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mcgreig's review against another edition
3.0
This was fairly enjoyable to read but I was slightly disappointed after having heard rave reviews on Radio 4's A Good Read. I sort of felt that the melodrama of the plot got in the way of the more interesting 'deeper' discussions that go on between the main characters.
lkateo's review
4.0
"Fact and fiction again, one can't distinguish with any certainty". I feel like I missed a lot of things in this novel, not having read Cervantes' original Don Quixote, but even without that, this was an enjoyable read.
"'Because once when I was young I partly believed in a God, and a little of that superstition still remains. I'm rather afraid of mystery, and I am too old to change my spots. I prefer Marx to mystery, father.'
'You were a good friend and you are a good man. You don't want my blessing, but you will have to accept it all the same. Don't be embarrassed. It's just a habit we have, like sending cards at Christmas'"
"'Because once when I was young I partly believed in a God, and a little of that superstition still remains. I'm rather afraid of mystery, and I am too old to change my spots. I prefer Marx to mystery, father.'
'You were a good friend and you are a good man. You don't want my blessing, but you will have to accept it all the same. Don't be embarrassed. It's just a habit we have, like sending cards at Christmas'"
joshuabrunt's review
reflective
relaxing
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
james_patrick's review against another edition
5.0
Don Quixote re-written for the twentieth century, and a delightful character study.
mburnamfink's review against another edition
2.0
I haven't read Don Quixote, so maybe I'm not getting the full depth of the references, but this seemed like a joke that got extended way past the point of being funny-a literary SNL skit that had about 20 seconds of humor tops. Father Quixote is a simple Spanish priest with a famous last name. He gets promoted to Monsignor through a chance encounter with a bishop and decides to go on a trip around Spain in his old car "Rocinante' with his friend the Communist ex-Mayor, who he calls Sancho. They drive, drink wine, argue about Catholicism and Marxist, drink some more, argue about the state of Franco's soul, get in trouble with the law, and drink more. It's bleak in a Greene-ian way, but out of habit rather than any good reason. Greene seems to be having a conversation trying to square his Roman Catholicism and his Leftist, but I'm not sure anybody should listen. Read The Quiet American instead.
pussreboots's review against another edition
5.0
The very first Graham Greene novel I ever read and still one of my favorites.
mmseiple's review against another edition
5.0
This is a fantastic book. It’s the third that I’ve read by Graham Greene (The others were The Tenth Man and Our Man in Havana.) and my favorite thus far. Greene has a very engaging style which has captivated me more than many of the books I have read recently. Monsignor Quixote tells of a priest who, against his will, has been promoted to the rank of monsignor and, like his ancestor, don Quixote himself, travels through Spain with his companion, the communist mayor whom he calls Sancho. However, this description only scratches the surface of this book. In it one also finds insightful discussions of faith, belief, and life in general. This novel has the perfect combination of somber reflection and humor. I had trouble putting it down!
lnatal's review
4.0
From BBC Radio 4 - 15 Minute Drama:
Dramatised by Stephen Wyatt
Graham Greene's comic 'entertainment', set in rural Spain a few years after the death of Franco.
Father Quixote makes a friend of an Italian bishop, with unexpected consequences.
2/10: Father Quixote receives some unwelcome - and very surprising - news from his bishop.
3/10: Newly appointed a Monsignor, Father Quixote and his friend Sancho set off on their quest for purple socks.
4/10: Father Quixote and his friend Sancho arrive in Madrid to buy purple socks - and attract the unwelcome attention of the Guardia Civil.
5/10: Father Quixote and his friend Sancho arrive in Madrid to buy purple socks - and attract the unwelcome attention of the Guardia Civil.
6/10: Monsignor Quixote and Sancho help a robber - and pay an unexpected price.
7/10: Monsignor Quixote wakes from a drugged sleep to discover that he has been kidnapped and taken back to El Toboso.
8/10: Imprisoned in his own house, Father Quixote is at the mercy of his bishop - unless his friend Sancho can pull off a daring rescue.
9/10: Having escaped El Toboso, Monsignor Quixote and Sancho go in search of wine but find themselves in a battle to save the honour of the church.
10/10: Monsignor Quixote and Sancho are taken in by the monks at the monastery of Oseira and their journey comes to an end.
Directed by Marc Beeby.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b07mwqfc
3* The Third Man
4* The End of the Affair
4* Our Man in Havana
3* The Captain and the Enemy
3* The Quiet American
4* The Ministry of Fear
4* The Power and the Glory
4* The Honorary Consul
3* Orient Express
4* Monsignor Quixote
TR Brighton Rock
TR Travels With My Aunt
TR The Tenth Man
TR The Heart of the Matter
Dramatised by Stephen Wyatt
Graham Greene's comic 'entertainment', set in rural Spain a few years after the death of Franco.
Father Quixote makes a friend of an Italian bishop, with unexpected consequences.
2/10: Father Quixote receives some unwelcome - and very surprising - news from his bishop.
3/10: Newly appointed a Monsignor, Father Quixote and his friend Sancho set off on their quest for purple socks.
4/10: Father Quixote and his friend Sancho arrive in Madrid to buy purple socks - and attract the unwelcome attention of the Guardia Civil.
5/10: Father Quixote and his friend Sancho arrive in Madrid to buy purple socks - and attract the unwelcome attention of the Guardia Civil.
6/10: Monsignor Quixote and Sancho help a robber - and pay an unexpected price.
7/10: Monsignor Quixote wakes from a drugged sleep to discover that he has been kidnapped and taken back to El Toboso.
8/10: Imprisoned in his own house, Father Quixote is at the mercy of his bishop - unless his friend Sancho can pull off a daring rescue.
9/10: Having escaped El Toboso, Monsignor Quixote and Sancho go in search of wine but find themselves in a battle to save the honour of the church.
10/10: Monsignor Quixote and Sancho are taken in by the monks at the monastery of Oseira and their journey comes to an end.
Directed by Marc Beeby.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b07mwqfc
3* The Third Man
4* The End of the Affair
4* Our Man in Havana
3* The Captain and the Enemy
3* The Quiet American
4* The Ministry of Fear
4* The Power and the Glory
4* The Honorary Consul
3* Orient Express
4* Monsignor Quixote
TR Brighton Rock
TR Travels With My Aunt
TR The Tenth Man
TR The Heart of the Matter