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3.71 AVERAGE
3.71 AVERAGE
challenging
mysterious
sad
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
OMG that was 1274 of just endless torture of my time. And just to end like that to never knowing who the two authors were or if Dulcinea Del Tolboso ever even knew about him. It was just a sad book. I mean the first 400 pages of his madness was interesting. But then, it just got repetitive. Then, the people started to joke and mess with him. That got even sadder. Then, he dies at the end. Thankfully I did this a chapter a day, but still a waste of my seven months. UGH!
adventurous
challenging
funny
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
adventurous
funny
slow-paced
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Bucket list read checked off. This was a beast of a read. (I'm currently reading 2 books over 900 pages at the same time). The 1st part was entertaining but the 2nd half was a bit of a chore to get through. There's a reason this story is still so popular after 400 years - it just wasn't for me.
A monster of a book, but a joy the whole way through. Extremely well-written and perceptibly deep, though the hidden meaning affects me in different ways on different days. There are many themes to see and many possible things to gain from reading such a novel.
هرچی به آخر این جلد نزدیک میشدم داستانهای فرعیِ گاهاً خستهکننده و سادهلوحی و به قولی بیعقلیهای دنکیشوت بیشتر به چشم میومدن. لحن کتاب هم اوایل سفتوسخت و مقداری سنگین بود اما بعد روی غلتک افتادم. نسبتاً خوب اما نه درحدی که فکر میکردم.
adventurous
challenging
funny
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
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
adventurous
challenging
funny
lighthearted
medium-paced
Loveable characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
adventurous
challenging
funny
lighthearted
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I think I started to read Don Quixote just because it was a foundation of world literature blah blah blah but really stayed reading because despite being a gazillion years old it still feels relevant to life.
I felt a bit of catharsis reading this book. Like the catharsis you get after a depressing Shakespearean tragedy but of a different flavor. After the dust settles from a tragedy and all actors are lying dead on the floor from stabbing, poison, falling on one’s sword and the like, you feel weirdly good. A sort of “wow that was so terrible, I’m kinda feeling good about my life in comparison” type of feeling. Reading Don Quixote gives a sense of catharsis as well but rather a “wow I’m glad that I’m not a complete hopeless romantic and trapped in a make-believe world of my own imagination” type of feeling. It’s like putting a mirror up to the ridiculous musings we all have sometimes and saying look mate that’s you when you let your imagination get the better of you. I think we all sometimes mistake windmills for giants and unsuspecting damsels from the village over for the-love-of-our-lives even when they were just minding their own business. This book is enjoyable because when we laugh at stark raving mad Don Quixote we also get to have a chuckle or two about our own absurdities.
While I think the book can be seen as a warning against an overactive imagination and a refusal to see things as they really are, I do think there’s another takeaway. Would Don Quixote have been better off managing his estate and looking after his household instead of gallivanting around the countryside looking for adventure? Maybe. On the other hand, he actually DID end up doing a lot. An adventure that started with fake giants, fake magic and fake renown did end up leading to real bandits, pirates, dukes and duchesses and the like. Maybe the takeaway is to fake it till you make it? Don Quixote set out to become a famous knight errant and he pretty much accomplished that. In the end, despite all the trials and deprivations, I think he was better off doing it rather than just reading about it all day and wishing his life was different.
I felt a bit of catharsis reading this book. Like the catharsis you get after a depressing Shakespearean tragedy but of a different flavor. After the dust settles from a tragedy and all actors are lying dead on the floor from stabbing, poison, falling on one’s sword and the like, you feel weirdly good. A sort of “wow that was so terrible, I’m kinda feeling good about my life in comparison” type of feeling. Reading Don Quixote gives a sense of catharsis as well but rather a “wow I’m glad that I’m not a complete hopeless romantic and trapped in a make-believe world of my own imagination” type of feeling. It’s like putting a mirror up to the ridiculous musings we all have sometimes and saying look mate that’s you when you let your imagination get the better of you. I think we all sometimes mistake windmills for giants and unsuspecting damsels from the village over for the-love-of-our-lives even when they were just minding their own business. This book is enjoyable because when we laugh at stark raving mad Don Quixote we also get to have a chuckle or two about our own absurdities.
While I think the book can be seen as a warning against an overactive imagination and a refusal to see things as they really are, I do think there’s another takeaway. Would Don Quixote have been better off managing his estate and looking after his household instead of gallivanting around the countryside looking for adventure? Maybe. On the other hand, he actually DID end up doing a lot. An adventure that started with fake giants, fake magic and fake renown did end up leading to real bandits, pirates, dukes and duchesses and the like. Maybe the takeaway is to fake it till you make it? Don Quixote set out to become a famous knight errant and he pretty much accomplished that. In the end, despite all the trials and deprivations, I think he was better off doing it rather than just reading about it all day and wishing his life was different.