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adventurous
informative
reflective
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
adventurous
funny
reflective
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Effective satire, interesting philosophy, and honestly pretty funny at times, but god damn is it racist!!! I know it was written in the 18th century and is a product of its time and all that but still Christ Almighty. Like overall it was good and def worth your time to read as a philosophical classic, I just cannot in good faith give something so racist 4 or 5 stars lol
adventurous
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
adventurous
dark
funny
lighthearted
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
challenging
dark
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I really didn't like the beginning. I know it was written 250 years ago, but the way that certain things are so casually written(which will be in my content warnings) just ruins the entire first half of the book.
That said, the book does do a good job of using a fictional narrative to illustrate the opinions and views of its author, it does contain some very good quotes, and the ending doesn't go where you think it will.
That said, the book does do a good job of using a fictional narrative to illustrate the opinions and views of its author, it does contain some very good quotes, and the ending doesn't go where you think it will.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Rape, Murder
Minor: Racism, Slavery, Antisemitism, Kidnapping, Medical trauma
The author uses rape as almost a form of lazy shorthand when describing a woman as having a bad life, and many characters are in and out of slavery throughout the story.
I read this in high school and, while waiting for my library holds to come in, thought it would be a good, short read to revisit. And it was!
Definitely more interesting now as an adult, and specifically as an optimist who truly, genuinely believed in the general goodness of humanity all the way up until 2016, when that faith began to decline with the election of Trump and rapidly eroded as we saw the behavior of people during the pandemic.
The story of Candide, who is blindly optimistic under the tutelage of Pangloss, brought to mind the book Bright-Sided: How Optimistic Thinking is Undermining America by Barbara Ehrenreich - a good read for anyone interested in these themes.
While I still consider myself an optimist, or at least someone who is generally willing to atrribute to stupidity that which may first be ascribed to malice, I think a more tempered view of the reality that things DON'T always work out, and things AREN'T always for the best, and you CAN'T always depend on the kindess of strangers is the more pragmatic way to live.
In short, as a young teenager I thought this was a silly and outrageous story of travels and the ebbs and flows of good luck. The biggest thing I remembered going in to the reread was there was a woman with half a butt.
As an adult, I can appreciate the general theme that it's dumb to pretend life isn't hard and cruel at times, but it is still worthwhile to own as much as you can of your own fate, remain kind, and stay generous. Or at least that's my takeaway today, let's see what I think in another 25 years!
Definitely more interesting now as an adult, and specifically as an optimist who truly, genuinely believed in the general goodness of humanity all the way up until 2016, when that faith began to decline with the election of Trump and rapidly eroded as we saw the behavior of people during the pandemic.
The story of Candide, who is blindly optimistic under the tutelage of Pangloss, brought to mind the book Bright-Sided: How Optimistic Thinking is Undermining America by Barbara Ehrenreich - a good read for anyone interested in these themes.
While I still consider myself an optimist, or at least someone who is generally willing to atrribute to stupidity that which may first be ascribed to malice, I think a more tempered view of the reality that things DON'T always work out, and things AREN'T always for the best, and you CAN'T always depend on the kindess of strangers is the more pragmatic way to live.
In short, as a young teenager I thought this was a silly and outrageous story of travels and the ebbs and flows of good luck. The biggest thing I remembered going in to the reread was there was a woman with half a butt.
As an adult, I can appreciate the general theme that it's dumb to pretend life isn't hard and cruel at times, but it is still worthwhile to own as much as you can of your own fate, remain kind, and stay generous. Or at least that's my takeaway today, let's see what I think in another 25 years!
dark
emotional
funny
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
A short read, this is a satirical novella about a sheltered man finding disillusionment in the world.
On the philosophical side, I really enjoyed the questions that this raises, especially because unwavering belief in a god and questioning the world around us are issues that are timeless and still apply today. Because this is so short, everything that happens contributes to Voltaire's argument, and makes a strong point to question the idea that this is "the best of all possible worlds."
On the other hand, I wasn't a fan of the actual story, despite it being relatively quick to move through. My enjoyment of the story came from discussion afterward, not from while I was reading it. I don't think it would have stuck as much with me had I not talked it over with others.
In summary, I recognize the impact this has made on literary history, and I appreciate the ideas it brings to the table, but as a work of literature, it wasn't exactly my taste.
On the philosophical side, I really enjoyed the questions that this raises, especially because unwavering belief in a god and questioning the world around us are issues that are timeless and still apply today. Because this is so short, everything that happens contributes to Voltaire's argument, and makes a strong point to question the idea that this is "the best of all possible worlds."
On the other hand, I wasn't a fan of the actual story, despite it being relatively quick to move through. My enjoyment of the story came from discussion afterward, not from while I was reading it. I don't think it would have stuck as much with me had I not talked it over with others.
In summary, I recognize the impact this has made on literary history, and I appreciate the ideas it brings to the table, but as a work of literature, it wasn't exactly my taste.
challenging
emotional
funny
lighthearted
reflective
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
I think it takes a lot of creativity to turn something written in 1759 into a comic. I also have always found Candide to be an amusing bit of literature.