Reviews tagging 'Physical abuse'

Candide by Voltaire

13 reviews

ayphyx's review against another edition

adventurous funny fast-paced

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

3.5

This shit crazy

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Gun violence, Slavery, Torture, Gore, Pandemic/Epidemic, Racism, Physical abuse, Kidnapping, Murder, Religious bigotry, Sexual violence, War, Infidelity, Injury/Injury detail, Rape, Sexual assault, Genocide, Trafficking, and Violence

Moderate: Colonisation and Antisemitism

Minor: Suicidal thoughts

blanquiblue2's review against another edition

adventurous dark funny lighthearted reflective fast-paced

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

5.0

Voltaire's work unfolds with a darkly humorous tone, presenting an episodic novella that traces the escapades of Candide, the central character from whom the novel derives its title. Born into an aristocratic German family, Candide spends his initial years in a Westphalian palace. In this opulent setting, he resides alongside his uncle, the Baron of Thunder-ten-Tronckh, as well as the Baron's wife, son, and daughter Cunégonde. Candide's education is overseen by Pangloss*, a philosopher whose beliefs align with the optimism prevalent in the philosophical discourse of Voltaire's time, akin to Leibniz and other thinkers. Pangloss asserts that we inhabit the best of all possible worlds, where every occurrence, whether tragic or not, serves a greater purpose. Candide, deeply influenced by Pangloss, internalizes these teachings. However, his idealized world is shattered when he is expelled from the palace after the Baron discovers him and Cunégonde sharing a kiss. This expulsion marks the beginning of Candide's journey, during which he confronts the harsh and often brutal realities of the world, prompting him to question the optimistic doctrines instilled by Pangloss.

Candide endures homelessness, witnesses the atrocities of war, observes the deadly effects of syphilis, and sees men drowning at sea, auto-da-fé hangings, theft, massacres, and disembowelments. Contrastingly, he encounters the riches of Eldorado, a place where mud consists of gold, diamonds, rubies, and emeralds. Despite the extreme kindness of the people and the absence of courts of justice and prisons, Candide grows extremely bored and decides to leave. Throughout his journey, Candide encounters individuals who have lost everything they once had or who possess abundance yet fail to appreciate it. 

Suffering permeates every stage of the book, yet, despite his questioning, Candide remains determined to avoid pessimism and adhere to the optimism instilled by his childhood tutor. Voltaire doesn't offer a concrete solution to Candide's queries but instead implies that he should cease overthinking and find joy in simple pleasures—such as savouring lemon sherbet, drinking beverages flavoured with candied lemon peel, enjoying oranges and pistachios, and engaging in gardening.

While Voltaire satirizes Pangloss's optimism by punctuating the book with grim scenes that refute the notion of living in the best of all worlds, he doesn't advocate for pessimism either. When Candide reunites with Cunegonde, who he last saw at the palace of their upbringing, she is accompanied by an old maid recounting a series of tragedies, culminating in the claim that her butcheek was cut off to feed Turkish guards on an island where she was imprisoned. However, even as she narrates this horrifying experience, she asserts, "A hundred times I wanted to kill myself, but always I loved life more." Therefore, Voltaire suggests that while we shouldn't deceive ourselves with the absurd optimism prevailing in his time, adopting pessimism is not the answer either. Despite enduring numerous tragedies, most people still desire to live and love life.

I enjoyed every aspect of reading this book; it had me chuckling at the comical contrasts Voltaire drew between Candide's constant and abstract philosophizing and the harsh realities he encountered. The writing is beautifully crafted and effortlessly draws the reader in, thanks to its episodic nature that maintains a brisk pace. I was particularly impressed by Voltaire's ability to write dynamically and profoundly, covering a wide array of essential topics about humanity and the world. Like many classics,  Voltaire's Candide possesses a timeless quality and a remarkable ability to resonate profoundly with each successive generation of readers who encounter it. 

 *derived from the greek pan, meaning "all", and glossa, meaning "tongue", suggesting talk with no substance 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Cannibalism, Murder, Sexual violence, Violence, War, Gore, Death, Rape, Racism, Sexual content, Slavery, Suicide, Terminal illness, Physical abuse, Xenophobia, and Torture

aelien's review against another edition

dark funny reflective fast-paced

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Racial slurs, Violence, Slavery, Colonisation, Racism, Sexual violence, Physical abuse, Rape, and Antisemitism

trixiebelle's review against another edition

adventurous challenging

• Plot- or character-driven? N/A
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

1.0

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Content Warnings

Minor: Abandonment, Murder, Physical abuse, Kidnapping, Rape, Sexual violence, Torture, Sexual assault, Violence, Death, and Misogyny

clack's review

adventurous dark reflective fast-paced

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

1.5

Candide goes on quite the dramatic and tumultuous adventure, spanning many cultures and countries, all rocked along on a sea of philosophical mulling. However, it is muddied so exceptionally by prejudices and wording of the time. At least everyone on earth is equally stereotyped in one way or another?

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Classism, Murder, Violence, Torture, Religious bigotry, Death, Trafficking, Injury/Injury detail, Colonisation, Rape, Antisemitism, Blood, Slavery, and Sexual assault

Minor: Infidelity, Islamophobia, Racial slurs, Misogyny, Grief, Hate crime, Physical abuse, Death, Domestic abuse, Excrement, Sexism, Blood, Cannibalism, Animal death, and Emotional abuse

Lots of sordid and terrible things happen to and around and by these characters but the author mostly rushes right through everything without exploring the situations.

al_ex's review against another edition

dark fast-paced

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

1.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Infidelity, Sexism, Sexual assault, Violence, War, Xenophobia, Islamophobia, Kidnapping, Antisemitism, Blood, Genocide, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Racial slurs, Racism, Bullying, Death, Death of parent, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Sexual harassment, Suicidal thoughts, Cannibalism, Colonisation, Cultural appropriation, Grief, Murder, Rape, Sexual violence, Slavery, Toxic relationship, and Trafficking

honestly just don’t read it

c_lde's review against another edition

adventurous sad medium-paced

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

1.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Antisemitism, Cannibalism, Fire/Fire injury, Infidelity, Racial slurs, Racism, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Gore, Incest, Rape, Slavery, Torture, War, Colonisation, Grief, Physical abuse, Classism, Violence, Death, Injury/Injury detail, and Misogyny

gabspina's review against another edition

adventurous dark reflective fast-paced

2.0

eu sei que é um texto filosófico e, nesse quesito, possui algumas reflexões até que interessantes (principalmente considerando a época em que foi escrito), mas pra acessar isso é necessário passar por tanta asneira e absurdos que eu diria que há formas melhores de discutir tais questões - entretanto, claro, existe valor sendo um clássico de tantos séculos, escrito por um nome de tanto peso 

também é bem acessível, pelo menos a versão que eu li, o que é um ponto positivo, no final das contas

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Rape, Religious bigotry, Slavery, Islamophobia, War, Trafficking, Sexism, Xenophobia, Racism, Antisemitism, Physical abuse, and Sexual violence

Moderate: Colonisation and Murder

szel_zsofi's review against another edition

adventurous funny fast-paced

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

3.5

it was sometimes funny, but also racist and anti-semitic.

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Death, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Antisemitism, Racism, War, Blood, Colonisation, Murder, Rape, Sexism, Slavery, Violence, Sexual assault, and Torture

Minor: Cannibalism

buildingtaste's review against another edition

adventurous funny fast-paced

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

3.5

Amazing how I get so fed up with modern authors for going too fast through plot developments or not reasonably establishing the world, meanwhile Voltaire can be like "and then they went to South America for a bit" and I'll say "wow ok Francois where are you going with this one?" and the answer is "never mind that; we need to tend our garden."

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Body horror, Cultural appropriation, Fire/Fire injury, Genocide, Kidnapping, Misogyny, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, War, Colonisation, Classism, Racial slurs, Racism, Religious bigotry, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Animal death, Death of parent, Domestic abuse, Physical abuse, Rape, Slavery, Trafficking, Violence, Infidelity, Animal cruelty, Child abuse, Murder, Pedophilia, Sexual violence, Torture, Antisemitism, Blood, Cannibalism, Confinement, Death, Gore, Injury/Injury detail, and Islamophobia

Not sure I covered all the things that go down in this book, pretty much every chapter has some absolutely abysmal content.