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Don Quixote

Miguel de Cervantes Saavedra,

Edward C. Riley (Editor)

Start date: July 1, 2018

Finish date: September 30, 2018

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What Members Thought

Dec 17, 2018 Shirley (stampartiste) rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: read-classics, challenge-back-to-the-classics-2018, challenge-bingo-2018

Oh my... after traveling the past four months with Don Quixote and Sancho Panza, and wishing many times the journey was over and we could just go home... now that I've finished it, I can't help but feel sadness that this journey is done and there is nothing left to be discovered. I admit to being impatient so many times the past few weeks wondering just how many more of these adventures are we going to have to make, and I grew so tired of reading about the "beauteous Dulcinea of El Toboso", but ...more

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Jun 23, 2019 Tim Callicutt rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: 2019-books, 100-essential-novels

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. Darn it, if Cervantes didn't make me feel a fool! I hate being guessed, and he hit the nail on the head. There's a moment near the beginning of the second half where Cervantes indulges his metafictional side and pokes fun at the fair-weather friends of the original publication. Specifically, he mentions how the main criticism of the first saga was that it was a wonderful book, excepting the many asides scattered throughout. The second I read this, I was taken aback. Not only had he wrapped up my Darn it, if Cervantes didn't make me feel a fool! I hate being guessed, and he hit the nail on the head. There's a moment near the beginning of the second half where Cervantes indulges his metafictional side and pokes fun at the fair-weather friends of the original publication. Specifically, he mentions how the main criticism of the first saga was that it was a wonderful book, excepting the many asides scattered throughout. The second I read this, I was taken aback. Not only had he wrapped up my thoughts of the book in such a succinct package, he did so over four hundred years ago!

Here is the heart of what makes this novel great - regardless of the depth of its themes or the scope of its narrative, Cervantes always has a smirk as he leads us through the trials of the Man of La Mancha. It is a book built on deception, and that purpose sinks into the very fabric of the work. There are moments it fools you. As Don Quixote and his trusted sidekick Sancho Panza traverse through the freewheeling madness of Quixote's quest, there are moments when the narrative feels so expansive, particularly in the first half. From fighting giants to freeing the galley slaves, the extent of Quixote's journey seems epic. Of course, it is all a trick. When Quixote is finally brought home by his friends, and he runs into the inn (which he perceives as a castle) from earlier in the novel - even the destruction wrought by their prior stay has become a joke amongst the owners. This is an epic the same way a young child's collection of card tricks is a magic show.

While the deception at the heart of the novel becomes the main source of humor in the book (and it is a truly funny book), it also allows for some truly thought-provoking moments, particularly throughout the second half. There's a question that lingers over Don Quixote's madness. Sure, he may be a joke to his friends and family, but he has stumbled upon a system that has provided meaning and sense into his life. There is a true faith at work. I think there's something to the fact that when he finally regains his sanity, he does so on his deathbed. To what extent was Quixote's madness life-giving?

So where did the final star go? Simply put, I suffered fatigue from this one. While I enjoyed the second half more than the first, I found myself wishing that the two halves had remained separate in subsequent traditions if only to give each one breathing space. It's a petty reason, but luckily my stars have no effect on its canonical status in Western literature - they merely reflect my personal enjoyment.

Overall, it is a terrific and thought-provoking novel! If you don't have a time, it may be helpful to still track down a good abridged version. ...more

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Dec 19, 2019 K M Laume rated it liked it · review of another edition

OH MY GOD I can’t believe I finally finished it! It was hard work and enjoyable and painful and funny and slow and witty and I’m soooooo glad it’s finished. Started it exactly five months ago while travelling through Spain and just finished today. Feel very proud of myself 😅 3.5/5

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