Candide (AudioGO Edition) Audiobook By Voltaire cover art

Candide (AudioGO Edition)

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Candide (AudioGO Edition)

By: Voltaire
Narrated by: Jack Davenport
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Candide, published simultaneously in five European capitals in 1759, became an instant best seller and is now regarded as one of the key texts of the Enlightenment. Voltaire’s preoccupations with evil and with various kinds of human folly and intolerance found a perfect vehicle in the philosophical tale. A master storyteller, he combined often wildly entertaining action with profoundly serious sense, parodying the traditional chivalric and oriental tales with which his public was more familiar to create a witty allegory of a young man whose optimism gives way to disillusionment after a series of terrible misfortunes.

Public Domain (P)2010 AudioGo Classics Genre Fiction Historical Fiction Literary Fiction Literature & Fiction Fiction Witty Funny Middle Ages

Featured Article: The top 100 classics of all time


Before we whipped out our old high school syllabi and dug deep into our libraries to start selecting contenders for this list, we first had to answer the question, "How do we define a classic?" The answer isn’t as straightforward as you might guess, though there’s a lot to be said for the old adage, "You know it when you see it" (or, in this case, hear it). Of course, most critically, each of our picks had to be fabulous in audio. So dust off your aspirational listening list—we have some amazing additions you don’t want to miss.

Featured Article The top 100 classics of all time
Witty Satire • Timeless Humor • Exceptional Narration • Philosophical Insights • Fast-moving Plot • Engaging Performance
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this classic is amusing and witty, and the droll performance sets exactly the right tone for it. there were definitely some snigger-inducing moments. after a couple of hours it became a bit much of a muchness. there's only so much insanely unlikely misfortune (and the inevitable complaining and sighing the comes with it) that one can stand. happily, the punchline at the end was very satisfying, so I came away feeling quite content with the story.

amusing and witty

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I thoroughly enjoyed this book. The narrator couldn't possibly have been any better. I read it in two chunks and loved every minute. What a versatile voice actor. Loved him in Coupling and wasn't remotely disappointed here. A surprisingly fun frolic for such an old book. So frantic the action and so colourful the characters you might think you were reading a comic book at times. Very highly recommended. Will buy anything Davenport reads from now on.

Superb Reading

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Honestly the best narrator I've come across on Audible. Great inflections, accents, and pace. Made the storytelling almost as enjoyable as the plot itself!

Great narration

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Wow. What a great story. A lot of philosophical talk, travel, adventure... you'd think it was written today what with it's split second changes of location.

A fine read.

Hilarious, Satirical, Fast.

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Voltaire is the Tarantino of the Enlightenment. Very funny stuff. And thankfully the violence is on the page rather than the screen.

What a pleasant surprise. At 19, Candide was boring. Five decades later ...

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A great work that has a wit and hilarity while heavily satirizing the idea that everything is always for the best and part of a benevolent plan. A truly enjoyable experience!

Masterful and hilarious

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love this classic and one would think that this story is taking place in the present. excellent classic story!

classic

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Candide is considered a classic for a reason: its biting satire has held up for nearly 3 centuries. My criticism is reserved for Audible/Amazon, for not indicating who translated this edition. This is becoming a pet peeve of mine, and is a problem not only for many audio books, but for Amazon's Kindle books as well. Some of us do care about such things!

A Classic -- But Who is the Translator?!

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The fact that this is nearly 300 years old and still made me laugh really hard constantly is testament to Voltaires genius.

Hilarious

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Always good to read the classics. An interesting tale that helps one appreciate the journey in which life takes us. The good and the bad got us to where we find ourselves today.

A good listen

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