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We must work together without arguing, said Martin; that is the only way to make life bearable.
adventurous
informative
inspiring
lighthearted
reflective
relaxing
sad
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
Content Warnings
Moderate: Sexual violence, Slavery, Kidnapping, War
This book is a bit too shallow for me, I think. I love characters and the depth at which an author can draw me into these ficticious people. Voltaire was not, aparently, interested in that. I think he looses a lot attempt make his point (the evils of humanity and yet it willingness, at the same time to expect, even come to find [phantom] good therein). The story becomes too much a vehicle for his gripes than for the story and the people painted within it. Imagine that the Sistine Chapel were painted with stick figures. Sure the point would get across, but at the cost of depth and beauty. This lack of depth causes, for me, this book to stretch on and on...longest 86 page book I've ever read.
I found this book bland and unremarkable. It was really hard for me to get through.
funny
lighthearted
fast-paced
The delicious thought vomit of an old man disenchanted with life and those who pretend to love it.
For a book full of characters you just want to beat over the head with plywood, Voltaire's Candide does an expert job of doing it for you AND letting you watch. Although some of the satire loses its sharp bite in light of more modern trends and philosophies, the book nevertheless speaks to some idiocies that still abound and brutally shoots down some commonly held beliefs (i.e. that people and the world they inhabit are by nature "good"). And by brutally I mean brutally. This is excellent misanthropic satire, not really intended to tell a story or capture real characters or plot or spark true emotion with the endless plights it details. The glorious inanity of the book's final line is alone worth the proceeding 90 pages, even as it gives you the conspiratorial wink, a literary reflection of Voltaire's two hundred year old face, to let you know you're not exempt from the joke. Brilliant.
For a book full of characters you just want to beat over the head with plywood, Voltaire's Candide does an expert job of doing it for you AND letting you watch. Although some of the satire loses its sharp bite in light of more modern trends and philosophies, the book nevertheless speaks to some idiocies that still abound and brutally shoots down some commonly held beliefs (i.e. that people and the world they inhabit are by nature "good"). And by brutally I mean brutally. This is excellent misanthropic satire, not really intended to tell a story or capture real characters or plot or spark true emotion with the endless plights it details. The glorious inanity of the book's final line is alone worth the proceeding 90 pages, even as it gives you the conspiratorial wink, a literary reflection of Voltaire's two hundred year old face, to let you know you're not exempt from the joke. Brilliant.
adventurous
dark
hopeful
lighthearted
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
adventurous
challenging
dark
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes