Chapters reminiscent of Don Quixote: Zadig, composed of short tales creating a structure of the attractive philosophical character who scrapes into trouble and luckily out of trouble using his wit (like Sherlock Holmes). Candide "Or Optimism", is a remarkably unoptimistic tale, full of gloom and misadventure, although characters presumed dead in previous chapters miraculously reappear alive in later ones with Enid Blyton/Agatha Christie-style revival tales. The Ingénu, a humourous tale of a foreigner arriving by sea, and his effect on the people he meets, including conversion to faith, imprisonment, and inheritance. Nanine, a Shakespearean-style short play, a love story with jealousy, misunderstanding (it was not a lover, but her father!), and ultimately a happy ending. Poem on the Lisbon Earthquake takes a more serious tone, criticising the axiom "all is well", to question the physical evil suffered by the people in the 1699 earthquake. Heartfelt and bitter, sympathetic and philosophical. This book also had additional chapters for Zadig, and Candide, and suggested Voltaire was happy for other writers to contribute chapters for the continuation of his characters' stories. ( )

I listened to an e-audio version of Candide last year, and it was marvelous. I didn't really know what to expect, and confess that one of the reasons I chose it was because it was short. But it was incredibly funny and ridiculous, and I was so glad I chose to listen to it. I'm sure it helped, too, that the narrator was pitch-perfect, but I can't recall his name. It was probably a NetLibrary check-out, perhaps Recorded Books. If you only have the print version, approach it with a sense of whimsy and adventure, and you'll be all set.