REVIEW: Candide (Voltaire)

Book: Candide

Author: Voltaire

My rating: 4/5

Premise: Brought up in the household of a powerful Baron, Candide is an open-minded young man, whose tutor, Pangloss, has instilled in him the belief that 'all is for the best'. But when his love for the Baron's rosy-cheeked daughter is discovered, Candide is cast out to make his own way in the world. And so he and his various companions begin a breathless tour of Europe, South America and Asia, as an outrageous series of disasters befall them earthquakes, syphilis, a brush with the Inquisition, murder sorely testing the young hero's optimism.

This book is such a laugh. It very much reminded me of The Hundred-Year-Old Man (another cracking book) in that it is essentially a series of misfortunes, each more ludicrous than the last. It is also very topical of the day, so the notes at the back of the book are very useful for further understanding of context. A very fast paced book - I'd recommend it for those wanting to get into classic novels as the style is easy to read!