It will grow on you...

I undertook to read Don Quixote moreso out of an obligation to a sense of completionism for the key works of the Western canon than a rigorous interest in the subject matter.
Along the way however the style of narration, surprisingly deft translation of its quite particular humour into modern English and gradual humanisation of it's characters became a real treat.
Having started out somewhat skeptical of how much relevance a 17th century novel could have today, by the end I was very pleasantly surprised and will most certainly revisit this story in the future.

4/5☆

I can highly recommend this book and in particular this well performed narration of the Penguin Classics edition translated by John Rutherford!

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Marvelous

Good luck getting through this iconic classic, only take it on if you're looking for something to keep you busy for a while!

The reader does a fine job!

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The greatest novel ever written

I cannot recommend this novel highly enough. It is a seminal, cornerstone work of modern fiction and in my opinion, and that of many others, the greatest novel of all time. Totally worth a read, or in this case a listen, to be well-acquainted with such an important piece of literature. While the narration is so so, especially in the first few chapters of the first half, it doesn't detract from what is a truly glorious, epic story.

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There's a reason this is regarded as a Classic

Don Quixote is a book many never get around to reading, and one with which many book lovers have merely a passing acquaintance - usually confined to the early episode of Quixote's tilt against the windmills. But this book is much more than that, and this superbly narrated translation does justice to what is rightly regarded as a classic work of literature.

Such is the work's coherence that one often forgets during this adventure that it is an episodic novel; most of the characters who appear in it are nonce characters who never appear again - and one very important character never actually appears in person at all! Cervantes appears to realise round about chapter 8 that he has stumbled upon a wonderful vehicle for exploring the human experience, and what may have started out as a short story resolves itself into first a novela, and then something utterly new, bold and exciting - the modern novel.

The alert reader enters on this journey with Cervantes and there are sublime moments of discovery as well as plenty of genuinely laugh-out-loud moments on the way. The development of character, in particular Sancho Panza (though that might merely be a personal preference), is impressive, but equally fascinating is the interplay of text and textuality - this is a novel that knows it's a novel and happily takes time to explore with the reader the boundaries of the form and the possibilities of the partnership the author forms with the reader.

There are few books about which one can say with confidence they will remain immortal. Don Quixote is one of them. I'm in the flush of having recently completed my reading of it (it took me about five weeks - mainly listening on my commute in the car), but I'm an experienced enough reader to know that this feeling of euphoria is not because of merely having ticked a book off my book list, but rather of having made the acquaintance of a cast of characters from the canon of world literature who will continue to give enjoyment for years to come.

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15 people found this helpful

What a wonderful book

Beautifully written, beautifully translated, beautifully read. Don’t delay. Start it today. Your future self will thank you.

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This is such a long book

It took me 1,5 months to finish it. I didn’t enjoy reading it but I became attached to the characters after spending so much time with them.

I do not enjoy this genre of comedy, but I see why this book is such a classic.

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4 people found this helpful

Amazing

I tried to read the book several times but never got too far. Listening to this whilst driving however I heard it all it was a real treat.

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Exceptionally well read

Loved every minute of this reading. It was exceptionally well read and really brought this novel to life.

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5 people found this helpful

Absolutely fantastic 😍....

I must have 🪓 split in 20 places 20 different times ...this book is an absolute must for Kids as well as adults..... truly a timeless classic and I must say ..of this classic piece of true literature it is a .......10/10 .......Excellently narrated by a fantastic team ..well done 👍✅.this True classic will keep you burning will laughter and it is truly amazing & hilarious 😂😂.... fantastic

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The Knight of the sorry face revealed

The Don and Sancho were the Morcombe And Wise / Del and Rodney of their time. A wonderful depiction of a great story.

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