Not me switching to an edition with only the first volume which I had to read for uni because I Know I'll never read the second one lmao

You know that movie "Dumb and Dumber"? Of course you do! Well, Don Quixote is the original version of that. It's unbelievable that the hilarity of this clever, clever Cervantes' novel has held relevant for 500 years. If you've taken even a basic Spanish class, I'm sure you've studied at least a bit of Don Quixote, by far the most famous Spanish novel.

This is a great translation for recreational readers and is surprisingly entertaining and easy to read. However, be prepared to set aside a major chunk of time to get through the packed 1,000 pages. One thing that surprised me is that nearly all of the famous Don Quixote scenes such as his great battle with a windmill happen in the first 50ish pages. It makes me wonder how many people take the time to get through the entire book. More people should. It is packed with action and creativity and will make you fall in love with a madman and a dolt.

Some of my favorite parts of the books are the upfront descriptions of each chapter that are written to give you a heads up about what you're about to read. Most of them specifically tell you about the subject matter, but I loved some of the completely random ones:

Chapter XXXI
Which deals with a great many things

Chapter LVIII
Which recounts how so many adventures rained down on Don Quixote that there was hardly room for all of them

Chapter LXVI
Which recounts what will be seen by whoever reads it, or heard by whoever listens to it being read (my favorite!)

Chapter LXX
Which follows chapter LXIX, and deals with matters necessary to the clarity of this history

Brilliant!

For a book that is normally summarised by reference to a single scene in the early pages, there is so much more to this. It has been a week since I finished the book and gave it 4 stars, but it has been in my thoughts every day since and I keep coming across situations and stories that show the depth of this book. One can look on it as a commentary on how society treats the mentally ill, but there are parallels to misinformation, propaganda, corruption and power that show how little society has changed in the last few hundred years. The second part could even be viewed as something of a commentary on social media and reality TV, as the first book is published and brings fame to the main characters who are subsequently manipulated as a result.

This book did not feel like it was written in the 1600s. I was pleasantly surprised by some of the more modern ideas (not caring about a woman dressing as a man, getting a story from a woman’s perspective) in the story. It is comical and sad. It did go on a bit long for me as my mind definitely wandered a bit towards the end.

This is an absolute horrible and boring book. For 2 possible reasons I might find it so.shite:
1. It deals with themes that are 400 years old and escape me, and are not relevant for me, or anyone alive today.
2. It is supposed to be a parody, but it is not funny or clever in any way. It is just dumb.

Which brings me to my personal opinion. The characters are absolutely horrible. Don Quichote is a dangerous, mentally ill person that should not be celebrated.
Furthermore most of the stories are a series of unconnected events that are boring. I skipped more then half of the story and did not notice anything amiss.
Nor did the characters progress in any way.

Just because this book is the 'first' modern novel, that doesn't mean it's good or it should be celebrated the way it is.

DO NOT READ THIS BOOK.

P.s. that incident with the windmill? Only famous because it happens within 40 pages. Otherwise no one would have made it far enough to read about that