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Candide, or Optimism
- Narrated by: Ben Lloyd Hughes
- Length: 4 hrs and 17 mins
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Publisher's summary
Brought to you by Penguin.
This Penguin Classic is performed by Ben Lloyd-Hughes, best known for Divergent, Me Before You and The Inbetweeners. This definitive recording includes an introduction by Michael Wood.
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.
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Starring Orson Welles, Anges Moorehead, and Ray Collins, The Count of Monte Cristo is a tale of revenge and retribution. Edmond Dantès, a young, energetic sailor, is falsely accused of treason on his wedding day and incarcerated in the forbidding Château d'If. His escape and ultimate revenge on those who wronged him makes this one of the most thrilling stories in French literature, as compelling now as when it was first published in 1846.
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Excellent
- By Stefanie on 05-19-14
By: Orson Welles
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The Story of My Life, Volume 1
- By: Giacomo Casanova
- Narrated by: Peter Wickham
- Length: 47 hrs and 8 mins
- Unabridged
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The Story of My Life is the explosive and exhilarating autobiography by the infamous libertine Giacomo Casanova. Intense and scandalous, Casanova's extraordinary adventures take the listener on an incredible voyage across 18th-century Europe - from France to Russia, Poland to Spain and Turkey to Germany, with Venice at their heart. He falls madly in love, has wild flings and delirious orgies, and encounters some of the most brilliant figures of his time, including Catherine the Great, Louis XV and Benjamin Franklin. He holds a verbal dual with Voltaire and finds himself hauled before the court multiple times.
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Extraordinarily interesting
- By Ed Pegg Jr on 10-19-19
By: Giacomo Casanova
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The Betrothed
- By: Alessandro Manzoni
- Narrated by: Nicholas Boulton
- Length: 24 hrs and 39 mins
- Unabridged
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After the jealous tyrant Don Rodrigo foils their wedding, young Lombardian peasants Lucia and Lorenzo must separate and flee for their safety. Their difficult path to matrimony takes place against the turbulent backdrop of the Thirty Years War, where lawlessness and exploitation are at their height. Lucia takes refuge in a convent, where she is later abducted and taken on a nightmarish journey to a sinister castle, while Lorenzo goes to Milan, where he witnesses famine, riots, and plague - all evoked through meticulous description and with stunning immediacy.
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Fantastic reading of a great work of literature
- By Pia Crosby on 03-25-19
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The Three Musketeers (AmazonClassics Edition)
- By: Alexandre Dumas, William Robson - translator
- Narrated by: Guy Mott
- Length: 27 hrs and 57 mins
- Unabridged
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Young nobleman d’Artagnan has arrived in Paris intent on joining the guardians of King Louis XIII. He befriends the regiment’s most formidable musketeers, Athos, Porthos, and Aramis, and together they unite in their commitment to uphold justice. Soon, a royal indiscretion thrusts them into an audacious escapade of courtly intrigue, thwarted romance, and daring rescue. But it’s the Machiavellian schemes of a powerful enemy and the wicked seductions of an ingenious female spy that will be their greatest challenges.
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terrible narrator. every comma is a 3 second pause
- By Anonymous User on 09-21-21
By: Alexandre Dumas, and others
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The Autobiography of Benvenuto Cellini
- By: Benvenuto Cellini
- Narrated by: Robert Whitfield
- Length: 15 hrs and 31 mins
- Unabridged
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Master Italian sculptor, goldsmith, and writer Benvenuto Cellini is best remembered for his magnificent autobiography. In this work, which was actually begun in 1558 but not published until 1730, Cellini beautifully chronicles his flamboyant times. He tells of his adventures in Italy and France, and his relations with popes, kings, and fellow artists.
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The problem is with Cellini himself.
- By Leslie Ross on 06-07-10
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Four Arthurian Romances
- By: Chrétien de Troyes
- Narrated by: Nicholas Boulton
- Length: 16 hrs and 48 mins
- Unabridged
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The Arthurian Romances by Chrétien de Troyes form the wellspring of the legend of King Arthur and the Knights of the Round Table. Stories of knightly valour in the Welsh Marches had existed before the 12th century, but it was the magnificent poetry and imagination of Chrétien, the 12th century French poet and trouvère, which brought alive the great characters of Arthur, his wife Guinevere, Lancelot and others.
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Ukemi Audio: Doing the Lord’s Work
- By John on 09-29-17
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Father Goriot
- By: Honoré de Balzac
- Narrated by: Bill Homewood
- Length: 12 hrs
- Unabridged
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Impoverished young aristocrat Eugene de Rastignac is determined to climb the social ladder and impress himself on Parisian high society. While staying at the Maison Vauquer, a boarding house in Paris's rue Neuve-Sainte-Genevieve, he encounters Jean-Joachim Goriot, a retired vermicelli maker who has spent his entire fortune supporting his two daughters. The boarders strike up a friendship and Goriot learns of Rastignac's feelings for his daughter Delphine. He begins to see Rastignac as the ideal son-in-law, and the perfect substitute for Delphine's domineering husband. But Rastignac has other opportunities too....
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Astounding performance
- By Laurence Grey on 04-05-21
By: Honoré de Balzac
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The Arabian Nights (AmazonClassics Edition)
- By: Andrew Lang
- Narrated by: Neil Shah
- Length: 11 hrs and 22 mins
- Unabridged
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The vengeful King Schahriar agrees to stave off the execution of Queen Scheherazade until she finishes a particularly compelling story. Her plan? Bleed one tale into another. Through fanciful histories, romances, tragedies, comedies, poems, riddles, and songs, Scheherazade prolongs her life by holding the king’s rapt attention. With origins in Persian and Eastern Indian folklore, the stories of The Arabian Nights have been reworked, reshaped, revised, collected, and supplemented throughout the centuries by various authors and scholars.
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Very edited version
- By HDVE on 11-13-18
By: Andrew Lang
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Candide (AmazonClassics Edition)
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Candide, the illegitimate nephew of a German baron and student of eternal optimist Pangloss, is living a simple and sheltered life in "the best of all possible worlds." But when Candide falls in love with the wrong woman, his uncle's young daughter, he is exiled from the baron's castle and suffers great tragedy and catastrophe, which leaves him disillusioned and questioning the goodness of the universe.
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I never saw or expected anything close to this.
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The narrator is nice so far
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Candide, is a French satire written in 1759 by Voltaire, a philosopher of the Age of Enlightenment. One of the finest satires ever written, this lively tale follows the absurdly melodramatic adventures of the youthful Candide, who is forced into the army, flogged, shipwrecked, betrayed, robbed, separated from his beloved Cunégonde, and tortured by the Inquisition. As Candide witnesses calamity upon calamity, he becomes disillusioned and discovers that all is not always for the best....
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Amusing, a favorite, well read
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From the satirical pen of one of France's greatest cynics comes the story of Candide - young, innocent, guileless - who is cast upon the world after Baron Thunder-ten-trockh learns that his lusty daughter, Cunegonde, has tried to seduce the young man. The novel chronicles Candide's adventures with his blindly optimistic tutor, Dr. Pangloss, through any number of disastrous experiences, as they search for the answers to life's perennial questions.
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Voltaire's Classic
- By Tobin on 09-09-04
By: Voltaire
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Candide and Zadig
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Voltaire's razor-sharp satire on philosophical optimism, Candide, is coupled here with another of the author's most celebrated works, Zadig. Both challenge the moral and philosophical orthodoxies of the day with humor and sly wit, while parodying the clichéd formulas of so many contemporary novels.
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Highly recommended
- By Erez on 10-10-08
By: Voltaire
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Candide (AudioGO Edition)
- By: Voltaire
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Overall
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Performance
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When first published in 1759, Candide 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 this 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.
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Guaranteed to keep you smiling if not LOL
- By Robert on 08-09-12
By: Voltaire
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Candide (AmazonClassics Edition)
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Overall
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Candide, the illegitimate nephew of a German baron and student of eternal optimist Pangloss, is living a simple and sheltered life in "the best of all possible worlds." But when Candide falls in love with the wrong woman, his uncle's young daughter, he is exiled from the baron's castle and suffers great tragedy and catastrophe, which leaves him disillusioned and questioning the goodness of the universe.
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I never saw or expected anything close to this.
- By Mossias on 10-07-18
By: Voltaire
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The legendary ironic insightful classic by Voltaire, considered the greatest artistic genius of his era. Introducing the legendary, best-of-all-possible-worlds Pangloss. A whirlwind trip around the globe with irony, wit, insight, genius, and more at each stop.
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The narrator is nice so far
- By 400 on 09-15-24
By: Voltaire
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Candide (Gildan Media Edition)
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- Length: 3 hrs and 42 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall
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Performance
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Story
Candide, is a French satire written in 1759 by Voltaire, a philosopher of the Age of Enlightenment. One of the finest satires ever written, this lively tale follows the absurdly melodramatic adventures of the youthful Candide, who is forced into the army, flogged, shipwrecked, betrayed, robbed, separated from his beloved Cunégonde, and tortured by the Inquisition. As Candide witnesses calamity upon calamity, he becomes disillusioned and discovers that all is not always for the best....
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Amusing, a favorite, well read
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Voltaire's Classic
- By Tobin on 09-09-04
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Highly recommended
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By: Voltaire
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Candide (AudioGO Edition)
- By: Voltaire
- Narrated by: Jack Davenport
- Length: 3 hrs and 26 mins
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Overall
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Performance
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Story
When first published in 1759, Candide 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 this 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.
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-
Guaranteed to keep you smiling if not LOL
- By Robert on 08-09-12
By: Voltaire
What listeners say about Candide, or Optimism
Average customer ratingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
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- Alex
- 10-07-24
Incredibly modern satire
Despite being very dark indeed, this is surprisingly fun and readable. Definitely the first I've binge read a work of classic fiction, much less philosophy!
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- Julia
- 09-13-22
Fantastic narration
After finally getting my hands on this audiobook, I can happily say it was worth the wait! Ben Lloyd Hughes did an amazing job with the narration. Distinct voices and accents, the perfectly jolly pace for a character like Candide. (Are you a fan of Ben's work as Constantin in Greedfall? You are in for a treat!!)
And as a book itself, of course, highly enjoyable as a classic! Insightful!
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- Zac Pfaff
- 03-11-24
A wonderful and witty read
I very much enjoyed this read through and theincluded follow-up analysis of the book was a wonderful surprise at the end.
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- Robert W. Piedrahita
- 06-16-22
An Absolutely Stunning Performance and Brilliant satire
The narrator’s several voices as Candide, Cacambo, Martin, Cunegonde ,etc. were masterful. His was a brilliant display of Voltaire’s withering wit and observant eye of our failings as a species. Recommend listening and then reading this masterpiece!!!
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- Anonymous User
- 07-08-23
The narrator’s voice makes a great difference in the listener’s commitment to the tale.
Great story told beautifully by Ben Lloyd Hughes. Placing the Introduction and Notes at the end was a good approach.
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- CARLA LIMA DOS SANTOS
- 12-02-22
AMAZING!!!
Amazing and amuzing reading. As for the plot, it shows a great lot of human nature, beliefs and behaviour.
I’m giving it 5 stars, because I couldn’t stop listening to it.
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- Susan McCutchen
- 05-28-23
Ben Lloyd-Hughes Brings Candide to Life
I read Candide in French many years ago and looked forward to this reading to remind myself of Voltaire's classic and hear Ben Lloyd-Hughes read it. He is very talented and, after seeing him in several captivating performances, I thought his expressive voice would "act" out this classic in an engaging way. I anticipated his reading would be excellent, but was drawn into it beyond what I expected. I hope Mr. Lloyd-Hughes will be persuaded to read other classics so I can brush up on my literature background in an entertaining way!
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- Lawrence Dembo
- 12-05-23
Super narration of a superb and still funny tale
It’s a superb satire and funny due to its big ideas. It isn’t dated - testament to its author. Having listened to numerous versions, this narrator stands out for his excellence. Just brilliantly told. Even the accents have just the right amount of satire.
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- Jackie Engwicht
- 07-29-22
I could listen to Lloyd-Hughes all day, and did.
This was an excellent rendition of Candide. I read the book as a teenager but fell in love with Ben Lloyd-Hughes narration. I listened to it on my drive from Texas to Missouri! Greg way to pass the time.
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- Rachel S.
- 07-28-22
Ben Lloyd-Hughes is EXCELLENT!
What an engaging narrator Mr. Lloyd-Hughes is! He reads Candide with such enthusiasm and charm that you would think it was his favorite book! He is adept at many different character voices and kept me engrossed the entire story! Highly recommend!
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