Swann's Way: In Search of Lost Time, Volume One

This is a terrific translation, but the print is super small!

This is a nice paperback version which I purchased to replace a hard copy edition which unfortunately over the years was damaged. I chose this particular version of 'Swann's Way' the first of the series of books by Marcel Proust. I rarely write book reviews because the majority of people no longer read and therefore post uniformed opinions. I particularly chose this volume because although I am bilingual, I wanted an English translation. This was the translation I owned previously by C. K. Scott Moncrieff. It is an excellent translation and capture's Proust's unique writing style. The print is large enough and the quality of the paper used is good. The book is well constructed and the binding is firm. I would highly recommend this particular edition to those who can read and appreciate some of the greatest authors in French literature.

Realizing that this is touted as one of the great masterpieces of literature, I am not as impressed. The writing is difficult, long complex sentences of reverie, memory, observation, interior dialogue, description that will challenge most readers. I am pleased to be exposed to Proust and respect and admire his literary artistry, but be prepared for a challenge if not battle. You will need a good literary companion to assist you and patience.Oh yes, the print is very small- like a 10,000 piece jigsaw puzzle’s pieces. Again, honored to read this masterpiece but the other 6 volumes that comprise the complete novel… no just no.

Love the book but couldn’t help but laugh at how tiny the font was.

I know you’re considered uneducated if you don’t like Proust. But, it’s slow going here as the author examines every thought and vision he ever had. The unfamiliar translation is also cumbersome. I feel like I’m slogging through a boring high school reading assignment.

... or not reading it. It turns out this offering is not from a real publishing company, but rather a "print-on-demand" supplier. The font is so tiny, the margins so narrow, the line spacing so minimal, it would be very uncomfortable for me to read (and impossible for people with poor eyesight).

Print way too small. Could not read it comfortably. Got the book from the library.

Don't buy this light blue cover edition! Not only is the type basically microscopic and sprawled across the page with minuscule margins, but it's poorly bound and after a couple days chunks of pages just started falling out. Buy some other version (I don't know why the Modern Library edition of volume I is unavailable on its own, except when buying the entire six-volume series).