Candide by Voltaire
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

I read Candide about 30 years ago, and I just finished listening to it on CD. I had not remembered anything about the book, so obviously it did not make a lasting impression the first time around. As I listened to the story this time, I kept wondering how my impression would be different if I were reading it. Hearing the characters come to life through another person's interpretation has a dramatic influence on the likability of the characters and what you learn from the story. It is as if you are reading (hearing) one of a possibly endless number of variations based on the narrator's unique performance; it is a filter that changes the end product. The end product I heard is not my favorite literary classic, but it did highlight the idea of how we sometimes allow others to define the way we see the world and experience life. A lot of precious time can be wasted that way. Better to look at the world honestly, make right what you can, and wisely manage the rest. For satire, I prefer Gulliver's Travels by Jonathan Swift.

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