Reviews

First, the edition. I used the newish edition translated by Edith Grossman. She did a great job translating into easy, colloquial English. More importantly, she includes copious footnotes (averaging probably one every other page) that range from a note explaining the pun (present in Spanish but hard to translate) to historical and literary notes that explain story elements or bits of dialogue. Props to her for the translation.

As for the book itself, I have two small reviews. The book itself has two parts. The second is far better, but couldn't exist without the first.
The first is where you read all of the famous stories of Don Quixote like the windmills or the 'armies' of sheep. These stories are fun, but they can get frustrating when you keep reading about Don Quixote's delusions. Additionally, the first part is riddled with inset stories, sometimes read by characters, other times narrated. These can be hit or miss and are probably more appropriate to the genre and time of Cervantes' writing than our own.
The second part, written a few years after the first, incorporates Don Quixote's and Sancho's reputation since the first part, so characters within the story are familiar with events from Part I. They are also familiar with stories of Don Quixote written by another author, which are repeatedly rejected by this author. This kind of play, and the general recognition of Don Quixote (the other characters are not delusional) makes for a much more interesting and tragic story. By the end, you really do feel for Don Quixote, knowing that everyone around him not only sees his insanity, but starts to play him for it. Then add in Cervantes' rejection of the other stories and it makes the history both funny and sad at once.

I will admit that this book needs dedication. I only finished on my third try at reading it. Once I committed to finishing it, it finally began to pay off in Part II and I was fully along for the ride.