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3.71 AVERAGE
3.71 AVERAGE
Read in two days for my first year of university literature course. I tore straight through it, and have never gone back, but based on the parallels future authors have created to Don Quixote, Cervantes deserves 5 stars.
Technically a 3.75 - that is an average of the ratings given to the two books that make up the modern edition of Don Quixote. I've decided to rate them as separate books because 1) that is how they were written - the first in 1605 and the second 10 years later - and 2) because they felt like two very different books to me.
Book 1 was 4.5, with a half star deducted because of the weirdly abrupt ending and Book 2 was 3 starts.
Clearly I liked Book 1 so much better and if it hadn't been for the ending it would have rec'd a full 5 stars. It was charming and entertaining and funny and thoughtful and hopeful, even with the fart jokes. But I found myself enjoying Book 2 a lot less for a few different reasons.
One reason I think I liked Book 2 less was because it felt more mean, which is probably a weird thing to say but there you go. In Book 1 DQ had his madness and he was often attacked or made fun of because of it because of it but he still retained a charm and whimsy that seemed to put him above all of his detractors. In Book 2 most of the characters actually indulged his DQs madness but they didn't do it for him...they did it for themselves. They did it in order to be entertained or to mock him or to make fun of him or to play jokes on him. For all that he would get beat up in Book 1 there was never the sort of maliciousness that seemed to characterize the actions of the characters in Book 2. The cruelty and maliciousness that motivated the actions of characters like the Duke and Duchess gave Book 2 a darker feel and it was lacking the whimsical nature of Book 1.
I like the bullheaded idealism in the face of doubters that DQ has in Book 1 and it felt like the machinations of the characters in Book 2 diminished Don Quixote in a way that his madness alone never could.
Another big difference was the prominence of Sancho...he takes a much more active and central role in Book 2, especially towards the end of the book. Maybe the feeling of a diminished DQ in Book 2 was exacerbated by the focus on Sancho but I think I would have liked it better if the treatment of the two main characters had felt a bit more balanced.
Finally...no spoilers but again...Cervantes seems to have an issue crafting satisfactory endings. The ending of Book 2 was even worse, for me, than the ending of Book 1.
All of that makes it sound like I didn't like the book which isn't at all true...I did very much enjoy finally reading Don Quixote but, I have to admit, there will probably always be a part of me that wishes it had ended for good after the first book, thereby forever preserving the innocent charm of Don Quixote of La Mancha.
Book 1 was 4.5, with a half star deducted because of the weirdly abrupt ending and Book 2 was 3 starts.
Clearly I liked Book 1 so much better and if it hadn't been for the ending it would have rec'd a full 5 stars. It was charming and entertaining and funny and thoughtful and hopeful, even with the fart jokes. But I found myself enjoying Book 2 a lot less for a few different reasons.
One reason I think I liked Book 2 less was because it felt more mean, which is probably a weird thing to say but there you go. In Book 1 DQ had his madness and he was often attacked or made fun of because of it because of it but he still retained a charm and whimsy that seemed to put him above all of his detractors. In Book 2 most of the characters actually indulged his DQs madness but they didn't do it for him...they did it for themselves. They did it in order to be entertained or to mock him or to make fun of him or to play jokes on him. For all that he would get beat up in Book 1 there was never the sort of maliciousness that seemed to characterize the actions of the characters in Book 2. The cruelty and maliciousness that motivated the actions of characters like the Duke and Duchess gave Book 2 a darker feel and it was lacking the whimsical nature of Book 1.
I like the bullheaded idealism in the face of doubters that DQ has in Book 1 and it felt like the machinations of the characters in Book 2 diminished Don Quixote in a way that his madness alone never could.
Another big difference was the prominence of Sancho...he takes a much more active and central role in Book 2, especially towards the end of the book. Maybe the feeling of a diminished DQ in Book 2 was exacerbated by the focus on Sancho but I think I would have liked it better if the treatment of the two main characters had felt a bit more balanced.
Finally...no spoilers but again...Cervantes seems to have an issue crafting satisfactory endings. The ending of Book 2 was even worse, for me, than the ending of Book 1.
All of that makes it sound like I didn't like the book which isn't at all true...I did very much enjoy finally reading Don Quixote but, I have to admit, there will probably always be a part of me that wishes it had ended for good after the first book, thereby forever preserving the innocent charm of Don Quixote of La Mancha.
Don Quixote adalah seorang ksatria gagah berani yang siap melawan siapa saja yang berbuat jahat... atau tidak mau mengakui bahwa kekasihnya, Dulcinea del Toboso adalah wanita tercantik di dunia. Don Quixote bertualang bersama kuda dan seorang pelayan yang setia. Don Quixote pernah melawan kincir-kincir angin karena mengira mereka raksasa.
Ya, Don Quixote memang bukan orang biasa. Dia sebenarnya adalah seorang tua bernama Alonzo Quinjano yang menjadi gila karena terlalu banyak membaca buku tentang petualangan para ksatria. Kegilaannya ini menghasilkan cerita-cerita luar biasa yang mirip dengan petualangan para bayi the Rugrats dengan imajinasi liar mereka, namun bayangkan apabila pelakunya seorang dewasa dengan pedang tajam.
Ya, itulah Don Quixote. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
Ya, Don Quixote memang bukan orang biasa. Dia sebenarnya adalah seorang tua bernama Alonzo Quinjano yang menjadi gila karena terlalu banyak membaca buku tentang petualangan para ksatria. Kegilaannya ini menghasilkan cerita-cerita luar biasa yang mirip dengan petualangan para bayi the Rugrats dengan imajinasi liar mereka, namun bayangkan apabila pelakunya seorang dewasa dengan pedang tajam.
Ya, itulah Don Quixote. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
Abandoned after book 4, chapter 8
adventurous
funny
lighthearted
slow-paced
I got to the famous part And then stopped.
adventurous
funny
relaxing
medium-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
who knew a book written 400 years ago could be so funny and sarcastic. I honestly felt this book could have been written within the last 10 years it has stood the test of time that well. There were moments the book dragged on and could have used some editing but still, surprisingly good!
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
N/A
Diverse cast of characters:
N/A
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I had been so excited to read this book for over a year. I found this classic at my local library's book sale about that time and before I had the chance to read it, I had to pack for what I thought was a bigger move than we had. In that process, most of my books went to storage where this one remained since. By happy circumstances, I was able to retrieve the box and finally read this book on my TBR. I am heartily disappointed that I did not like this so much. I wanted it to be over at the 20% mark.
I genuinely wanted to enjoy it, I read Le Morte De Arthur which is a much thicker and more challenging book in contrast to this but I loved it and thought that would extend to this one too. But I was not invested.
I enjoy the themes and creativity in this book, and I love the messages of illusion, reality, the romanticism of the past and if certain things are better left there, humanities complex nature, friendship, self-discovery and character growth, and even how different classes interact with Don Quixote's ideals. I think that's fabulous, and add some humor to the story and it's great. And I enjoyed the final message in the book and the first chapter getting into the enchantment of it.
But as I read and the story became more tragic and less funny it became akin to watching "funny videos" that are not funny because people could get seriously hurt. Then progressively wishing the cameraman would stop filming, actually help them, and call someone for medical attention and not take the time to laugh and post first. But it's funny despite the drama because it's unexpected not knowing what he will do next. Is what it is supposed to be anyway.
It was painful to watch a disillusioned man who I wanted to root for do what he thought was right get bullied, abused, suffer trauma, and ridiculed beyond the physical pains he constantly gained, and only get worse. I didn't want to hear that and the comedy only rubbed salt to the wounds of the story. It was hard to get past that and try to see the story with a less narrow frame of view as I intended to enjoy a book. But it was too long, and too painful for me to personally enjoy as a pleasure read. It's a classic for a reason and demonstrates it's themes I support well.
I simply can't recommend it based on my experience or want to pick it up again. Sadly not worth the wait or the time I invested into it.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body horror, Bullying, Mental illness, Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Body shaming, Chronic illness, Confinement, Death, Emotional abuse, Physical abuse, Sexism, Torture, Violence, Murder, Cultural appropriation, Classism
Minor: Body horror, Hate crime, Blood, Kidnapping, Grief, Alcohol
Most know Don Quixote for his reputation of insanity and battling of windmills. While Don Quixote does not always share the reality of others, the book is not necessarily about his trajectory, but about story telling. Cervantes takes many opportunities to point out oddities in the narrative (forgetting to explain how the donkey was stolen from Sancho Panza) as well as explaining what the "original author" Sidi Hamid was thinking or doing at the time of writing. There are also several stories of other characters inserted into the narrative, which gives Cervantes the opportunity to tell many stories within this epic narrative. I was truly saddened at the end, when I had to see Don Quixote leave (both figuratively and literally) as I'd grown attached to him and his fellow wanderer, Sancho Panza. If you love classics and enjoy satire, this is a must read, but you must be patient because it's a long one as well.