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3.27k reviews for:

Candide

Voltaire

3.56 AVERAGE

adventurous challenging reflective slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven: A mix
Strong character development: Yes
Loveable characters: Complicated
Diverse cast of characters: Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus: Complicated
adventurous tense fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven: Plot
Strong character development: No
Loveable characters: No
Diverse cast of characters: No
Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes
funny reflective fast-paced
adventurous reflective fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven: A mix
Strong character development: Complicated
Loveable characters: Complicated
Diverse cast of characters: Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

Ils sont tous immortels ou c'est comment

relou

This book has some The Alchemist vibes: story that takes the main character through all types of adventures and encounters with new people while philosophizing and learning about life. I think the Alchemist does it way better but still kind of fun to read

Short and biting. Reasonably funny, with long 18th century sentences.

Voltaire obviously didn't like clergy much. The book is mainly about people doing stupid and/or wicked things to themselves and others - either because they have stupid pious/superstitious beliefs or because their victims do. Jews get burnt at the stake. The hero finds El Dorado but decides to leave it, etc. A lot of what Voltaire is making fun of is religion, but there are other targets too.

It's pretty biting. It's probably less entertaining now than it would have been when it was originally written, and Europe was full of lunatics murdering each other over their religious differences. Now that most of the beliefs that Voltaire was making fun of are ancient history (at least in my part of the world) it's not as exciting as I imagine it would have been at time.

Even if it's not as fun to read as it would have been 250 years ago it's pretty good. 3.5 stars, rounded up because it was probably worth 5 stars when it was originally written.
adventurous funny reflective fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven: Plot
Strong character development: Complicated
Loveable characters: Yes
Diverse cast of characters: Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes
adventurous challenging dark emotional funny hopeful lighthearted fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven: Plot
Strong character development: No
Loveable characters: Complicated
Diverse cast of characters: Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes