Reviews

This book is like a weird buddy comedy - a priest and a Communist spend their days on the roads of Spain, drinking wine and eating cheese, and discussing everything from love, politics, ethics, justice, the nature of faith and Catholicism - and getting themselves into some really funny situations along the way. Despite the rather heavy subject matter, I think the main theme of the book is really friendship, and there are truly tender moments between these two unlikely amigos that are both touching and quite often hilarious.

I did find myself literally laughing out loud at several parts of this book - despite the sometimes heavy material, it’s not mystifying or tedious and is an eminently readable book. I found it quite whimsical.

I haven’t read Cervantes Don Quixote and I think not having that background knowledge probably meant I couldn’t fully appreciate a lot of it - but nevertheless, I thought it was a fun and charming novel, definitely worth a read.

heyimaghost's review against another edition

Go to review page

5.0

Maybe I missed a large portion of the point of this novel. Maybe I'm not that educated about Spanish culture before, during, and after the revolution. And maybe I only read it because of the influence from Don Quixote. All of that being ignored, this was one of the best novels I've read this year. I've only read Greene's The Destructors, so as an example of Greene's writing style or capabilities, I can hardly give any comment except that I found it easy to read, the characters were well drawn, the story was believable and enjoyable, and the moral was not preached but left to the read to understand or ignore. What that moral was is somewhat ambiguous in my mind, which may be because of those things I mentioned above. Of course, to say that Father Quixote's religion is the same as Don Quixote's knight-errantry is somewhat trite, though true. I have not read many reinterpretations of Cervantes' masterpiece, but most seem to focus on heroes or heroines becoming too much obsessed with literature ([b:Northanger Abbey|50398|Northanger Abbey|Jane Austen|http://d.gr-assets.com/books/1328753190s/50398.jpg|4039699] or [b:Madame Bovary|2175|Madame Bovary|Gustave Flaubert|http://d.gr-assets.com/books/1335676143s/2175.jpg|2766347]) or simply as an eccentric wanderer ([b:The Pickwick Papers|229432|The Pickwick Papers|Charles Dickens|http://d.gr-assets.com/books/1345293752s/229432.jpg|3315230]). I could be wrong and would love any corrections, as I'd love to read some more books along this line, but I'm not aware of many books that have used the theme of religion to replace knight-errantry. I'm confused by this, because, unless Greene and I are justt more brilliant than I give us credit, the two have always seemed interchangeably ridiculous. But that's the beauty of it. I don't find Don Quixote ridiculous for believing in the ideals of knight-errantry, nor do I find Father Quixote ridiculous for believing in the tenants of Christianity, despite that the fact that they are. That being said, I respect Sancho Panza for his incredulousness or the ex-Mayor's Communism, despite my disagreement with their views. I find life is more ridiculous in its truth than otherwise though. We have all these cold views of man's behavior, but most persons never seems to follow them. Instead, we act in ways inconceivably ridiculous. Whether that's the point Greene was going for, I couldn't begin to say. That is, however, what I got from the book, and I think it's a worthy moral.

barts_books's review against another edition

Go to review page

4.0

Another fantastic Graham Greene novel.

It manages to be highly amusing and intensly serious at the same time.

Highly recommended.

louanna's review

Go to review page

adventurous funny fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? N/A
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

jacob_guitar123's review

Go to review page

hopeful lighthearted reflective relaxing medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Loveable characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.25

michael_kelleher's review against another edition

Go to review page

5.0

I regret that I've never actually read Don Quixote. But Monsignor Quixote was a charming book, and the Monsignor and his friend have some great conversations and observations. I loved every moment of this book.

More...