Take a photo of a barcode or cover
wrycounsel 's review for:
Don Quixote
by Miguel de Cervantes
After the glorious rediscovery of Anna Karenina, I decided to try another book I had been told was 'canon' and hated as a teen: Don Quixote.
I finished Book One, gritting my teeth all the while, and I just can. not. continue.
Problem 1: Don Q is actually physically very violent. He gives multiple people near fatal concussions, as well as broken legs, bones, and ribs, almost always without any actual provocation. He slices open (and almost amputates) a man's shoulder. I'd forgotten this. This is not funny to me, a senile man rampaging around with real weapons.
Problem 2: Almost every woman who appears is 16 and beautiful beyond comparison. So by the time you get to the third beautiful 16 year old, Cervantes has to say lame things like, "You'd think she was the most beautiful if you hadn't seen the other three." These girls exist solely inflame some dude who is much much older. So you can see why this keeps my interest so well.
Problem 3: There are LOT of poo jokes in this book. Poo combined with vomit. Soft poo and hard poo. Poo in open fields and poo in pants. SIGH.
Problem 4: Book Two starts out with an extended joke (at least I think it is) about a madman who goes around maiming stray dogs. The abuse involves dogs' anuses. I found this too grotesque to be amusing.
Problem 5: Cervantes spends a HUGE amount of time getting on a soap box to deliver speeches about the usefulness of the novel and of fiction in general. Maybe this was necessary however long ago this was written but I've noticed that (listening to this on unabridged audiobook) every time Cervantes appears to take the podium, I drive really violently.
I finished Book One, gritting my teeth all the while, and I just can. not. continue.
Problem 1: Don Q is actually physically very violent. He gives multiple people near fatal concussions, as well as broken legs, bones, and ribs, almost always without any actual provocation. He slices open (and almost amputates) a man's shoulder. I'd forgotten this. This is not funny to me, a senile man rampaging around with real weapons.
Problem 2: Almost every woman who appears is 16 and beautiful beyond comparison. So by the time you get to the third beautiful 16 year old, Cervantes has to say lame things like, "You'd think she was the most beautiful if you hadn't seen the other three." These girls exist solely inflame some dude who is much much older. So you can see why this keeps my interest so well.
Problem 3: There are LOT of poo jokes in this book. Poo combined with vomit. Soft poo and hard poo. Poo in open fields and poo in pants. SIGH.
Problem 4: Book Two starts out with an extended joke (at least I think it is) about a madman who goes around maiming stray dogs. The abuse involves dogs' anuses. I found this too grotesque to be amusing.
Problem 5: Cervantes spends a HUGE amount of time getting on a soap box to deliver speeches about the usefulness of the novel and of fiction in general. Maybe this was necessary however long ago this was written but I've noticed that (listening to this on unabridged audiobook) every time Cervantes appears to take the podium, I drive really violently.