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Title details for Don Quixote by Miguel de Cervantes - Available

Don Quixote

by Miguel de Cervantes
Tobias Smollett
Audiobook
1 of 1 copy available
Borrow Listen to a sample Listen to a sample
1 of 1 copy available

With a wealth of fancy and an irrepressible high spirit, this beloved adventure story pokes fun at the exaggerated social and literary conventions of Cervantes' day. Driven mad by reading too many chivalric romances, Don Quixote decks himself out in rusty armor and a cardboard helmet, determined to become a knight-errant and roam the world righting wrongs. He persuades the practical Sancho Panza to become his squire, and his inspiration on his quest is the peasant girl Aldonza, whom he idealizes as his queen of love and beauty, Dulcinea. From his first fighting encounter with a score of windmills to his climactic confrontation with a victorious enemy, Don Quixote's feeble mind and heroic heart have earned him a place as one of the best-loved characters in fiction. A work consistently ranked among the greatest in all of literature, Don Quixote de la Mancha has inspired and influenced a host of notable writers over the past four centuries.

  • Creators

  • Publisher

  • Release date

    November 9, 2004

  • Formats

    • OverDrive Listen audiobook

      • ISBN: 9781483088433
      • File size: 1058713 KB
      • Duration: 36:45:39

  • Languages

    • English

  • Levels

    • Lexile® Measure: 520
    • Text Difficulty: 1-3

  • Reviews

    • AudioFile Magazine
      Christopher Casenove employs an impressive range of British accents in his Performance--and presents everyone from earl to washerwoman. Such voices may not be what listeners expect from DON QUIXOTE, but they make it easy to tell who's speaking, even when a scene contains more than one character of a certain "type." Together, the excerpts which comprise this abridgeent convey the tone and spirit of the source without awkward breaks or transitions. The music that begins and ends each tape--solo classical guitar--summons images of the Spanish countryside, and might have done so more effectively had it been integrated into the reading. T.J.W. (c) AudioFile 2002, Portland, Maine
    • AudioFile Magazine
      One of fiction's greatest comic heroes and his infamous sidekick are given rare three-dimensionality in this vastly entertaining performance by Andrew Sachs. His impeccable characterizations breathe life into each character; this is a true tour de force brimming with wry, irrepressible humor and grand, elegant speeches. Cervantes's trenchant wit shines through what could have been a rote performance but is indeed audio art. To say Sachs inhabits each role in an understatement; his Quixote could be a standard to be followed and a fine acting lesson for aspiring voice actors. D.J.B. (c) AudioFile 2003, Portland, Maine
    • AudioFile Magazine
      Christopher Cazenove, Ben Carrington on TV's "Dynasty," distinguishes himself here with an andante musical beauty. He almost sings the text, even when impersonating the many characters, which he does very nicely, albeit in a British, rather than Spanish, idiom. What he can't manage to do is provoke laughs; he just doesn't have the comic verve. Instead, like a sitcom actor, he cues us with his light touch, as if to telegraph: "Hey, this is a funny bit!" Poignancy he gives us, and quite touching he is, too. This uncredited translation feels arcane, but, thanks to the reader, is never obscure. Y.R. (c)AudioFile, Portland, Maine
    • AudioFile Magazine
      The two thick volumes, here reduced by three-fifths or more, are presented in a mellifluous translation, which is read with delicious wit and merriment. Those of us who love the Don and his squire, Sancho, balk at such a drastic abridgment. Even so, it must be said that the Quixotite will enjoy this recording, albeit under protest. Y.R. (c)AudioFile, Portland, Maine
    • AudioFile Magazine
      This version of de Cervantes's seventeenth-century classic has been updated and abridged, making it easier listening for the modern ear. Even children can enjoy hearing the adventures--real and imaginary--of the self-proclaimed "Don Quixote de la Mancha." Johnny Heller's husky voice is especially good when intoning the na•ve speech of Sancho Panza, the squire who agrees to join Don Quixote in return for his promise of an island to rule. Even in abridgment this story can become tedious, but this audio edition, at less than 5 hours, is a great way for novices to be experience this otherwise daunting work. R.Z.R. (c) AudioFile 2010, Portland, Maine
    • AudioFile Magazine
      First published in 1605 and 1615 in two volumes, DON QUIXOTE is a tale of reinvention and the romantic imagination. Roy McMillan delivers it quickly and crisply, an approach that allows the listener to focus on its humor. Upon his retirement, Don Quixote takes on the life of the heroes of old and becomes a wandering knight. As he searches for adventure and opportunities to carry out chivalrous deeds, he finds them--mostly in his own imagination. The locals think he's lost his mind as he travels the countryside on his skinny horse, tilting at windmills and chasing sheep. McMillan's light British accent gives way to lilting Spanish phrases as he charms listeners with mistaken identities, convoluted reasoning, and melodious verses. Cervantes's canonical tale of personal honor lives on in McMillan's energetic performance. M.B.K (c) AudioFile 2011, Portland, Maine

Formats

  • OverDrive Listen audiobook

subjects

Languages

  • English

Levels

  • Lexile® Measure:520
  • Text Difficulty:1-3

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