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A review by kidaaysquared
Don Quixote by Miguel de Cervantes
adventurous
funny
medium-paced
4.25
this was a daunting task. I cracked open the book with excitement then worry that I would be more interested in the idea of reading Don Quixote than actually reading it. Grossman's three-page translator's note at the beginning gave me such comfort and insight, I knew I was in good hands.
the fantasy and humor and commentary of Don Quixote is unmatched, blowing the door wide open for the modern novel and meta fiction, for better or worse. even through an English translation, you see its imprint everywhere, Monty Python being the most apparent to me. I laughed loud and hard many times, swept up in its adventure and history, and moved by its poetics and messages. Grossman's footnotes added depth and context that made this tome easier to chew, and her translation, while I have nothing to compare it to, moved effortlessly and with mountains of trust that I never felt truly lost while navigating this storied text.
the tandem of Don Quixote and Sancho Panza, often duplicated but never replicated, is the heart and soul of this book and it's so easy to fall in love with them. the madness cannot be suppressed, even though others try at every turn. Cervantes addressing the reader, its own narration and telling, its existence in print and pulling its real-world influence into its own world is wild to see unfold, and more so when you realize this book is over 400 years old.
my only issues were certain passages and plot adventures felt like detours that I wasn't terribly interested in taking and started to read on autopilot. these didn't last too long and were almost always brought back to center.
as an avoider of fantasy, I was receptive to its titular character going through travails based in fantasy that was described by others as lunacy. at the core of these fantasies is a big, noble heart and it's really hard to root against it. is "fiction" frivolous, or all we truly have? read and find out for yourself.
B+/A-
the fantasy and humor and commentary of Don Quixote is unmatched, blowing the door wide open for the modern novel and meta fiction, for better or worse. even through an English translation, you see its imprint everywhere, Monty Python being the most apparent to me. I laughed loud and hard many times, swept up in its adventure and history, and moved by its poetics and messages. Grossman's footnotes added depth and context that made this tome easier to chew, and her translation, while I have nothing to compare it to, moved effortlessly and with mountains of trust that I never felt truly lost while navigating this storied text.
the tandem of Don Quixote and Sancho Panza, often duplicated but never replicated, is the heart and soul of this book and it's so easy to fall in love with them. the madness cannot be suppressed, even though others try at every turn. Cervantes addressing the reader, its own narration and telling, its existence in print and pulling its real-world influence into its own world is wild to see unfold, and more so when you realize this book is over 400 years old.
my only issues were certain passages and plot adventures felt like detours that I wasn't terribly interested in taking and started to read on autopilot. these didn't last too long and were almost always brought back to center.
as an avoider of fantasy, I was receptive to its titular character going through travails based in fantasy that was described by others as lunacy. at the core of these fantasies is a big, noble heart and it's really hard to root against it. is "fiction" frivolous, or all we truly have? read and find out for yourself.
B+/A-