Book Review – Don Quixote

            In Cervantes’ historic novel Don Quixote, the reader is met with challenging language and a story of epic proportions. Printed by the Penguin group in 2003, Don Quixote has interested many with its witty sub-characters and a crazed main character, Don Quixote. Miguel Cervantes really finds the hearts of his readers while writing this classic tale.

The book begins in northern Spain, where the reader meeting the old man Don Quixote, whose library of chivalrous stories has made him go particularly insane. He is off to find adventure as he believes he is to be a knight errant, but is faced with the problem of not being knighted. After stirring up trouble at a local inn he finds as a palace, the innkeeper “knights” our hero. But, tragedy strikes as he loses a fight down the road, only to be helped by fellow villager Sancho Panza, who becomes Don Quixote’s scribe. They travel off into the distant regions of Spain looking for opportunities to exploit Don Quixote’s knightliness. But rather he does more harm than good as he attacks innocent villagers, sheepherders, monks, and puppeteers. He then meets up with a Duke and Duchess who play horrible pranks on our heroes which result in the “whipping” Sancho. Finally Don Quixote meets his match as he fights the Knight of the White Moon, to whom he lays down his armor for a full year after suffering a tremendous loss. Back at the village Don Quixote breaths his last breath as he is overcome with an illness, but he is saner then ever when he departs his life.

            While reading Don Quixote I finally understood what so many before me had said about the book. It is a difficult read, but a fun read at that. I had a great time laughing at the insane remarks that spewed from Don Quixote’s mouth and how Sancho Panza just went along for the ride. My favorite quote was “hunger…world” (327). That quote almost made me fall out of my seat when I read it, because it sounded like something my brother would say on one of his “off” days. My favorite part of the story was Master Peter’s Puppet Show. From the psychic monkey to Don Quixote attacking “moor-like” puppets, I almost had a heart attack.

            Classic novels are those which don’t ever seem to die out. This is certainly the case with Don Quixote. Cervantes created a masterpiece out of misfits. He took skinny and old Don Quixote and short and pudgy Sancho Panza and turned them into legends. Though sometimes hard to make out, the writing style of Miguel Cervantes has awed many in this novel. From the northern half of Spain to halfway around the world, Don Quixote is read because of its witty humor and its excellent read.

*All quotes taken from Don Quixote*