Witty and caustic, Candide has ranked as one of the world's great satires since its first publication in 1759. In the story of the trials and trava...
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Nov 05, 2011
Shovelmonkey1
rated it: 
This book is on the 1001 list and as a 1001 lister you might think that this was what prompted me to read this book. Think that and you would be wrong. Want to know what really prompted me to read this?
I wrote a letter to Mr Sony
I said, "Hey S-sony what's g-going down?
I've got a record and I reckon it's wicked
And I th-think you should s-spread it around."
He said, "Hey Tim, I quite like your work
He said, "It's clever and quirky
But I prom More...
I wrote a letter to Mr Sony
I said, "Hey S-sony what's g-going down?
I've got a record and I reckon it's wicked
And I th-think you should s-spread it around."
He said, "Hey Tim, I quite like your work
He said, "It's clever and quirky
But I prom More...
6 comments
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Feb 24, 2008
Chris
rated it: 
While fruitlessly searching for something decent to read, I invariably come across a ton of acclaim for total hacks being labeled as ‘master satirists’. God that pisses me off, especially since none of those books are worth a damn, and while the authors wrongly think they have something interesting or unique to say, the thing that really disheartens me is that someone out there agrees with them. For each of these books, there should be a simple label affixed to the front cover that reads ‘Not
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Jul 01, 2009
Chris
rated it: 
Zounds! This book is wildly entertaining and I giggled all the way through Candide's awful adventures. Who would have thought that murder, rape, slavery, sexual exploitation, natural disaster, pillaging, theft, and every other oppression imaginable could be so funny?
Here's some pretty good insight from the old woman with one buttock:
"I have been a hundred times upon the point of killing myself, but still I was fond of life. This ridiculous weakness is, perhaps, on More...
Here's some pretty good insight from the old woman with one buttock:
"I have been a hundred times upon the point of killing myself, but still I was fond of life. This ridiculous weakness is, perhaps, on More...
Aug 25, 2011
Keely
rated it:
This book does not stick so well in my memory in either a negative or positive way, but I think this comes from the book being a mixture of two things which I could not feel more differently about: allegory and satire.
The first I find to be as silly and pointless as Aesop or Passion Plays, and is part of the reason that The Wizard of Oz has always felt stilted to me. Characters in an allegory are oversimplified symbols, and so cannot comment on the nature of actual human beings. The More...
The first I find to be as silly and pointless as Aesop or Passion Plays, and is part of the reason that The Wizard of Oz has always felt stilted to me. Characters in an allegory are oversimplified symbols, and so cannot comment on the nature of actual human beings. The More...
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Sep 13, 2011
Benjamin
rated it:
I think that Candide is probably the type of book that enriches the reader the deeper he or she delves into it. It would probably reward repeated readings. It would probably reveal deeper layers of satire and absurdity if it were read in the original French. It would probably take on deeper shades of meaning if it were read in conjunction with any of the commentaries that have been written about it over the past 250-odd years.
Having said that, I'm not going to do any of those things. More...
Having said that, I'm not going to do any of those things. More...
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Aug 09, 2010
Jamie
rated it:
I'm not a big fan of whimsy and satire, but this was an amusing read. It required some research on my part in order to attempt to recognize the subjects Voltaire was skewering. I'm sure I didn't understand all of it, but at least I've now read up on Leibniz's optimism, which claims that since God is omnipotent, omniscient and benevolent, this world we live in must be the best possible of all worlds. Evil is merely "shadows in a beautiful picture", as Candide suggests, and all things ha
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6 comments
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(5 people liked it)
Feb 13, 2008
Irishcoda
rated it:
This was the best book for me to read at this moment in time! Right now, things have gone wrong with us financially, physically, emotionally and in just about every way. The last time this happened, I picked up Why Bad Things Happen To Good People and it felt "right". This time around, the satire and black humor was just right for me!
One thing that is really cool is that Candide's story is timeless, even though it was written in the 18th century! At some point, most peo More...
One thing that is really cool is that Candide's story is timeless, even though it was written in the 18th century! At some point, most peo More...
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(8 people liked it)
Jul 12, 2011
Jeanette
rated it:
I didn't expect this book to be so funny! What a nice surprise. The story is a lampoon of the phony, foolish "optimism" that says, "This must be the best of all possible worlds, because this is the way the world is." Even though the book was written over 200 years ago, it is still timely. It applies today to the ridiculous people who say that "thinking positive" will make everything work out.
Voltaire's conclusion, after all of Candide's experiences, is tha More...
Voltaire's conclusion, after all of Candide's experiences, is tha More...
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(3 people liked it)
Oct 28, 2011
Lorenzo
rated it:
Hilarious! And yet deep in its own way.
One of the very few books on the so called "philosophy" I've been able to digest. I've literally devoured Candide when I was 16. And then I've read it again, with double pleasure and double laughing.
Besides, thanks to Voltaire I've discovered that Leibniz is not only a biscuit.
This book is suggested to everyone who wants to look at his/her life in a better way while in a difficult period. Don't worry guys: what More...
One of the very few books on the so called "philosophy" I've been able to digest. I've literally devoured Candide when I was 16. And then I've read it again, with double pleasure and double laughing.
Besides, thanks to Voltaire I've discovered that Leibniz is not only a biscuit.
This book is suggested to everyone who wants to look at his/her life in a better way while in a difficult period. Don't worry guys: what More...
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(2 people liked it)
Apr 29, 2010
maricar
rated it:
Humans really do have a great capacity to be miserable…
I dare not propound any way with which to look at this piece of writing – I’m hardly equipped to do so. I just want to say that I greatly enjoyed reading this. The circumstances and twists in the fates of all the characters were so fantastical as to be probable, unbelievable enough to be actually quite possible.
In the center of it all is the hugely naïve, pitifully gullible, but steadfastly noble and generous Candide. More...
I dare not propound any way with which to look at this piece of writing – I’m hardly equipped to do so. I just want to say that I greatly enjoyed reading this. The circumstances and twists in the fates of all the characters were so fantastical as to be probable, unbelievable enough to be actually quite possible.
In the center of it all is the hugely naïve, pitifully gullible, but steadfastly noble and generous Candide. More...
Jan 01, 2009
MacK
rated it:
I don't know quite how it happened, but this book has come up again and again over the past month. Though I read it in college and enjoyed it then, I had forgotten exactly what made Candide so brilliant.
It's not the characters. Though, to be fair, the characters are remarkable. A hopelessly naive protagonist you feel tremendous sympathy for along with a remarkable cast of characters from nobles to ne'er do wells, priests to prostitutes, philosophers, fanatics and fiends connect you w More...
It's not the characters. Though, to be fair, the characters are remarkable. A hopelessly naive protagonist you feel tremendous sympathy for along with a remarkable cast of characters from nobles to ne'er do wells, priests to prostitutes, philosophers, fanatics and fiends connect you w More...
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Jul 23, 2010
Finally getting into it and it's hilarious! "Tout est bien, tout va bien, tout va le mieux qu'il soit possible." Hm, je pense pas, sot. My goodness he's so naive and stupid it's farcical. J'aime bien.
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This is reminding me quite a lot of Tintin.
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I... I'm struggling with the French. It's so archaic! Half the words don't make sense to me in the context (presumably because their meanings have changed) and when I come acr More...
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This is reminding me quite a lot of Tintin.
_____________________
I... I'm struggling with the French. It's so archaic! Half the words don't make sense to me in the context (presumably because their meanings have changed) and when I come acr More...
23 comments
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(1 person liked it)
Jul 26, 2008
Mary
rated it:
This book has a special place in my heart. My eighth grade teacher (who, I think, was supposed to be teaching us history or possibly lit at the time) took me aside one day, handed me this book and said, "Hey, I think you'd like this. Why don't you read it?" Then he let me do just that, during class. He taught my classmate Curtis to play chess because, again, he thought Curtis would like that. I'm sure he gave other people stuff to do. Maybe he introduced them to something that would be
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(3 people liked it)
Apr 01, 2008
Christopher
rated it:
After having listened to a copy of the Operetta based on this book by Leonard Bernstein, I was compelled to read the original story. Having studied French literature, I would have liked to read the novel in its original French, but didn't have a copy accessible. However, I got the impression that this particular translation was a very appropriate one. It seemed to capture a straight-forward and witty tone, adhering to frequent use of a germanic/anglo-saxon style of lexicon - perhaps to encourage
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(1 person liked it)
Oct 07, 2007
Karl
rated it:
My fourth time reading it?
Teaching it this week (for the 3rd time).
For plot summaries, see reviews below.
Does Candide falter? Yes: Voltaire turns his attention to the literary scene in Paris for 5-7 pages (which means: 5-7% of the book). We can laugh at Voltaire inserting himself and his fellow writers into the book, but given the grand scope of the rest of the narrative, the insertion looks, and is, self-indulgent. Probably the clearest sign of the failure of More...
Teaching it this week (for the 3rd time).
For plot summaries, see reviews below.
Does Candide falter? Yes: Voltaire turns his attention to the literary scene in Paris for 5-7 pages (which means: 5-7% of the book). We can laugh at Voltaire inserting himself and his fellow writers into the book, but given the grand scope of the rest of the narrative, the insertion looks, and is, self-indulgent. Probably the clearest sign of the failure of More...
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(3 people liked it)
Sep 11, 2007
Political satire doesn't age well, but occasionally a diatribe contains enough art and universal mirth to survive long after its timeliness has passed. Candide is such a book. Penned by that Renaissance man of the Enlightenment, Voltaire, Candide is steeped in the political and philosophical controversies of the 1750s. But for the general reader, the novel's driving principle is clear enough: the idea (endemic in Voltaire's day) that we live in the best of all possible worlds, and apparent folly
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(2 people liked it)
Sep 17, 2008
Gigi
rated it:
I found this a very difficult read since intellectually I could see the argument and the satire but emotionally the images were so graphic that it was hard to get through all of the traumatic events that occurred. I also felt the actual flow of writing was off.
Having said that I think Voltaire successfully used satire to show that many of the new philosophies of his day (and which continue today) did not correlate with reality. That a theory on paper might have looked reasonable but More...
Having said that I think Voltaire successfully used satire to show that many of the new philosophies of his day (and which continue today) did not correlate with reality. That a theory on paper might have looked reasonable but More...
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(3 people liked it)
Jul 30, 2007
Sandhya
rated it:
I don't think this is a timeless classic but it's nevertheless an interesting work by Voltaire, who ruthlessly satarises the 'movement of stoicism' that was gaining momentum in the 17th century. Even amidst great calamities, the stoics preached that people must endure their suffering bravely and not complain. "Every thing is willed by god and men must not rebel against it," they said.
Voltaire, who was dead against this theaory wrote Candide as a sharp reaction to it.
More...
Voltaire, who was dead against this theaory wrote Candide as a sharp reaction to it.
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May 12, 2007
Joel
rated it:
For much of the book, I would have put it in the three star catagory, like listening to a Richard Pryor or Lenny Bruce comedy album. You can tell that it was poignant and biting comedy at its time, but being so far removed, it doesn't really have the kick that it may once have.
That being said, by halfway through, you begin to get wrapped up in the fates of Candide and his pals that it moves itself into 4 territory, and all in all, is a pleasant, fast paced, moderately depressing, occ More...
That being said, by halfway through, you begin to get wrapped up in the fates of Candide and his pals that it moves itself into 4 territory, and all in all, is a pleasant, fast paced, moderately depressing, occ More...
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Aug 02, 2011
Brilliant social commentary for the day and still relevant today! Even if most of the references are incomprehensible to modern readers, the overriding message still is. This is a quick read and if you like the story telling style of Arabian Nights or something of that ilk you will enjoy this. Candide constantly attempts to remain optimistic throughout his life even with tragedy after tragedy happening to him because he was taught from an early age that this is the best of all possible worlds
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Aug 01, 2011
This episodic novel was first published in about 1759, as a witty and sarcastic attack on the theory of ‘Optimism’ - the belief of (amongst others) Leibniz, a German Philosopher, who subscribed to the theory that "God assuredly always chooses the best" - in other words that although terrible things happen, they are always the best things that could possibly happen because they are God’s will.
The character of Dr Pangloss is based on Leibniz - in the novel he and Candide encounter some t More...
The character of Dr Pangloss is based on Leibniz - in the novel he and Candide encounter some t More...
Feb 19, 2009
Wayne
rated it:
If you are going to try this little satirical comic gem and masterpiece and key text of the French Enlightenment which sold like hot cakes in several European Capitals on its first appearance in Feb 1759, then buy one with footnotes.
WHY?
Because you will miss out on one of its pleasures - the historical events, customs and thought of the age to which the story refers.
It just makes it more entertaining and enriching and you become one of the contemporaries for whom it was intend More...
WHY?
Because you will miss out on one of its pleasures - the historical events, customs and thought of the age to which the story refers.
It just makes it more entertaining and enriching and you become one of the contemporaries for whom it was intend More...
Nov 20, 2008
Lavinie
rated it: 
Quatrième de couverture: -
[en lieu et place, un extrait]
Pangloss enseignait la métaphysico-théologo-cosmolonigologie. Il prouvait admirablement qu'il n'y a point d'effet sans cause, et que, dans ce meilleur des mondes possibles, le château de monseigneur le baron était le plus beau des châteaux et madame la baronne la meilleure des baronnes possibles.
Mon avis: **
Je ne dois pas être spécialement sensible à la littérature pré romantique, du moins More...
[en lieu et place, un extrait]
Pangloss enseignait la métaphysico-théologo-cosmolonigologie. Il prouvait admirablement qu'il n'y a point d'effet sans cause, et que, dans ce meilleur des mondes possibles, le château de monseigneur le baron était le plus beau des châteaux et madame la baronne la meilleure des baronnes possibles.
Mon avis: **
Je ne dois pas être spécialement sensible à la littérature pré romantique, du moins More...
Jan 20, 2012
Josh
rated it:
One might think that a book written in 1759 by a French philosopher would have little to contribute to someone living in the 21st century United States; they would be completely wrong, as this book is as applicable now as it was then.
This was my first Voltaire I read, and I connected with many of the characters as they all offer experiences and tribulations that conflict and agree with the various character's viewpoints about the world they live in. Candide is essentially on a quest t More...
This was my first Voltaire I read, and I connected with many of the characters as they all offer experiences and tribulations that conflict and agree with the various character's viewpoints about the world they live in. Candide is essentially on a quest t More...
Jan 05, 2012
Kaptica
rated it:
The fictional satire follows Candide of Westphalia through adventures that are comprised of true occurrences in the world and fictional odysseys such as the city of El Dorado. All the while tragedy after tragedy befalls our hero and the people surrounding him, making him stretch to justify his teacher Pangloss' philosophy of optimism and eventually question that mindset. Some events that transpire include: Candide's conscription into the army, the earthquake at Lisbon, an inquisition in Portugal
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Jan 04, 2012
Sheinile
rated it:
I first came in contact of Candide in my European Studies Class when we were learning about the Enlightenment period. My teacher hand us out an excerpt of the book and after read it I want to read the whole book! Candide is filled with moral lesson, enlightenment ideas, love, adventure, and everything you expect out of Voltaire. Voltaire, who I adore is one of the leading enlightenment thinkers of his time. The book Candide a satire of European society and thinking it pokes fun from European li
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Dec 12, 2011
Darius
rated it:
I was presuming this satire to be as waggish and jocular as it turned itself out to be. I was actually rolling with laughter at times - yes it was that funny. Some religion funnies here and there and Pangloss was so hilariously foolish and asinine. Well done by Voltaire. Short and to the point. Read it, it's so short that if you don't like it, you won't regret the time wasted. Admittedly, the novella can be so farcical and whimsical at times it almost breathes like an episode of Family Guy or Th
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Nov 15, 2011
Vianna
rated it:
Despite, it's rating, I'm giving Candide a 4.5 rating. I enjoy this book because it is written in such an absurd fashion that it feels good to laugh at other people's misfortunes. For example, when I was reading about the old woman, Cunegonde's maid, getting her buttocks scraped off to feed some starving political leader who refuses to give into surrender and because it would "salvage" him, I laughed out loud in the middle of class. Every line of this book is so cleverly written, that
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Oct 28, 2011
Paulyn
rated it:
I am kinda annoyed with the irony of this book, yet, surprisingly, I'm still a fan. :)) Candide is a short but brilliant book by no other than Voltaire and it's basically about Candide, our young and dashing protagonist, and his search for (wow, I seriously forgot her name :o) a beautiful daughter of a lord, Cunegonde.
The main lesson of this story is "everything is for the best in the best of all possible worlds", which is just a fancy way of saying that everything has a re More...
The main lesson of this story is "everything is for the best in the best of all possible worlds", which is just a fancy way of saying that everything has a re More...
Oct 07, 2011
Sue
rated it:
I read Candide as part of a plan to occasionally revisit some classics that I read many years ago. I read a ton of such books in college, mainly because I could happily take courses called “English” which allowed me to read great books instead of actually learn new disciplines. So “studying” was a lot of fun.
My recollections of Candide turned out to be pretty accurate (not always so with other re-reads). An eager and naïve young man tests his mentor’s thesis that “this is the best More...
My recollections of Candide turned out to be pretty accurate (not always so with other re-reads). An eager and naïve young man tests his mentor’s thesis that “this is the best More...
