Well, I'm glad to have that over with. In my senior year of college I read it (or attempted to read it) in Spanish for one of my upper-division classes. I couldn't really concentrate on the subtle details of the story over my constant struggle just to read with any degree of fluency.Turns out I didn't miss anything; this book is anything but subtle. I don't know enough about Spanish literature to judge it against books of its time period, however, judging against what I usually choose to read I found it dry and frustratingly slow.I can say, though, that Doña Perfecta and Don Inocencio are two of the singlemost frustrating, vile, venomous, stubborn, and disagreeable characters I've read. Every time one of their names came up - which was often - I wanted to reach through time, space, and reality and smack them. Good job, Galdós! You created something horrible.I also quite enjoyed the ending. I'll put this behind the words SPOILER WARNING even though it's likely that you'll never read this: I could not have been more satisfied at the individual ruinations of Doña Perfecta and Don Inocencio and also that Pepe Rey ended up dead, just because happy endings are for suckers.The whole thing could have been shorter, I know now what I wasn't missing by reading this in a language other than my native tongue, and now you can envision me dusting my hands in satisfaction that this experiment has concluded.
Desde la primera página, Galdós nos cuenta el desenlace que tendrá la historia. Sólo un genio puede hacer esto sin aburrir al lector y sin quitarle la magia al libro. Y Galdós era un genio.Siempre digo lo mismo en mis reseñas sobre sus libros: adoro su forma de escribir, tan culta y refinada; sus críticas a la sociedad española de la época, los "guiños" al lector, su inteligencia reflejada párrafo tras párrafo, su sentido del humor... Es curioso cómo consigue hacerme reír.Me maravillan los nombres tan acertados que les da a los personajes: Perfecta, Inocencio, Remedios, las "troyas" ...¿Y qué decir de Villahorrenda y los nombres de los parajes que recorre Pepe Rey en su camino a Orbajosa? Todo unido a su gran capacidad descriptiva.(view spoiler)[ El final trágico, también tan característico... Me ha encantado el sentimiento de culpa de Inocencio y Perfecta. Tanto tocar las narices y cuando os libráis de Pepe, ¿enfermáis y os apagáis? Ay, si es que... Y por tontos, os quedáis también sin Rosario. ¡No me extraña que haya perdido la chaveta con semejante panda de buitres carroñeros velando por ella! (hide spoiler)]
What do You think about Doña Perfecta (2004)?
Испанският реализъм не ми харесва особено. "Доня Перфекта" е трагичната история на двама влюбени и на хората, които са около тях. Пепе Рей заминава за Орбахоса, един провинциален град, за да се ожени за своята братовчедка Росарио. Когато пристига в града, се заформя един сблъсък между града, между учените хора, носители на новите идеи и хората от малките градчета, които продължават да се опират на своя консерватизъм и на религията. В книгата отделните герои не са до толкова пълноценни образи, колкото представители на различните социални класи. Определено не е книга, която бих препрочела, въпреки че е класика от испанската литература..
—Anelia
La edición que me he leído tiene más de 700 notas a pie que distraen mucho de la lectura. Algunas son explicaciones necesarias para quien no conozca o no recuerde ciertos detalles de la historia de España y la cultura clásica, pero la inmensa mayoría simplemente recogen las distintas versiones de la novela, lo cual estará muy bien para los filólogos, pero a mí, que leía por mero placer, me han resultado bastante molestas. Para colmo, en un par de de las notas se destripa el final sin ningún miramiento.
—Rocío
