The Return of Don Quixote (And of Literary Blog Posts!)

I just finished reading my first G.K. Chesterton novel: The Return of Don Quixote.  I was actually in the library looking for a completely different Chesterton novel (The Man Who Was Thursday), when I stumbled upon this one.  Now, thanks to my dear grandpa, Don Quixote is one of my favorite literary figures.  I love the story, the ideal....I own the book, the musical soundtrack, and even hand-carved wooden figures of the characters!  So, when I saw that there was what appeared to be a Cervantean sequel, I jumped at the chance to read it.

Now, I'll set you all straight right away.....this is not a sequel.  In fact, it took me until I was about five chapters from the end to figure out why the title was what it was, and it was nearly the second to last chapter where I saw the first reference to Don Quixote!  However, that does not take away from the many merits of this book!

I'll be brief, since I'm rather tired, but it was overall a very interesting read.  It was very funny, with humor reminiscent of Wodehouse, with theological and philosophical views intertwined (Chesterton was, after all, a Catholic philosopher).  The plot did get a bit confusing at times, but it was still worth it.  Honestly, it was a delightful reading experience, and, as I crack open my next book, I'm proud to say that it is ALSO a Chesterton: The Man Who Was Thursday.  Hopefully, there will be updates about that one as well.

I'd recommend this book if you like humor, philosophy, and a bit of theological undertones.  But, one thing I'd like to stress about this book: Chesterton cannot be rushed.  If you don't have the time to devote to him, this book will take forever.  But, once you give it your full attention, it's actually quite a quick and easy read.  The last few chapters, in fact, flew by, leaving me without reading material for the rest of the day :P

I'm having trouble creating a good summary, since there is so much going on.  I guess I would just suggest going into it blind, since that's what I did....sometimes, books are more exciting when you don't really know what is going to happen.