In Search Of Lost Time@@ Vol. 1: Swann's way - Within a Budding Grove@@ Part 1

Getting used to the writing style was difficult at first and Proust is clearly a bit long winded, but growing old w/the characters in these four books was an amazing experience. It was the best book I have read in a very long time, perhaps ever.

Listen, it's not for everyone. I get it. Maybe even the majority of readers wouldn't even begin to absorb Proust, to internalize what's going on his text, to reflect on what it means for the human condition.Then there're the people who understand why Proust is a god among writers.

I waited decades to read Proust and eventually forked out a lot of money and bought all the volumes of the Everyman edition. I gave up after 1000 pages and do not know how I lasted so long. It was a dire struggle. There is no plot. The main character is a nobody. He forms no plausible relationships with anyone. He doesn't do anything. In fact, characterisation does not exist. No one is believable. There is no meaningful narrative or human interest. It has no politics on any scale. The endless trivia is not poetic. The sentences go on for pages and make no grammatical sense. And even if you can figure out what obscure grammatical structure they are attempting to employ, forget about trying to make sense of them. People talk about Proust's musing over a cup of tea. That's about as interesting as it gets. If the heart of mankind is what you are after, read Tolstoy.

Whilst not as hard as some reviewers have made it out to be (I especially enjoyed the pieces of gossip between characters, something Proust should have done more of), this book is a challenge.It is not a book that can be devoured in a single sitting, nor do I think that was ever the intention of the author. Proust forces the reader to take their time, making sure that every word is understood before moving on. This can be a little frustrating at times (be prepared for descriptions of buildings taking upwards of 6 pages). Perhaps the element that most modern readers will be most unfamiliar with is the way in which Proust crafts sentences. He is not a fan of full stops and the reader will often find themselves reading upwards of 20 lines of text without a full stop.Proust has the reputation of being the ultimate reading challenge and I believe this is entirely warranted. If you like a challenge, give it a go. Although don't feel defeated if it beats you, this book is not the easiest of reads. There is way more description than plot, this is not a page turner.

Magnificent. You know it’s exceptional when the love story (usually a thoughtless addition between other scenes) is as beautiful and as profoundly rendered as this. Can’t wait to read on.Be prepared for concentration turned up to maximum, though. Not one for the morning commute.