Customer Reviews: Read 6 more reviews...
 Knights with a twist August 27, 2007
rhinoa (London)
Alonso Quixone is a big fan of books on knights and chivalry before losing his sense and becoming convinced he is the knight Don Quixote de la Mancha. He had a thing for a country lass called Aldonza Lorenzo who he renames the Lady Dulcinea del Toboso, as every knight needs a lady to do great deeds for. He sets out to seek adventure, taking along the dense local Sancho Panca as his squire.
His exploits include the famous incident where Don Quixote tilts against windmills mistaking them for giants, seeing many an inn as a castle, rescuing damsels in distress and righting wrongs. Part one sees Don Quixote seeing things not as they seem and introducing the idea of enchantments against him. At the end of it they return home (after being tricked by some people from his town in costumes) and his family try to "cure" him by burning all his books and sealing the room they were stored in. It doesn't work and he sets out again with Sancho on more adventures. Part two sees a change in situation for the Don. A book of his earlier exploits has been published and his name is well known throughtout the country. He is taken advantage of by a Duke and Duchess among others who use his madness for sport. Sancho starts to overuse proverbs, but does finally get his position as govener of an island and prove his excellent judgement.
I really enjoyed this book, although it took ages to get through. It seemed like everytime I sat down to read it, I wouldn't get more than 30 pages further no matter how long I read for... It was worth the struggle though as the story is entertaining and well written. I started off laughing at the unfortunate pair, but later on I came to pity them both. The ending was very sad, mostly because Don Quixote recovered his wits. I recommend reading this, but maybe trying to read it over a longer period of time (the chapters are quite short).
 The eternal classic February 1, 2007
Philippe Horak (Zug, Switzerland)
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
Don Quixote de la Mancha, the renowned, the valiant, the sage, the enamoured knight, the undoer of wrongs, the tutor of wards and orphans, the protector of widows, the destroyer of maids, he who owns no other mistress than the peerless Dulcinea del Taboso.
Cervantes is quite ironical with the picture of the knight embodied by the ridiculous but none the less moving character of Don Quixote. In a historical perspective one has to consider that the last book of chivalry was published in Spain in 1602 and Don Quixote was completed in 1615. The reading public at that time was thus quite ready to laugh at the fictional world of knights, castles, giants and dwarfs, enchantment and trials by ordeal. The publication of Don Quixote coincided with the realisation that the medieval military caste had little further use in a changing world. Therefore a knight-errant who, contrary to his literary heroes, is aged fifty, skinny and a poor rural gentleman. Sancho Panza is a fat, illiterate, lying and married squire lacking the gentility and education associated with chivalrous apprenticeship. It is interesting to note that Don Quixote did not die with the literary genre it parodies but has become a classic text of western cultural tradition.
 Not the best version available.. August 26, 2006
JR Anderson (England)
4 out of 5 found this review helpful
Don't get me wrong, I love everything about the stories of Don Quixote, but I found this translation far too poetical and long-winded to actually read. I realise that this specific version was written 200+ years ago and in some ways may perhaps stay more true to the original version, but I definitely think there are better, easier to follow editions available. Also, the book isn't exactly a pleasure to look at, though I suppose that's why it's so cheap to buy. I would go as far to say that if you want to truly understand and enjoy Don Quixote, you should read it in its original form. This translation is only really suitable for someone who might also have the Spanish version and wants to read the two.
Worthy of its reputation April 9, 2006
Piervy Sto (Derby, UK)
5 out of 6 found this review helpful
A pleasurable book to read,this translation of DON QUIXOTE made the story easy to understand, and for every reason it stands up to its reputaion as the best-loved novel. Confronting the conventions of Spanish society at his time some four hundred years ago, the author wittily and funnily exposes the folies of the time through the adventures , stories and misfortunes of Don Quixote and Sancho Panza.
In a broader sense it is the forerunner off other situations where individuals, communities or systems live a complete lie.This is truely an amazing book, one that you won't want to put down once you have started.DON QUIXOTE is a must read which you should include with other must reads like UNION MOUJIK, WAR AND PEACE, GULLIVER'S TRAVEL,CANTERBURY TALES. One thing for sure is that this new translation of DON QUIXOTE will make it a popular story even with the young.
The original comedy double act February 7, 2005
Depressaholic (London, UK)
17 out of 21 found this review helpful
'DQ' is the story of an old man (Don Quixote) who, having read one too many books about knights of old, goes a little potty and starts believing that he is a knight. He ropes a hapless neighbour (Sancho Panza) into service as his squire and together they go off seeking adventure and fortune. Quixote's madness turns windmills into giants and flocks of sheep into armies, and a peasant woman into the princess for whom he performs his deeds. Along the way they meet a series of people, most of whom exploit Quixote's madness by playing practical jokes and sending him on fool's errands. All the while his friends and family try to entice him back to his home and away from his madness.
Quixote and Panza are the original comedy double act (stupid but thinks he is clever, and stupid but knows it, respectively), and the pair's exploits are genuinely funny. Much of the comedy is slapstick (them getting beaten black and blue) with a good dose of toilet humour thrown in. In addition there is some great dialogue, largely centring on Sancho's attempts at wisdom. This is not merely funny for a four hundred year old book, it is just plain funny. Sancho in particular is a brilliant creation, and the book becomes more about him than Quixote by the end. The first book describes their initial sorties, the second describes their travels after they had become famous (due to the publication of the first book). I like this blurring of fiction and reality, and 'DQ' is the earliest example that I have come across.
However, there are flaws in this book. Cervantes frequently uses the introduction of new characters to get side-tracked into unrelated narratives, which starts to get annoying because they add little or nothing to the book. Cervantes, to his credit, seems to have realised this because in the second book he chastises the fictional author if Quixote's history (called Cid Benengali Hamed) for these mistakes. In addition, the book is very long and it is sometimes hard to see what some of the episodes add to it. Cervantes style improves immeasurably in the second book, probably due to the criticisms of the first book that he himself outlines, so it is definitely worth persevering if you are struggling. By the end he even introduces a tragic element, which is beautifully told; well enough to leave a lump in the throat. Although it is largely comic, the novel definitely has some depth, largely due to the utter believability of its two main characters, who feel very familiar by the end. (In addition I would recommend the translation by Tobias Smollett, which is very accessible but retains the Olde Worlde feel of the setting very nicely). It is an excellent read, funny and vivid, and not at all intimidating despite its size and age. Go on, try it.
|
