Candide
Voltaire
Fiction · Literary fiction
Recommended 0 times on Highstreett
Find it on Bookshop.orgBookshop.org funds independent bookshops, and we may earn a commission when you buy through this link.
About this book
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.
What readers said
Not yet rated. We show what readers thought once at least 3 of them have said something, because a verdict from one or two is not a verdict.
Related reading
- Short books: picks this book.
- Best literary fiction books 2026: new literary fiction published this year.
- All our reading recommendations: every list, grouped by genre.
- Reading projects: reading plans other readers have made and shared.
- Bookshops in Lincoln: buy it from an independent, and see who owns each shop.