I'm surprised that I gave this such a low rating. I was ready for the satire and the humor. I was ready to fully enjoy this book. When I began though, I found myself quickly disinterested. I'm typically a fast reader, but I kept reading and rereading. It often took me ten minutes or more to get through one page. I also did not enjoy the story like I thought I would. Reading it became a chore, though I could not give up on it entirely. I understand what the story is lampooning, but it's simply not my kind of humor. ( )

Audiobook performed by Tom Whitworth / Digital audio narrated by Jack Davenport

This is perhaps Voltaire’s best-known work. The novella follows the callow Candide as he travels the world searching for his true love, Cunégonde, accompanied by his faithful servant / companion Cacambo.

It opens with an idyllic situation, where Cunégonde, the daughter of Baron Thunder-ten-tronckh, and Candide, a ward with uncertain parentage, are raised together on the castle grounds, and educated by tutor Pangloss. But a war results in the death of the Baron, his wife and son, and with Cunégonde raped and captured and sold into slavery. Candide sets out to find and rescue her.

Among his adventures across the globe, he comes across Jesuits, the Inquisition, cannibals, El Dorado, pirates, an old woman, healers, merchants, etc. He frequently relies on the teachings of Pangloss to see him through, maintaining optimism in the face of adversity.

Voltaire managed to skewer virtually all “important” institutions of the day in this satirical fable. I had seen the operetta (music by Leonard Bernstein with lyrics by a group of uber-talented writers including Lillian Hellman, Dorothy Parker and Steven Sondheim) before, so was somewhat familiar with the plot. I have to admit I kept picturing the most recent production I saw (about two years ago) as I listened to the audio.

I had two versions of the audiobook, a CD in my car and a digital audio on my MP3 player. The CD was performed by Tom Whitworth, while the digital audio was narrated by Jack Davenport. Both were wonderful, but I think I prefer Whitworth’s interpretation.

I also had a text copy which included “philosophical letters” after the novella. ([book:Candide and Philosophical Letters|452801]) They range in subject matter but mostly include his thoughts, observations, and conclusions about a variety of topics, from religion (Quakers, Church of England, Presbyterians, etc) to government, and science (smallpox inoculation and Newton). I read a few of them and found them slightly amusing. They certainly give the modern-day reader a view of 18th-century issues. ( )

A collection of philosophical satires that include:

Candide
Micromegas
Zadig
The Ingenu
The White Bull ( )

Candide revels in simplicity. It's like a new song, not quite sure whether you like it, but given some time one suddenly realizes it's a masterpiece. I must read Voltaire again. ( )

The plot is mainly about the adventures of the titular protagonist, Candide, who is banished from his uncle's estate after fooling around with Cunegande, the uncle's beautiful daughter. Until this point, Candide's life is sheltered and his thoughts are moulded to a great extent by his mentor, Professor Pangloss. Like his name, Pangloss loves to talk on all topics and show his intellect. He seems strangely optimistic and Candide blindly believes him. After the banishment, Candide's life upturns and he faces horrific trials and tribulations across various countries and meeting a lot of people, including a reunion with Cunegande and Pangloss, throughout the course of the story.

This is the most satirical book I've ever read. It has quite a lot of wit and even more of absurdities. Characters jabber on strange philosophical adages, characters travel across the world and back like it's no one's business (keeping in mind that the book was written in 1759!), characters appear and die and reappear and die again... I quite don't understand what to make of this.

The story is filled with a sharp wit. Voltaire arms to be hitting out at all existing establishments such as the monarchy and the church with his pen. His sarcasm is razor sharp and it's no surprise that the book ruffled quite a few feathers when it first came out.

After a point though, the absurdities became too much for me to take, though a more mature reader might be able to appreciate them better. I just started longing for normal writing again and hence rushed through the second half with just about 50% attention. This book didn't rock my world, nor was I expecting it to.



***********************
Join me on the Facebook group, Readers Forever!, for more reviews, book-related discussions and fun.
Follow me on Instagram: RoshReviews

( )