Scan barcode
grereads's review against another edition
adventurous
lighthearted
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
jsay31's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
mysterious
reflective
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
vbarbara's review against another edition
5.0
I definitely read this in Portuguese. I love Zadig and Voltaire for being so damned funny, I mean this dude is hilarious and he’s from the 18th century so ye props Voltaire, you were not only one of the major philosophers in the world, you were also funny as heck.
I mean this girl was madly in love with the man, they were both nearly dead and then when he was about to loose an eye she just said she didn’t like guys with only one eye. That had me dead.
I mean this girl was madly in love with the man, they were both nearly dead and then when he was about to loose an eye she just said she didn’t like guys with only one eye. That had me dead.
jennyfael's review against another edition
4.0
J'ai apprécié cette lecture que j'ai trouvé intéressante. Néanmoins, je ne me suis pas du tout attaché aux personnages. J'ai trouvé le personnage de Zadig un peu trop parfait...
cloudytm's review against another edition
funny
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
decadent_and_depraved's review against another edition
1.0
Voltaire proves himself a charlatan once again. What is this story if not a poor attempt at regurgitating ancient wisdom?
kingeditor's review against another edition
3.0
Zadig is the Candide that could have been, a more traditionally novelistic novel with better plotting, richer characters, and a message that affirms Optimism instead of lambasting it.
It is also a lesser work. For while Candide is a wildly uneven book that may not even qualify as a novel at all, its controversial and furious stances against church, state, and colonialism give it a vitality that Zadig sorely lacks, despite its more fantastical premise. Compared to Candide, Zadig is timid, conventional, and cliché—though it still has charm as a well-written adventure story of its era.
Zadig takes place not in the Middle East of real history, but rather in the Middle East of European imagination, a land of sensual women, swindling merchants, and a careless juxtaposition of Ancient Egypt, Ancient Babylon, and Ancient Persia. Yet Voltaire borrows not only the settings of the Arabian Nights, but also the genres that it prefigured, from swashbuckling romance to crime and detective fiction. Because of this, the novel is somewhat episodic, and several chapters elapse before Voltaire establishes its focus as a story of exile.
Throughout the whole book, there are themes of religious tolerance, rationalism, and anti-clericalism, whose advocates and antagonists find surrogates in Orientalist tropes. However, they are there as undercurrents, not exhortations, and one gets the sense that Voltaire is pulling his punches; in fact, many of these incidents can be read not as enlightened critiques of Christianity but as narrow-minded bashings of Islam.
Zadig may be the answer to those who find Candide too erratic and delirious, and an example of an unfairly overshadowed work. For myself, it is merely a footnote and a stepping stone.
It is also a lesser work. For while Candide is a wildly uneven book that may not even qualify as a novel at all, its controversial and furious stances against church, state, and colonialism give it a vitality that Zadig sorely lacks, despite its more fantastical premise. Compared to Candide, Zadig is timid, conventional, and cliché—though it still has charm as a well-written adventure story of its era.
Zadig takes place not in the Middle East of real history, but rather in the Middle East of European imagination, a land of sensual women, swindling merchants, and a careless juxtaposition of Ancient Egypt, Ancient Babylon, and Ancient Persia. Yet Voltaire borrows not only the settings of the Arabian Nights, but also the genres that it prefigured, from swashbuckling romance to crime and detective fiction. Because of this, the novel is somewhat episodic, and several chapters elapse before Voltaire establishes its focus as a story of exile.
Throughout the whole book, there are themes of religious tolerance, rationalism, and anti-clericalism, whose advocates and antagonists find surrogates in Orientalist tropes. However, they are there as undercurrents, not exhortations, and one gets the sense that Voltaire is pulling his punches; in fact, many of these incidents can be read not as enlightened critiques of Christianity but as narrow-minded bashings of Islam.
Zadig may be the answer to those who find Candide too erratic and delirious, and an example of an unfairly overshadowed work. For myself, it is merely a footnote and a stepping stone.
franzif's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
funny
reflective
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
gracekeltner's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
jen_libros's review against another edition
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
3.0