Spanish Stories / Cuentos Espanoles (A Dual-Language Book) (Spanish Edition)

When I started reading book I had to regularly refer to the english page for a translation. At the end of the book, I seldom need to check the translation.

I assume that the stories written in the 16th and 17th centuries were re-written to update them into current Spanish, as I would think the older Spanish would be much more difficult to understand. As a result, this made the stories easy to read at the same time I could appreciate the skill of the writers.


A great learning tool and a fun read   December 15, 2005
Edwin Durham (Pasadena, Maryland USA)
12 out of 12 found this review helpful

I bought the book with a view towards,

1) improving my Spanish

2) reading interesting new thoughts by Spanish writers

It achieved both goals admirably.

I also learned that apparently the Spanish language has not changed nearly as much as the English language from the time of Shakespeare and Cervantes to the present day. I understood more of the Cervantes -- in Spanish -- than in my first readings of Shakespeare in English, my native tongue.

Some of the stories were more difficult than others to be sure. Just as there is a huge style difference between writings of Earnest Hemingway and Nathaniel Hawthorne in English.

Like a previous reviewer, I found myself referring to the English side of the book less and less as I continued to read.

One improvement should be made in future books of this type, however. The definitions of the Spanish words in the back should do more than just restate the original translation. This where the author can truly help a student understand the nuances of the language. Give the reader the origin of the word -- Latin, French, Greek, etc. -- along with a general definition, not just the repeat the same english translation used in the body of the story. If that's all the author is going to do, he should save the paper.


enjoyable   March 25, 2006
Tracy L. Smith (Upstate NY)
7 out of 7 found this review helpful

I'd like to consider myself an intermediate spanish student. This book is just a tad over my spanish reading level. I really enjoy a challenge, so I enjoyed trying to read the spanish side. The stories were a good read in english, but I think it would have been better for me to start with "First Spanish Reader".


Spanish/English literature   August 10, 2007
Carol V. Stanger (Darien, IL)
1 out of 5 found this review helpful

I purchased this book for a teen in Nicaragua as a gift. I cannot review the contents, but looking it over seemed to be a good concept for someone learning English.


Not for intermediate-beginner   August 11, 2008
CasiLatina (Riverdale, MD United States)
9 out of 10 found this review helpful

I was excited to get this book because I thought it would be perfect for me. I have been trying to learn spanish for several years and it has been very difficult because I have trouble with comprehension. Usually I can read spanish better then I can understand it spoken, so I thought this was a good way to build my vocabulary and see the differences between the languages. And perhaps even record myself reading the stories for an extra way to take in the words. While I respect classical literature, this was more classroom/academic oriented then I wanted and seemed to be Spanish from Spain not Latin America. My husband is fluent in spoken Spanish (not necessarily reading/writing) and he didn't recognize some of the simple words so I knew this wasn't right for me. I was looking for more current modern stories at a more simple reading level. I am not saying you can't take anything from it but just wanted to make it more clear what to expect. I hope this is helpful to someone.