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3.71 AVERAGE
3.71 AVERAGE
My newest classic, yet I’m not very far, so a quick update to say I’m 4 chapters and 28 pages in and it’s easy to read, and I’m into the story. I’m not super into it yet, but I feel like I could be with more time. We’ve met Don Quixote, obviously, and we’re following him around as he goes on adventures, which I think is the premise of the book. Like I say, I’m not far enough in for any real thoughts, other than I like it so far!
I’m still enjoying this! The escapades that Don Quixote and his knight Sancho go on are rather hilarious. This is supposed to be satirical and so far, I think this novel has done a good job of that. I did get a little confused because we have an active narrator for some parts, and I’m not sure who it’s supposed to be. Like is Cervantes talking to his reader, or is this some omnipotent narrator, telling us what is happening. Regardless, that hasn’t hindered my enjoyment of this. I’m now 100 pages in and on book 3 of the 4 (book 4 being the longest with 74 chapters) and I feel like I’m really getting a sense of the book and the characters. Don Quixote is such a strange man, but makes for an entertaining read. Now only 700 more pages to go!
I think I’ve lost the thread of the plot on this, just a bit. Like one minute we’re following Don Quixote and Sancho… the next we’re following all these new characters who are all in some sort of love affair. I believe that this is a story that either Quixote or Sancho is reading, but I think I may have missed that part. Regardless of me being confused, I’ve still been enjoying this. The story of Cardenio and Dorothea was really compelling and had this Romeo and Juliet feel to it; I really loved reading that; the Anselmo/Lothario/Camilla story has kinda bored me; it feels like it’s gone on for more pages than it’s needed to. I think it’s coming to an end, which I’m happy about because I miss Quixote. I’m at page 260 so only 500ish pages to go!
I’ve reached the end of part 1; a part that could get confusing over the course of each book because I wasn’t completely sure what was going on. So what I’ve gathered is Quixote and Sancho have landed at this inn where they’ve met a bunch of people. It’s here that all of these characters are telling stories of their own travels, so it has become a story within a story. Some I liked more than others, some I connected with more. In the end, I’m curious where this is going to take us come part 2, the final part… which is a good 400 pages. I wonder if they’re all going to go on some adventure, I’m actually pretty excited to find out. Aside from this being slightly confusing at times, I do like the way this is written and I’ll keep picking away at this!
It’s only taken me 400 pages to figure out that the active narrator is actually the translator. Not only have they been narrating what is happening, but they’ve given some of their own commentary on the story. I haven’t hated it, I think it brings more depth to the story and helps me, personally understand this better. So I was wrong in my thinking last week. Don Quixote and Sancho are back on their own in part 2. All the characters we met at the inn, they have left behind. We also learn that Sancho has a wife and 2 children and Quixote has a niece. I’m curious where the rest of part 2 will take us. I can never predict this. I’ve got another 350ish pages to go, so I look forward to the rest of this.
I feel like I’m going to sound like a broken record for my next couple updates because so far in the last few chapters that I’ve read, Don Quixote and Sancho are just going on different adventures. I feel like this is going to be the premise for the next little while. This time they’ve gone to a wedding, now they’re embarking on a new adventure through the woods. I find it interest though what the translator is choosing to translate and what they aren’t. There’s a sentence during the wedding where Quixote enters their house and in the original text, according to the translator, Cervantes goes on for pages describing the house, but the translator said they didn’t feel the need to add this because it didn’t add anything to the story. I get that, but it’s weird that they’re not being completely faithful to the original text. I don’t know. I’m going to keep reading since I’ve hit the 500 page mark, just shy of 300 pages left!
Yes I know, it’s been a few weeks since I’ve given an update on Don Quixote… I have been reading it every day, I just haven’t had the time to post. If I’m being honest, I’m getting a little tired of reading this. It’s going on for so long! I’m enjoying it, but I’m also kinda over it. Now Don Quixote and Sancho are in different places; Sancho is now a governor to his own island and Quixote is with Sancho’s family letting them know about him. It’s interesting. So each chapter is a back and forth of the two, and passing letters back and forth. It’s been faster paced this way. I’m curious how this is all going to end. I have just over 100 pages left and roughly 2 weeks left, so I’m hoping it’ll fly by!
I made it to the end! This was a long journey, one I wasn’t sure I was going to complete, but I made it. I was actually shocked to learn how this ended. I’m glad that Don Quixote and Sancho make it home, but damn, when I read the title for the last chapter, I literally went “what?!” out loud. Overall though, if I’m being honest, I think this went on for too long. There were some moments and some stories that were really well told, then there were others that really bogged down the book and made it hard to wade through what was happening. I get it, this is supposed to represent the man’s life and obviously life can be very long; but this just felt like there were parts that could be cut out or made shorter. I did appreciate the hilarity of this as well, although it was easier to grasp in some instances better than others. Did I enjoy this? Yes, for the most part; I think near the end I started to enjoy it less because I just wanted it to be over, which sucks, but I’m glad I stuck with it because for all the stories in this, this really did have some good storytelling and gave us some really interesting characters. I will probably never read this again, but I’m glad I finally did!
adventurous
challenging
funny
lighthearted
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
adventurous
medium-paced
The tale of Don Quixote and his “mad” quest of knight-errantry; the only sane, reasonable course of action in an insane, unreasonable world…
Pure astonishment. That is the feeling I got while reading a 1000-page Spanish novel written in the 17th century and *loving* it.
How could such an old, stuffy, overlong, required-reading-list novel inspire a reaction like that from a young, jaded netizen like myself? Thanks to the ingenious author Miguel de Cervantes.
He crafted his tale with beautiful prose, sage wisdom, rich character building, heaps of imagination, and humor that is literally centuries ahead of its time. He penned countless memorable scenes and witty dialogues. He endeared his readers to Don Quixote de La Mancha and Sancho Panza with ease (in fact, he may have dreamt up the best comedy duo in all of fiction).
It took me a while to get into the episodic rhythm of the story, but once I reached Book 2 all bets were off. Don Quixote is one of my favorite novels of all time and I recommend it to anyone with the desire and disposition to see it through to the end.
Pure astonishment. That is the feeling I got while reading a 1000-page Spanish novel written in the 17th century and *loving* it.
How could such an old, stuffy, overlong, required-reading-list novel inspire a reaction like that from a young, jaded netizen like myself? Thanks to the ingenious author Miguel de Cervantes.
He crafted his tale with beautiful prose, sage wisdom, rich character building, heaps of imagination, and humor that is literally centuries ahead of its time. He penned countless memorable scenes and witty dialogues. He endeared his readers to Don Quixote de La Mancha and Sancho Panza with ease (in fact, he may have dreamt up the best comedy duo in all of fiction).
It took me a while to get into the episodic rhythm of the story, but once I reached Book 2 all bets were off. Don Quixote is one of my favorite novels of all time and I recommend it to anyone with the desire and disposition to see it through to the end.
The original larper, & a classic example of the mid life crisis. If you liked Monty Python and the Holy Grail you will probably like this too.
It repeats itself, with too many adventures & characters that are too similar to each other, and goes on for longer than it really needs to, but this is very common in older books, & it's not like modern TV shows aren't far more guilty of this. I won't deduct a star for this small flaw because I enjoyed it immensely anyway.
It repeats itself, with too many adventures & characters that are too similar to each other, and goes on for longer than it really needs to, but this is very common in older books, & it's not like modern TV shows aren't far more guilty of this. I won't deduct a star for this small flaw because I enjoyed it immensely anyway.
funny
lighthearted
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Couldn't finish this book...not sure if I just wasn't in the right mood or if it just moves far too slowly for my liking. Other rambling adventures like "Lord of Rings" also didn't hold my attention.
adventurous
challenging
funny
lighthearted
slow-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
It was like an ultra long prose version of a Monty Python sketch. Don Quixote is the villain in this story, hurting or killing everyone around him because he's insane. And with this book easily being ten times longer than it needed to be, the reader is his final victim.