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Candide

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Candide

By: Voltaire
Narrated by: Andrew Sachs
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In this sharp and witty tale, Candide and his tutor Pangloss journey the earth, following the philosophy: All is for the best in this, the best of all possible worlds. This adage, however, is disproved at many turns, with the characters encountering opposition to their outlook. The initially naive Candide realises some of the dark truths of the eighteenth-century world, but could there be any light at the end of the tunnel?

The reader - Andrew Sachs, famous for playing Manuel in Fawlty Towers, is one of Britain's best-love narrators. His talent for accents suits Candide perfectly.

 Classics European World Literature Funny Imperialism Middle Ages
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Critic reviews

"The brilliant unabridged narration brings out all the ironies, tragedy and exuberant comedy of this 18th-century classic."
"A classic audio in every sense."
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Tís is a very funny book at times, the hapless cadide loveable and yet detestable at times undertaking his personal journey through life is something everyone should enjoy.

Andrew Sachs is a great narrator, I'm not a huge fan of the background chapter music myself but it wouldn't dissuade me from recommending this recording

Great classic tale

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Can’t fault the story or the narration. I just wish this version didn’t have ridiculous musical interludes at the end of each chapter and section

Andrew Sachs great, musical interludes rubbish

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I struggled a bit with the book, but the delivery made it worth listening to the end. I'm glad I persevered.

A brilliant reading of an odd book

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Voltaire would have been a hoot back in the day. Big respect for him calling out religion like that, in those times, man coulda wound up with his neck on a block.

A fun and interesting short listen.

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This story is crazy and seems illogical but somehow fuses meaningful philosophy without us even noticing. It’s definitely the funniest philosophy book I’ve ever read. The problem with all the silliness is that it’s hard to get a real connection with the characters. What stood out to me is the incredible voice acting by Andrew Sachs, sometimes I would forget that it’s just one person.

Mad but magnificent

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