sequences, most notably the one with Sancho as governor, that delighted me.

I was a bit disappointed by the ending, mostly because I had heard it talked up by so many people. Frankly, I like mad Don Quixote much more than the sane version, so the effect for me was kind of like the last few minutes of the Disney Beauty and the Beast: “All that, and she’s stuck with some poncy blond guy?” Yeah, Disney’s [b:Beauty and the Beast|41424|Beauty A Retelling of the Story of Beauty and the Beast|Robin McKinley|http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1169613617s/41424.jpg|2321285]—that’s obviously exactly what Don Quixote is like! Suck of that piece of analysis, Harold Bloom!

ramtinaat1377's review against another edition

5.0

دوست دارم یه ورژن آخوندی‌ش رو بنویسم و هروقت شد چاپش کنم

rymrgard's review against another edition

It‘s just not for me. This is supposed to be humorous and I just don‘t get humour.

spe31's review against another edition

adventurous emotional funny hopeful inspiring lighthearted reflective relaxing medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

quipo's review against another edition

adventurous funny lighthearted relaxing slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

Part 1 was amazing, however part 2 was a bit of a drag, found myself skim reading it, but it picks up around the end. Probably will re-read in a modern english version.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Schizophrenia/Psychosis

Moderate: Violence

dnandrews797's review against another edition

3.0

Don Quixote is widely considered to be the very first traditional novel ever written. While it was an enjoyable and often funny read, it did tend to drag - lot after the beginning of the first part and doesn’t pick up again until the second half. In the second half, Don Quixote and his companion develop more and trade places as to who is in charge. I enjoyed seeing how long Don Quixote’s insanity would persist and the wealthy’s cruelty towards the poor. I like the subversion of the idea that wealth makes someone kinder or better than another person. A good book overall.

apl_28's review against another edition

challenging funny lighthearted slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.25

if you’re a joe goldberg fan u might don quixote too

wojevan's review against another edition

adventurous challenging emotional funny inspiring lighthearted medium-paced

5.0

One of my favorites. Long winded adventure-parody novel that mixes "classic" adventure novels with comedy and goofy plots, surrounding the main characters being loveable goofballs stumbling through their quest.

aliteralfield's review against another edition

adventurous challenging funny lighthearted slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.25

Published in two parts in 1605 and 1615, the story chronicles the adventures of the eponymous Don Quixote, a man driven mad by his obsession with chivalric romances, and his loyal squire, Sancho Panza.

Cervantes' novel is a masterful blend of comedy, tragedy, and social commentary. At its heart, "Don Quixote" is a satire of the chivalric traditions that were popular in literature of Cervantes' time. Don Quixote’s grandiose and often ludicrous attempts to revive chivalry highlight the absurdity of these ideals in the modern world. His famous tilting at windmills, which he mistakes for giants, symbolizes the often misguided and impractical pursuits of idealism without a grounding in reality. It does get rather silly at certain point but at the same time rather sad that this is the mental state Quixote is in. His unwavering belief in his chivalric mission, despite the clear disconnect with reality, brings both humour and pathos to the story. 
The narrative structure, which includes stories within stories and shifts in perspective. It does get repetitive and it is a flog of a read. Overall it was very interesting to read a 17th century Spanish novel and the concept of metatexuailty in the second half