“The same evil comes either from God who is testing or Satan who is tempting.”

I think I love this novel a tad bit more because it wasn't meant to be a novel in the first place. And so as much as I loved the portraiture of religious folk, the critique of society, state, and church, and all the commentary on religion, I couldn't quite get over the fact that Diderot just decided to mess around with his friend by conjuring up a fake nun needing rescue.

The detail and effort Diderot put into this elaborate scheme makes me want to claw my way back in time just to grab a coffee or something with him. It seems to me that he wasn't just a philosopher, art critic and writer — he was a menace with a purpose.

(and how radiantly confident of me to think that Diderot would oblige me with a coffee date...)

I also loved how Suzanne has been written with wit, foresight, and intelligence despite how terribly she suffers in an intolerable ad oppressive environment.

“My character tends to be indulgent, and I can forgive men anything except injustice, ingratitude and inhumanity.”