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“If we remain here, we shall only be like everyone else; but if we return to our own world with only twelve sheep laden with Eldorado pebbles, we shall be richer than all the kings put together.” And with such words Candide and Cacambo depart actual paradise to look for Cunegonde once more.
What an excellent satire. No wonder this book never gets old, since there will never be a shortage of people doing foolish things or saying the world is good when it so clearly is not.
Dear Candide, trying to pursue a little bit of happiness, gets thrown from the paradise of his childhood home and then pretty much endures hell with the most positive outlook possible because his philosopher told him everything happens for a reason. The reason being, we live in the best of all possible worlds, so our circumstances must therefore be good.
I love a good equal opportunity satire; pretty much everyone gets toasted one way or another, sometimes literally. There’s also a surprising amount of violence in this book, but it’s often darkly humorous. One of my favorite parts was when several of the characters try to determine who has the saddest backstory, as they all have had it pretty darn rough and yet still keep on going.
Overall, I find the message about the importance of having a sense of purpose, whatever that may be for you, in the face of all the bad in the world to be quite comforting. But I think we can all agree that if you ever find the road to El Dorado and decide to leave for a girl, the King is well within his rights to call you very silly.
What an excellent satire. No wonder this book never gets old, since there will never be a shortage of people doing foolish things or saying the world is good when it so clearly is not.
Dear Candide, trying to pursue a little bit of happiness, gets thrown from the paradise of his childhood home and then pretty much endures hell with the most positive outlook possible because his philosopher told him everything happens for a reason. The reason being, we live in the best of all possible worlds, so our circumstances must therefore be good.
I love a good equal opportunity satire; pretty much everyone gets toasted one way or another, sometimes literally. There’s also a surprising amount of violence in this book, but it’s often darkly humorous. One of my favorite parts was when several of the characters try to determine who has the saddest backstory, as they all have had it pretty darn rough and yet still keep on going.
Overall, I find the message about the importance of having a sense of purpose, whatever that may be for you, in the face of all the bad in the world to be quite comforting. But I think we can all agree that if you ever find the road to El Dorado and decide to leave for a girl, the King is well within his rights to call you very silly.
funny
lighthearted
reflective
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
N/A
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
dark
lighthearted
reflective
fast-paced
Interesting philosophical satire from the mid 1750s against the optimism of the enlightenment era. A quick read and sort of similar to C.S. Lewis's screw tape letters.
A thoughtful book too start 2025 off with.
A thoughtful book too start 2025 off with.
Any book that contains a character simply known as "the one-buttocked woman" is okay in my eyes. Love this story for unknown reasons and VERY happy to be teaching it again next spring.
I read this to gain a sense of what the romantics were writing against and discovered a delightful gem with a sharp wit about it. Enlightenment writing at its peak.
Entertaining and lighthearted read.
The grass grows where you water it.
The grass grows where you water it.
