I recently read the first part of Don Quixote, and I have to say that I was expecting a real snoozer. And I have to admit that, yes, Cervantes does drag on a bit. But critics of the novel's length are doing the work a misservice. We must remember that this book was written well over four centuries ago, when the very concept of a linked narrative must have been more than enough to hold the reader's interest. Cervantes's energy sizzles off the page at times, and you can tell he's really having fun with the work. I loved almost everything about this book, and while I might have liked to see it trimmed a bit, I still think Cervantes did a bang up job. Oh. One more thing. I lot of people seem to like Sancho more than Quixote. I'm totally the opposite. Quixote is the dreamer, the one who dares to look at things that never were and say " They might be giants ". I for one think thats boss.

I was assigned to read this book this year in my senior Humanities class. We were not expected to read every chapter, but once I started, I couldn't dream of skipping anything. Don Quixote, Book 1, tells the story of a man more optimistic and idealistic than any other in literature. He sets out as a "righter of wrongs and injustices" and doesn't let anything stand in his way. Book one is also incredibly funny in many parts, both physically and intellectually. Book 2, although a somewhat difficult read and much less humorous, is by far the better work of art. At first, I was apalled at the ending of the book, but I now feel that Cervantes was justified in his ending because he wanted us to mourn the absence of chivalry and hope in our world. I cannot express how much perspective this book will add to your life. Tip: If you are reading Don Quixote in English, I reccommend the Putnam translation.

The definition of classic. Dostoyevsky considered Don Quixote the most beautiful of people and I cannot disagree. Cervantes wraps all things human into one book and almost always has you feeling every emotion all at once - slapstick humor, dark tragedy, dogged optimisim, dry realism, love, insanity, poetry vs utility, and wit, tons and tons of wit. If you read the information about Cervantes life you get more out of this book. You will see that this book is written about and from its author's soul, not a thought out plot. Disfigured through war and a hostage sitting in prison for the better part of his life, Cervantes knew what it meant to be taken in by the romance of war and how it contrasts with its harsh reality. He knew what love was and how it is related to "irrationality" or a poetic insanity that makes us human.

If I was approached by an alien who asked me to give it a description of the soul of a human, this is the book I would give it. At certain times in the book I laughed and on second readings I felt sorrow over the same part.

It is written in the 1400s, but is not a difficult read whatsoever. ...