This version of the book has been reviewed in English(527), Danish(1), French(2), Portuguese(1) by readers.
|
| |||||||||||
Buy from Amazon
What are readers saying about Candide?
|
A reader posted a review at 2009-11-05 22:41:40.
(Language: English)
  
There are a lot of good lessons here but they become repetitious by the end.
|
Yes (0) 
No (0) |
|
A reader posted a review at 2009-11-04 16:31:17.
(Language: English)
Just fabulous read it
|
|
|
Gareth posted a review at 2009-11-04 00:15:16.
(Language: English)
Probably the lightest book on the shelf so far.Just a nice little satire in a mode not written so much nowadays
|
|
|
A reader posted a review at 2009-10-24 11:15:14.
(Language: English)
Ransacking, murder, sheep, inquisitors, venereal disease, rape and ravishment, evil religion, world discovery, fatalism, eldorado, the best of all juxtapositions, cross-dressing, half a buttock because of an especially clumsy magician and making your garden grow. Such a grand romp!
|
|
|
Gilbert posted a review at 2009-10-05 21:05:44.
(Language: English)
A classic for a reason! Superb!
|
|
|
Elysia posted a review at 2009-10-05 08:30:47.
(Language: English)
Wow. What a random read. This book was so chaotic but it fits its purpose: To say "Really!! REALLY!! This is the best possible world God could have created!?! Are you serious!!!!!!"
|
|
|
Debra posted a review at 2009-09-30 14:58:15.
(Language: English)
A very funny, violent, vulgar, in-your-face satire on the philosophy of optimism which I appreciated much more as an adult than I did way back in High School. Quick read and laugh out loud hilarious at times.
|
|
|
A reader posted a review at 2009-09-28 22:09:49.
(Language: English)
Just when things can't get worse ... Voltaire pokes fun at social ideals of the time like the eternal optimist. Very funny.
|
|
|
Siddharth Gautam posted a review at 2009-09-19 05:07:09.
(Language: English)
I got a copy of Candide by Voltaire, the french novelist philosopher. The story is about Candide (or optimism - catch the pun) who as his name suggests is simple enough to be betrayed again and again. More so the novel hovers around an eternal debate whether the world we are living in is worthy enough for humans to live. Dr. Pangloss, Candide's teacher believes in the affirmative and can see a brighter side of everything even to the 1746 Lisbon earthquake which took 30,000 human lives. Candide's attempt to unite with his beloved Cunegonde takes him to an interesting and unusual journey. On the way he is exploited many times financially, politically and in every other thinkable way. In Lisbon he witnesses a massive earthquake which takes toll of 30,000 human lives. He is sentenced to death by the Portuguese in order to appease the heavens but somehow manages to flee. Continuing a long list of adventure he reaches by accident the Utopian land of El Dorado where no one is interested in gold and diamonds and where there is no government or police. The citizenry is too satisfied with life to venture out to do business and amass wealth (too dangerous and loathsome to a capitalist). This definitely is a heaven says Candide but would have to leave for Venice in order to meet Cunegonde. On his farther journey to Venice he is once again agonised many times to see many royal men forced to live a miserable life. And finally when he meets Cunegonde he sees how ugly she has turned by suffering. All this melancholy rattles his faith in the hypothesis of his teacher Dr. Pangloss - who himself has lost health and wealth to the brutality of this world - that we are living in the best of the worlds and whatever happens, happens for the best. In the end when all the characters meet and when their faith in Pangloss's Philosophy has been completely wiped out they decide to go to the most famous philosopher of Turkey to ask his advice. His wisdom -- Shut up and work. So Candide says to his friends Let us work without arguing. That is the only way to make this life bearable. My view: I agree to the author's view that the world is full of gloomy instances and that this is definitely not the best of the worlds. But then it is neither the worst as Candide would despise Europe in words. I think it is more or less evolving statistically. Many miseries that Voltaire describes are definitely wiped out in our times and if you take a net sum of all, our world is much more habitable and I hope that the future world would still be better. I strongly subscribe to Immanuel Kant's idea -- Perpetual peace on earth is very much achievable and with each of our step we are moving towards it. (Rephrased in my own words, not quoted). Moreover I see that if Pessimism and Optimism are equally likely to typify reality( I strongly believe that this is true) than why not be an optimist? But nevertheless I agree with Voltaire completely when he says Let us work without arguing. That is the only way to make this life bearable.
|
Share your views!
Similar books
