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qamelion's review against another edition
5.0
Many roads led me to read this book. On the one hand excerpts from Don Quixote played a part in my Spanish classes back in school. Our teacher and our exercise books recommended this novel various times in order to get us engaged in reading Spanish literature. But back then I wasn’t interested in fiction and books in general. So my first encounter with Don Quixote didn’t manage to ignite the spark that was needed for my diving into it.
Eventually my interest in literature increased quite a bit, for the first time in my life I didn’t look at reading as an obligation but rather as an opportunity to educate myself on topics I was curious about. And thus just a few months ago I stumbled across the book’s title once again during my linguistics studies at university. Just reading these two words made me reminiscent of my time in school and put a smile on my face. But even that incident didn’t suffice for my buying it or borrowing it from someone.
Instead it was a casual Sunday morning when I was watching a YouTube video which made me finally fall for it. A guy from Canada was talking about some of his favourite fiction books and Don Quixote was on top of his list. Just a few details about its plot that I wasn’t familiar with before were enough to make me finally buy it.
And let me just say this: I don’t regret one penny I spent on it.
The protagonist and his companion are maybe the best duo I ever encountered in literature, film and television. I’m talking superior to Frodo Baggins and Samwise Gamgee here.
It combines so many traits that make a great fiction book great. Its sense of humour, the choice of words, change of perspectives and of course its characters. Cervantes makes me feel like I’m right there in rural, post-medieval Spain with Don Quixote de la Mancha and Sancho Panza. The scenery is so vividly described, the feelings and emotions are conveyed in such an authentic way, each and every dialogue is fantastically written.
What I probably liked most about Don Quixote is the way Cervantes didn’t impose limitations on himself while writing his undoubtable magnum opus. I picture him as an artist that has a clear vision of the product he wants to create and then just lets his ideas flow from his mind right into the ink of his quill onto the blank page in front of him.
That is what allowed the Spanish author to provide us with a cohesive, thrilling and timeless piece of work I will surely come back to in a few years - or which will serve as an excellent bedtime story for my future children.
My interest in Spanish literature has thus been evoked.
Eventually my interest in literature increased quite a bit, for the first time in my life I didn’t look at reading as an obligation but rather as an opportunity to educate myself on topics I was curious about. And thus just a few months ago I stumbled across the book’s title once again during my linguistics studies at university. Just reading these two words made me reminiscent of my time in school and put a smile on my face. But even that incident didn’t suffice for my buying it or borrowing it from someone.
Instead it was a casual Sunday morning when I was watching a YouTube video which made me finally fall for it. A guy from Canada was talking about some of his favourite fiction books and Don Quixote was on top of his list. Just a few details about its plot that I wasn’t familiar with before were enough to make me finally buy it.
And let me just say this: I don’t regret one penny I spent on it.
The protagonist and his companion are maybe the best duo I ever encountered in literature, film and television. I’m talking superior to Frodo Baggins and Samwise Gamgee here.
It combines so many traits that make a great fiction book great. Its sense of humour, the choice of words, change of perspectives and of course its characters. Cervantes makes me feel like I’m right there in rural, post-medieval Spain with Don Quixote de la Mancha and Sancho Panza. The scenery is so vividly described, the feelings and emotions are conveyed in such an authentic way, each and every dialogue is fantastically written.
What I probably liked most about Don Quixote is the way Cervantes didn’t impose limitations on himself while writing his undoubtable magnum opus. I picture him as an artist that has a clear vision of the product he wants to create and then just lets his ideas flow from his mind right into the ink of his quill onto the blank page in front of him.
That is what allowed the Spanish author to provide us with a cohesive, thrilling and timeless piece of work I will surely come back to in a few years - or which will serve as an excellent bedtime story for my future children.
My interest in Spanish literature has thus been evoked.
raymanesque's review against another edition
challenging
lighthearted
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
I'm a reader of classics, but didn't enjoy this one nearly as much as I had thought I would.
I love to laugh, but while described by some as a comedy the book has very little. The premise is of course silly and ridiculous, but the execution is anything but. It is an unserious book, but has no real humor.
The prose is incredibly dry and the pace is very slow. For every sentence of interest, you encounter 3 paragraphs of incoherent (to a modern reader) waxing about the morals of knight errantry and forty injerections by sir squire complains-a-lot. These unnecessary parts are the overwhelming bulk of the text, never become interesting, don't even distinguish themselves from one another and make the book a brutal slog to get through, with very middling reward to cash in when finally past a section of them.
It does not have the adventure of the Three Musketeers; the prose is like a legal textbook compared to the Count of Monte Cristo; it lacks the characters and stakes of Dracula. So many classics age gracefully, but Don Quixote does not and is largely absent of redeeming qualities. It is a noticeably bad read compared to its peers.
The novel commands respect for its place and history and knowing about Don Quixote is important, but it is 950 pages of mediocre book to actually read. This is the first time i would recommend an abridged version of a classic. I struggle to recall any point of this story that didnt feel unnecessary, because there is extremely little actual story. Instead there is a ton of repetitive dialogue about the same topics, which remains consistent the whole way through.
I would only recommend reading for the purposes of being able to say that youve read it. I made it to the end but don't feel I'm leaving any more widely read than I began and with little to talk about to others because it is ultimately just an extremely long, extremely empty book.
I love to laugh, but while described by some as a comedy the book has very little. The premise is of course silly and ridiculous, but the execution is anything but. It is an unserious book, but has no real humor.
The prose is incredibly dry and the pace is very slow. For every sentence of interest, you encounter 3 paragraphs of incoherent (to a modern reader) waxing about the morals of knight errantry and forty injerections by sir squire complains-a-lot. These unnecessary parts are the overwhelming bulk of the text, never become interesting, don't even distinguish themselves from one another and make the book a brutal slog to get through, with very middling reward to cash in when finally past a section of them.
It does not have the adventure of the Three Musketeers; the prose is like a legal textbook compared to the Count of Monte Cristo; it lacks the characters and stakes of Dracula. So many classics age gracefully, but Don Quixote does not and is largely absent of redeeming qualities. It is a noticeably bad read compared to its peers.
The novel commands respect for its place and history and knowing about Don Quixote is important, but it is 950 pages of mediocre book to actually read. This is the first time i would recommend an abridged version of a classic. I struggle to recall any point of this story that didnt feel unnecessary, because there is extremely little actual story. Instead there is a ton of repetitive dialogue about the same topics, which remains consistent the whole way through.
I would only recommend reading for the purposes of being able to say that youve read it. I made it to the end but don't feel I'm leaving any more widely read than I began and with little to talk about to others because it is ultimately just an extremely long, extremely empty book.
raghav_kannan's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
funny
lighthearted
relaxing
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.5
earth2jades's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.75
ionm's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
reflective
relaxing
fast-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? It's complicated
4.0
With "Don Quixote" Miguel de Cervantes transformed forever the nature of the Western novel from storytelling to a rich narrative capable of exploring human nature. Its quintessential role in literature does not for a second distract the reader in the course of flipping its pages. In spite of its length, the novel sustains remarkable attention with its ingenious wit and beautiful prose.
The whole story seems to be set in a matter of weeks, even days. Don Quixote is a gentleman of learning, who, enamoured by literature, fancies himself a knight-errant. Quickly he enrols Sancho Panza, a local peasant, into the role of a dedicated squire, and they both set in search of grand adventures. Cervantes takes us on a journey in which the fictional fantasy of the master is always at odds with the hilarious realism of the servant. The ordinary becomes extraordinary, and the extraordinary becomes a lamentation of the tragedy the human mind finds itself when it dares to transform dreams into reality.
"Don Quixote" is no drama in the traditional sense, but rather a comedy that fulfils us with laughter, only to recognise the folly of human existence. In the hilarious adventures, we discover the extreme inequality of medieval Spain between the rich and the poor, between Spanish and Moors, between men and women. And yet, the poor speak the truth, while the rich are mean puppet masters; the Moors show valour and a desire to live peacefully amongst the Spanish; and the women, especially, emerge as powerful decisive actors in charge of their destiny. Considering the society of his time, Cervantes is a true rebel to conformity, and a genuine champion of progressive thinking.
No review can ever prepare a reader for this novel. To enjoy its riches, pick it up and start a most fabulous journey. Cervantes won't disappoint you to the very last word!
The whole story seems to be set in a matter of weeks, even days. Don Quixote is a gentleman of learning, who, enamoured by literature, fancies himself a knight-errant. Quickly he enrols Sancho Panza, a local peasant, into the role of a dedicated squire, and they both set in search of grand adventures. Cervantes takes us on a journey in which the fictional fantasy of the master is always at odds with the hilarious realism of the servant. The ordinary becomes extraordinary, and the extraordinary becomes a lamentation of the tragedy the human mind finds itself when it dares to transform dreams into reality.
"Don Quixote" is no drama in the traditional sense, but rather a comedy that fulfils us with laughter, only to recognise the folly of human existence. In the hilarious adventures, we discover the extreme inequality of medieval Spain between the rich and the poor, between Spanish and Moors, between men and women. And yet, the poor speak the truth, while the rich are mean puppet masters; the Moors show valour and a desire to live peacefully amongst the Spanish; and the women, especially, emerge as powerful decisive actors in charge of their destiny. Considering the society of his time, Cervantes is a true rebel to conformity, and a genuine champion of progressive thinking.
No review can ever prepare a reader for this novel. To enjoy its riches, pick it up and start a most fabulous journey. Cervantes won't disappoint you to the very last word!
vaudevillianveteran's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
funny
lighthearted
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
dragos_d's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
lighthearted
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
frances_the_red's review against another edition
3.0
Auch wenn die Sprache für mich doch sehr gewöhnungsbedürftig war, hatte ich schon nach wenigen Anekdoten Freude an dem "Ritter von der traurigen Gestalt". Der Don und sein Diener Sancha waren ein sehr unterhaltsames Komikerduo. Diese Geschichte bietet so viel mehr als nur den bekannten Kampf gegen Windmühlen - am faszinierendsten war für mich eigentlich das ständig gegebene Miteinander von Realität und Fantasie.
Vor allem aber bin ich glücklich, nun auch diesen Wälzer von meiner Weltliteratur-Liste streichen zu können.
Vor allem aber bin ich glücklich, nun auch diesen Wälzer von meiner Weltliteratur-Liste streichen zu können.
jrayers97's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
lighthearted
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0