CANDIDE

There's no question that CANDIDE, written in 1759, is a classic and Voltaire's masterpiece, but most people today probably don't know it. This audio version is an easy-to-swallow rendition in which narrator Martyn Swain seems to be having quite a good time telling the story. He mostly uses accents to portray the many characters, and his range of accents is impressive, including those of various British regions and classes, along with French, German, Dutch, Italian, and Portuguese. Swain doesn't work too hard to hold the story together because, frankly, it doesn't. What matters is Voltaire's biting wit and Candide's unconquerable naïveté as he pursues his beloved Cunegonde across the world. This is not a novel in the modern sense, but a rollicking fun story. D.M.H. © AudioFile 2025, Portland, Maine [Published: JANUARY 2025]