rachbreads 's review for:

Candide by Voltaire

4.0

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‘Let us get to work,’ said Martin, ‘ without philosophizing it; it is the only way to render life tolerable.’

I can honestly say I was not expecting to enjoy this book as much as I did. I read it mostly out of professional curiosity (Leonard Bernstein turned Candide into an opera with which I am vaguely familiar) and the fact that it was only 128 pages and I could see what all this Voltaire fuss was about. The story is exactly as promised - a very brief overview of the trials of Candide, a naive young man who learns through much suffering that life isn’t all perfect and sometimes the best thing is just to work and try your best with what you’re given. What I found so delightful was how witty and funny it was - I wasn’t expecting to be laughing out loud and underlining some of the sassiest, snappiest dialogue and philosophical thoughts I’ve read in a long time. I can’t say I’m running out to pick up more Voltaire, but I found this to be surprisingly delightful, and I’m really glad I randomly picked it up.