It took me quite awhile to finish this unusual novel, not because it failed to hold my interest, but because it felt so strange to be reading a story about an old catastrophe while living through brand new interesting times...the daily news has been most distracting.

Corelli's Mandolin is a WWII novel set on the Greek island of Cephallonia, during the Italian occupation. Louis de Bernieres weaves history and local folklore together in this touching story that centers around Pelagia, a young Greek woman who falls in love with Captain Corelli, a member of the occupying army.

Though these two characters are the novel's focus, there are many other engaging, charming, and tragic characters, and I cared about all of them. I'm always impressed when an author makes me feel compassion for characters who turn bad, and de Bernieres achieved that at least once in this story.

Pelagia's father, Dr. Iannis, is a fascinating character, and the wisdom he passes on to his daughter are among the most profound words I've ever read in a novel.

The ending was not what I expected, and did not seem realistic, but then, it's not supposed to be. I interpret it as statement about what was taken from people who didn't get to live the lives they should have had. I loved the way Pelagia gets to reminiscence at the end, remembering Carlos, Velisarios, Lemoni, Psipsini, and Drosoula...because as her father once said, when loved ones die, you have to live on their behalf...

Bravo! Thank you, Kevin, for the recommendation.

Paskaičius knygos aprašymą, galvojau, kad bus nuostabi knyga, juk ir Graikijos grožis ir meilė bei sunkesnės karo ir neleistinos meilės temos, atrodo viskas ko reikia puikiai istorijai... Bet man tai buvo 600 puslapių nuobodybės ir nors kartais jau atrodo keli puslapiai įtraukia, bet tada keliasdešimt visiškai neidomūs.

4.5
Samo zbog kraja, inače je knjiga savršena.

My wife's cousin, Luca Kouimelis, Hollywood script supervisor for the movie, "Corelli's Mandolin", kept asking me if I had read the novel, so I finally did and I agreed with her that de Bernieres had done a superb job with this novel. Since all three of us had spent many hours and days together in Greece in family settings, we enjoyed the history and the ambience of the 1940's in the Western part of Greece--the island, Kefalonia, especially since her father and my father-in-law, both Greeks, had fought the Italians and the Germans during WWII. They used to relate war stories to our families set in those times, so we had a keen appreciation of the novel. More than anything else, Corelli's Mandolin is a great love story--something we never tire of.

Captain Corelli's Mandolin Louis de Bernières A thoroughly enjoyable book, which brought me laughter sadness anger happiness disappointment redemption and wastefulness. In essence this story was a love triangle between Pelagia (local Doctor Lannis daughter) Mandras her first sweetheart a young local fisherman, whom she fell out of love after Mandras never kept in contact after he went away to fight the Italian and German invasion, only because he was illiterate and ashamed he couldn't write to her, she lied to him only was to her detriment later on in the story. Meanwhile along comes Antonio the sophisticated suave Italian musician slash philosopher soldier who per chance was billeted to her and Doctor Lannis home. At first she hated the captain staunchly even tried to sabotage his pistol by washing it with the dishes, she then got used to him and put up with his crazy antics which were overboard apparently like a typical Italian. Then she battled with herself and in the end succumbed to her emotions and finally fell head over heels in love, a love that in the end could never be. But all that was brutally torn away by Italy's surrender in 1943 then the true war crime against the Italian 33rd Acqui division which lead to the deaths of 9000 Italian soldiers a deed instigated by the notorious German first mountain division, who racked a string of war crimes throughout the war. This story left you with a feeling of profound feelings of sorrow for Pelagia & Antonio she definitely had loved and lost and she had known nothing but loss and tragedy through most of her life from her mother's death all the way to losing Antonio in a very unusual way. I loved this book brought out so many emotions.

I enjoyed the structuring of this novel and moreso Louis de Bernières' writing style. The novel itself was a mix of historical and personal account during wartime Europe. The story followed a couple of vantage points with the first from Italian troops deploying to Albania, then forward-deploying to a small island in Greece. The Italian forces were Axis Power troops cooperating with the German military. The second was the insular life of Greek culture and its people as war & ideological hemorraghing forces itself onto the island. Of these points, the story of romance and the tragedy of war were emashed to create a solemn story.


Though set admist war and tragedy there seemed glimpses of hope. I guess hope can be a powerful thing as seen in the ending of the novel. Overall I liked the colorful imagery and text utilization to paint a big picture as the story progressed. I have not seen the 2001 movie starring Nicholas Cage and Penelope Cruz so I don't know how they compare. Thanks!

I've read several books by Bernieres and Corelli's Mandolin is one my favorites. The author has one of those bizarre scattered minds that makes following his plots entertaining. You never know what is going to happen next. Bernieres's also written a crazy book that takes place in the Andes where this tribe takes peyote or some such drug and they start wandering all over the moutains and have wild dreams.

The book begins with a parody of Mussolini that made me laugh out loud. The rest of the book follows Italian soldiers occupying a small Greek island during WWII. The soldiers bond with their fellow Germans until Mussolini switches sides and suddenly they've got to put down their wine and bruscetta to have a quick battle. In between there is a great love story between Captain Corelli and the female protagonist that is slated to marry and illiterate fisherman.

I went to the opening night of the movie and it was so terrible I nearly cried.

n  “We should care for each other more than we care for ideas, or else we will end up killing each other.”n
― Louis de Bernières, Corelli's Mandolin

The sheer beauty and emotion that coats the pages of this book are breathtaking. I laughed, I cried, I fell in love, and my heart was broken. Eavesdropping on the horror of war, I found heroes in the unlikeliest places and, at the end, I wanted to hurl the book across the room!

To evoke such passion is the true sign of a great writer.

The setting is the Greek island of Cephalonia, and life is relaxed. As I became invested, the monster of WWII rips its way through the lives of our new-found friends. I felt the horror of war, the strength of those left at home and the bravery of men on the front line. Even in the despair of battle, love and compassion can be found.

The plot followed several key players as their lives unfold and, at the risk of giving too much away, I will merely urge you to read Captain Corelli’s Mandolin.

This absorbing novel blurs the lines between comedy and tragedy. The writing is poetic; the story, epic.

Historical fiction set on the Greek island of Cephalonia during the Axis powers’ occupation in WWII. The first part focuses on a young Greek woman, Pelagia, and her widowed physician father, Dr. Iannis. Pelagia learns medical techniques by watching her father, and she is educated beyond the typical level (especially for a woman of the time) due to being the doctor’s only child. She and a local fisherman, Mandras, fall in love and get engaged. He goes off to fight the war on the Albanian front. During his absence, Pelagia writes to him but never receives a reply. Meanwhile, Captain Antonio Corelli, the leader of the Italian occupying forces, is housed with Dr. Iannis and Pelagia. He is no zealot – his goal is to have “a peaceful war.” At first Pelagia is determined to resist the occupiers, but she gradually begins to admire Corelli, especially when he plays his mandolin. Mandras returns and Pelagia must decide what to do.

The author gradually develops the romantic liaison between Corelli and Pelagia. In fact, this entire story is gradually layered. All of these characters are complex and come across as authentic, with both strengths and flaws. There are a number of secondary characters that complement the primary storylines, and they are beautifully rendered. For example, the (gay) relationship between Carlo and Francesco is both sweet and tragic. There is also a wayward priest and a strongman. They are eccentric and memorable characters, and they add depth to the narrative.

One of the primary themes is the adverse effects of ideologies on ordinary people. It includes real historical figures such as Mussolini, Hitler, and Metaxas. We follow Mandras from happy-go-lucky fisherman to vindictive soldier. Another main theme is the different types of love – brotherly, religious, romantic, familial, and sacrificial. This novel is a condemnation of totalitarianism. The author employs musical themes to offset some of the horrors of war.

This is a five-star read for the first three-quarters. The author took time in developing details and layers of setting and characters during the war. The last quarter takes large leaps in time and feels rushed in comparison. As a warning, war-time atrocities are vividly depicted.

4.5

Sublime.

This book is a masterpiece, an epic, a carefully crafted and insightful piece that can make one laugh and cry and fume and swoon all within the space of a page.
Not a single person I have met who has read this book has not put it in their top ten books and it's really not hard to see why. Bernieres can capture, in around of 500 pages, the fleetingness of life, and injustices, but also its beauty (and this probably in the last 100 too). While there were moments where I could predict what was going to happen (there are after all only 7 possible skeletons for every story?), or events seemed pretty implausible/ridiculous, I never once could think of a way of making Bernieres' writing more perfect. A true literary genius.

I loved this book. I think a lot of people do.