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3.71 AVERAGE
3.71 AVERAGE
I am not entirely sure where to start with a review of this book, mainly because it is two books in one. The first half, the original, was not so easy to get through. It is not a smooth read, and though one story, operates as a connection of individual tales pulled together through loose connecting sentences/paragraphs/chapters/etc. However, it is the half that contains all of the scenes those familiar with Don Quixote remember.
The second half, the supposed sequel, is admittedly rather ingenious. It is a sequel by the original author who is writing in response to a fake sequel written by someone else, all the while having Don Quixote and Sancho Panza spend their time constantly answering for the incorrect "history" of themselves from the fake sequel. And while the trickery played on the protagonists gets tiresome after awhile, it does provide opportunity for the characters' self reflection (though they mostly believe enchantresses have been causing them trouble, so you be the judge on how effective the self reflection was).
I had tried reading this book on four separate occasions. The only reason this fifth and final time took was because of a commitment between my brother, my aunt, and myself to read this book together. However it does leave me with a minor sense of accomplishment as I have come to learn that not many have actually read this book.
Is it worth it? Read it and find out.
The second half, the supposed sequel, is admittedly rather ingenious. It is a sequel by the original author who is writing in response to a fake sequel written by someone else, all the while having Don Quixote and Sancho Panza spend their time constantly answering for the incorrect "history" of themselves from the fake sequel. And while the trickery played on the protagonists gets tiresome after awhile, it does provide opportunity for the characters' self reflection (though they mostly believe enchantresses have been causing them trouble, so you be the judge on how effective the self reflection was).
I had tried reading this book on four separate occasions. The only reason this fifth and final time took was because of a commitment between my brother, my aunt, and myself to read this book together. However it does leave me with a minor sense of accomplishment as I have come to learn that not many have actually read this book.
Is it worth it? Read it and find out.
I read from the Penguin Classic Book, but mostly listened to the Edith Grossman translation audiobook. This was hilarious and well written. I see why this book has stood the test of time.
dnf @ 76%. I've had enough. I'm bored, and being boring is just about the worst crime a book can commit.
Whether or not it is the finest book ever written can certainly be debated, but c'mon, it's a five star experience.
This took me quite a while to get through, and after reading the literary criticism at the back of the Norton Critical Edition I still feel like I read it very shallowly. I liked the translation. I got the feeling that a lot of the wordplay and jokes were rendered into English well. Much of the material struck chords with me. The image of a man out of his time, doing things in a certain way because that's how he's read that they're done resonates particularly well.
Ako želite da se uz neku knjigu smejete i plačete, nemojte čitati limunadaste bestselere domaćih spisateljica, čitajte ,,Don Kihota"! Ovo je knjiga koja me je kupila za sva vremena, knjiga posle koje sam morala da ćutim, a meni se to retko dešava. A da mi je neko pričao da će biti tako onda kada sam počela da je čitam, verujte da mu ne bih verovala!
altogether too long, but I did enjoy it. Some parts of it felt rambling or just entirely tangential, dedicating entire chapters to tell a story within a story, but by the end of the book I found myself genuinely sad to be leaving behind the Ingenious Hidalgo of La Mancha
“From friend to friend the bug is passed, etc”
“From friend to friend the bug is passed, etc”
Still worthy of reading. The first great novel still has revelence today. The themes of culture destroying ones mind is still with us
Obvious, now, how many of my favorite novels were inspired or influenced by “Don Quixote.” Less expected was how often I felt sorry for him, saddened by the turn of his adventures and how easily his madness is manipulated by others. All the same, I was fascinated by the era, country, and society described, and laughed aloud in several chapters. Equal parts road novel, sex romp, satire, and philosophical treatise, it might really be “the first modern novel.” I don’t know if I could read it again, but I might revisit specific chapters many times.