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Liked It2 of 2 members found this review helpful “Voltaire is the king of wit and proves so in this hilarious farce and fantastic political satire that provides the reader with ample adventure, misfortune and steely optimism to last a lifetime.” see full review » see other reviews » |
Didn’t Like It1 of 1 members found this review helpful “Read it as the second part of my satire project in English, and really didn't care for it. It was really just kind of poorly written and not even all that funny. The plot is very empty and much of the satirical content is out-dated and therefore lost on most recent generations.The romance is...” see full review » see other reviews » |
Newest Reviews
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“Found it pretty entertaining, having in consideration that it's written in the 18th century. ”
Bunny Posh wrote this review 11 days ago. ( reply | permalink ) Was this review helpful? Yes | No
“Reminds me of my 10th grade reading, I guess, in which I remember myself being given to read Voltaire but not really required of understanding it. The latter I most excellently accomplished at that time. ha! ”
ShHolmes wrote this review 2 weeks ago. ( reply | permalink ) Was this review helpful? Yes | No
“I read this looking for some satire that I might be able to use for my AP classes. After all, Gulliver's Travels is a pretty long book compared to Candide. I have, however, decided that this is not a book I will ever be teaching. Though it is an example of satire, it is also a pretty annoying story. Perhaps it was the translation I got a hold of, but I'm fairly certain it isn't. So, I can mark it as another classic off my list and as one more book I don't see myself ever teaching.”
Tia M wrote this review Thursday, May 2, 2013. ( reply | permalink ) Was this review helpful? Yes | No
“I always find the pre-notes by a noted scholar interesting in that I never read what they are talking about in the book...”
Wayne Spivak wrote this review Sunday, April 28, 2013. ( reply | permalink ) Was this review helpful? Yes | No
“Like The Alchemist and Siddhartha, it's a hero's journey about a boy who travels and learns important lessons about life. Short and sweet.”
Clay T wrote this review Friday, April 19, 2013. ( reply | permalink ) Was this review helpful? Yes | No“Very amazing that, someone can write this, at that time 1759. ”
Reza Hossain wrote this review Sunday, March 24, 2013. ( reply | permalink ) Was this review helpful? Yes | No
“One of my favorite books, slove the hidden messages and the philosophy!”
Ivana Velkova wrote this review Sunday, March 10, 2013. ( reply | permalink ) Was this review helpful? Yes | No
“Interesting arguments vs. Gottfried Leibniz's "all is for the best in the best of all possible worlds" if you're into philosophy. Better example for samsara being hell. Weird book if you're not into philosophy and the seven year's war.”
Wade T. Brooks wrote this review Saturday, March 9, 2013. ( reply | permalink ) Was this review helpful? Yes | No
“Feeling deep as I wade through this 18th century parable. Voltaire tells an incredible tale of Candide, a man forced to roam the earth looking for the woman he loves, enduring unspeakable trials, meeting suffering people, and experiencing failure time and again. All this suffering, he believes, is for good.”
Tim Simmons wrote this review Friday, March 1, 2013. ( reply | permalink ) Was this review helpful? Yes | No
“First of all, let me be clear of one thing: I do recognize the historical importance of this book, but what I'm about to write is a judgement based only on my view as a "casual" reader rather than a book critical or anything of that sort. I will state my opinion of the book regarding what I thought about it reading it as a fiction, not as a satire or a critique to the society and such. Therefore, I'm disregarding the historical background. As one of the characters said (though not exactly with his words), I only read what pleases me because I can actually have fun doing it. Difficult reading does not appeal me at all.
Arya Deschain wrote this review Wednesday, February 20, 2013. ( reply | permalink ) Was this review helpful? Yes | No
That being said, I'll tell you that I was somewhat surprised. Since this book seems to be mandatory reading for some schools throughout the world, I was already expecting something horribly boring (and I'll admit some parts dragged very, very slowly), but the reading was less painful than I thought it was going to be. In fact, at the beginning of the book I was actually smiling, because the situations Candide got himself into were hilarious in a tragic way (and vice-versa). After a while, the occurrences start getting repetitive and somewhat annoying. Candide's naivety becomes tiring, but at least the other characters are pretty decent, always trying to put him back on the right way.
Although it isn't my favorite kind of book, even if you read it as a regular fiction, Candide is somewhat a "light" reading. It's easy to understand, it's short (thank goodness) and it doesn't get lost in details and descriptions. Not bad.”
