Reviews

Candide Ou L'optimisme by Voltaire

overdue_librarian's review against another edition

Great classical read!

jimhawkinsfan's review against another edition

funny reflective fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.75

atlas_shruggs's review against another edition

dark reflective fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

2.0

Yeahhhh no this isn't really for me. Sure it was funny at some points and the way that everything could always get worse was as well, but I didn't super care what happened to Candide or anyone except Cunégonde because she deserved better. I didn't like how every time something bad happened it involved the sexual assault of women and the women were seemingly unphased by this. Cunégonde even said that her being assaulted by a regmient of Bulgarian soldiers was just "the way of war". No, absolutely not. Still I can see how this holds literary merit and why it's a classic, I just didn't like it. I think a quote by Count Pococurante sums up my feelings about this book: 
"Fools have a habit of believing that everything written by a famous author is admirable. For my part, I read only to please myself, and like only what suits my taste."

abstab's review against another edition

3.0

required for my philosophy class. it was silly (in a 18th century way of course) but just confusing and not really my bag

rim_sbt's review against another edition

adventurous reflective fast-paced

• Loveable characters? Yes

4.0

we_are_all_mad_here26's review against another edition

3.0

I am 99% sure this is not the translation I read in high school.

 

zeltzamer's review against another edition

Not sure what to make of the Eldorado chapter. It gains a rather noxious air as Volty seems to be essentially endorsing a sort of sunny totalitarianism. But then, it also would appear to go against his views in general, so maybe the commentary there is more covert… and yet, the country itself isn’t actually the butt of the joke, but instead Candide and Cacambo… however…

Still good, as far as satirical Enlightenment tracts go. 

riorda15's review against another edition

5.0

I often think that the nihilistic rejection of grand narratives and the detached irony is cultivates is a distinctly 20th. The Candide makes this assumption untrue. Perhaps this sentiment is a product of the enlightenment but I suspect it has been around since time immemorial. I find this idea oddly reassuring. The famous Nietzsche quote, "god is dead" is deeply foreboding as it implies that human culture entered new philosophical territory. I always interpreted it to mean that the modern culture, particularly western culture, was somehow fundamentally different from pre-industrial cultures. But this seems very similar to the self-pitying logic of many of the characters that Candide encounters. Like the old women says, everyone believes they are one of the most put upon people in the whole world. Furthermore, this book as an artifact reassured me that healthy skepticism and a desire for honesty existed long before industrialism highlighted sciences' immense power to change our lives. With this bit of philosophizing done, I believe I will tend to my garden.

hannahs_spooky's review against another edition

adventurous dark funny reflective fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

3.0

mt1213's review against another edition

adventurous tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Death, Misogyny, Rape, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Slavery, Violence, Murder, War, and Injury/Injury detail