Don Quixote

By: Tobias Smollett - translator, Miguel de Cervantes

Narrated by: Robert Whitfield

Length: 36 hrs and 42 mins

Publisher's summary

Don Quixote is one of the world's first novels and by far the best-known book in Spanish literature, was originally intended by Cervantes as a satire on traditional popular ballads, yet he also parodied the romances of chivalry. By happy coincidence he produced one of the most entertaining adventure stories of all time and, in Don Quixote and his faithful squire, Sancho Panza, two of the greatest characters in fiction.

(P)1998 Blackstone Audiobooks

Enchanting tale very rich in culture and humanity

This is one of the classical pieces of Western literature. The fact that it was written 400 years ago has not tarnished its appeal. It's a commitment of your time to fully explore the tale, but you'll be the better for it. The only thing that would have improved the delivery, in my opinion, would have been to have a Spanish speaking narrator. The English accent of the narrator was occasionally discordant. A thoroughly enjoyable listen. I'm happy to have committed to listening to completion.

The meandering tale of the last knight errant.

Being taken up with an ideal of what the world should be and pretending it is exactly that, is how one becomes a new 'Don Quixote.' When the world moves on and we wish for better times when things weren't so, sometimes we fall into idealism of how those times might've been. Taken so far, we get fantastical stories of mad men taking that ideal out into the real world, only to have it constantly proven that, yes, indeed, the world is not what we wish.

As the first book of its kind, Don Quixote sets up an example for writers going forward to create better stories than Don Quixote itself. it wanders, it feels pointless at times, and if you aren't in it to enjoy the ride, you won't enjoy the story. In spite of all this, I still feel as if it holds up today. if not as a sterling example of great literature, then a relic of how modern literature came to be. If only for the historical relevance, this is still worth reading today.

Great translation & narration

Book one had me covering my face in public I was laughing so hard. Brilliant and worth the effort. Narrator was flawless

Completely unexpected brilliance & fun

What made the experience of listening to Don Quixote the most enjoyable?

Lyrical, funny, poignant. I'd been opposed to reading this - a man attacking windmills, c'mon. And instead I've found myself going back to listen over passages, laughing out loud over many passages, honestly. it's been unexpected. Other readers have commented that this translation is in the old english, and this seems appropos to me. It is a remarkable work of genius.I am very particular on readers - I believe that really makes a story come alive, or deep-sixes it. Whitfield has a good enough range, and some of his characterizations remind me of Monty Python. Just makes me laugh out loud. For me, it works, and it's kept me wanting to come back to this as a story.

Any additional comments?

Initially I'd rented this as an mp3 through Overdrive and my local library system. Since it is 36 hours in length ... well I needed to renew it which meant having to re-download the 32 parts. I found that at the dinner table at night I would comment "Have I mentioned how much I love the book 'Don Quixote?" -- and have found it a work I want to go back to periodically in the future. So I downloaded it from Audible -- for me it's made sense to have this particular translation / rendition in my audio library.

Great Read!!

Oh Don, Oh Don! Bless his heart. No one told me this book was so funny!

Don Quixote is a lover of books. Unfortunately he is caught up in this fantasy of a knight errant and wonders the country with his side kick Sancho, defending orphans, widows and the downtrodden. Through his adventures he comes across some colorful characters. His journey includes their stories, criminals and cons, an elaborate plot to fool the great knight and other adventures and calamities. A really fun read!

*narration of the audible was excellent.

Truly great book and truly great narration.

Just a fabulous story. The narration in this audio adaptation only adds to what is without doubt, one of the greatest books ever written. Funny, poignant, thoroughly engrossing and all-around enjoyable way to spend a couple of days, you won't be disappointed once you commit to this masterpiece.

A surprising pleasure

I wasn’t sure what to expect from this book. Except that it’s a very lengthy, very peculiar recount of the adventures of a mad man and his friend. I didn’t quite understand how the story could go on for so long without becoming boring or tedious. But it kept me thoroughly amused almost all the time. Something I was absolutely not expecting. I grew to love and respect the main character and care for their friends as I became more and more acquainted with them.

The reading was truly masterful. It was incredible the way the narrator managed to create such clear and discernible voices for each character. Especially since they we all so different and so numerous.

this book is way funny.

I was surprised how funny this book was. My favorite character by far was Sancho Panza, that guy is full of wisdom and comic relief. The reader dose a wonderful job of bringing all the characters to life. I had no idea that they had such a good sense of humor in1605, this book seems very modern. Don Quixote would ramble on some times and i would have to take a break, but it all was picked up again. The ending was a little weak, but overall it was pretty entertaining.

Too many words

Cervantes writes like a boor who traps you in an interminable conversation when you have somewhere else to be. Anything that can be said in 5 words takes 5 sentences, and isn’t even that interesting. Not every historical writing is worthwhile as today’s literature.

I can imagine people loving this work in 1605 when it was probably bawdy and farcical as today’s Will Farrell films - and the leisure class had plenty of time to kill.

If you are looking to torture yourself or for bragging rights, by all means listen through.

Otherwise the abridged version is probably for you.

timeless classic

Second time "reading" this book. It's very very very long but also a very entertaining read.