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

Just remarkable

I was a little hesitant to invest 36 hours but am certainly glad that I did. The book is just remarkable. In places (mainly from Sancho) it is laugh out loud funny. Published some 400 years ago it is the most modern of novels, both self referential and in the second part attacking a false sequel.
The narration is excellent with clear, differeing voices for the main characters.

Very amusing; well read

I am pleased the reader is English, but for Americans this may not be as pleasing. I really enjoyed the interpretation and characterisation of the voices. It added much to the humour of the story. I never managed to read the book, but now dip back into it to read back favourite passages. This was my first foray into audio books and I declare it a huge success.

SERGI (BARCELONA)

I was amazed at the wonderful, accurate translation into English of this masterwork of Spanish literature, not to mention the excellent reading by Robert Whitfield. An Audible book that is worth keeping for enjoyment during one's whole life.

...long?

It's a classic, it's considered the meca of literature, it's genious, but if you just want a mortal's opinion:it's long, it's sad, repetitive (Mock the old man, laugh at the old man, beat the old man. Laugh again) and cruel (because of course DQ is adorable and it's not fun to have him mocked all the time). I suppose it's a must if you want to have any kind of culture, but I am glad I was washing/painting/driving while getting my culture and not just reading it.

Who knew this would be so good?

Another book I wanted to have read, as any educated person should IMO. It was really enjoyable, and well done by the reader. I highly recommend it. I had to be patient to "get into it", not like Dickens or Trollope, but it was well worth it.

Hilarious

Dead funny. The transition was excellent, the reader was superb and the content was exquisite.

Wonderful translation of a Classic

The translation of this classic makes it feel authentic in spite of not being in it's authentic Spanish. Unlike many dumbed-down translations, the translator manages to retain the depth and character of the story without making it feel awkward or forced. The voice acting was also superb.

Long Winded

I find this version of Don Quixote too long winded and although I have found some of the humor in the story, often times I found it hard to follow, so I didn’t enjoy it as much as I thought I would.

One of the top ten books ever.

Written in the early 1600s, Miguel Cervantes' novel about the delusional knight's adventures has become a classic staple of historic literature.

Don Quixote is a middle-aged man who, having read too many chivalric novels, actually believes he is a knight and sets out on his adventures. He is aided by his trusted squire, Sancho Panza, to whom Don Quixote has promised an island over which to rule once he completes his adventures and wins over his only love, Dulcinea.

The adventures which follow are exciting and entertaining. Don Quixote charges at windmills, mistaking them to be giants. He mistakes a country wench to be Dulcinea who has been enchanted by an evil magician's spell in order to look like a country wench. In short, he can't distinguish reality from his fantasy.

This novel is long, and unless you're a classic literature buff, you can get away with the abridged version. What makes the book such a classic is the complexity of the characters. Don Quixote isn't insane all the time--there are times when he seems to know more about reality than he lets on. Sancho Panza seems like an idiot for following Don Quixote around, yet Sancho goes back and forth between criticizing his master's idiotic notions and adoring some of them as well.

Moreover, the source of Don Quixote's madness is his obsession with books on chivalry. Yet this book itself is a story about a chivalric knight. By taking this story's message to heart, aren't we committing the same errors as Don Quixote did with his novels?

I liked Robert Whitfield's narration, especially his depiction of Sancho Panza. He made it easy to follow despite a large cast of characters.

As enjoyable as Moby Dick, but with less whales.

If you haven’t read/listened to Don Quixote, it is worth the time to do so. Fighting windmills is over and done with right away, leaving a whole lot of adventure (and even more rhetorical digressions) for you to discover. I felt like I was listening to Moby Dick meets the Divine Comedy. I didn't get most of the inside and political jokes, and with an audiobook you don’t have footnotes. But I did the same with Dante, and didn’t really feel cheated. You don’t need to know who someone is, I think, if they are insulted with enough wit. I also learned that “At night all cats are gray.” Words to live by. I think I want to buy a copy in Spanish so I can look at some of Sancho’s quotes. Had Frodo taken Sancho instead of Sam, he’d have been in big big trouble. (Just had to point this out. It kept occurring to me all through the story.) I’m very glad I spent the time to listen to Don Quixote. I would complain about the ending, but considering that the day, age, and powers that were, I’ll leave well enough alone. The narration and accents were wonderful, and really helped keep my attention during some of the digressions.