Rather easy read, a nice story against the background of the (disastrous) Italian occupation of Greece in World War II. Contains a lot of characters (of which some historical ones such as Mussolini) and angles. With bits on the cruelty of war and a beautiful love story. In short, nice holiday reading material, but the lyrical writing style, a bit like Marquez, just didn't appeal to me. Stopped reading just before halfway.
(Update: I had this rated rather harshly, but I'm removing that, given I didn't finish it)

This is one of those books that I didn't actually have much interest in reading; nothing about it appealed to me, and watching the movie a few years ago didn't change that. But for some reason that eludes me now, I picked up a copy from somewhere, and after having it sit on my shelf for another year or so, I finally read it as part of my 2010 TBR Challenge. And I must say, as mentally exerting as it can be at times, it was well worth it.

Set on the picturesque Greek island of Cephallonia during WWII, the novel has a much broader focus than just the island and several key characters. It is, if nothing else, a chronicle of the war from the Greek perspective - a forgotten, overlooked perspective. While on the island, the story is about beautiful Pelagia, the doctor's daughter, and her romance with an Italian captain, Antonio Corelli, but the larger novel is also about the absurdity of war; the rise of a fascist group in Greece after the War, who pretended to be Communists (or maybe we should just change the meaning of the word "communist" since there are so few "real" communists that are anything like socialists); the failure of the Allies to protect Greece, over-run as it was with Nazis; the sad poignancy of unrequited love; how illiteracy and lack of education can lead to brain-washing; and how a life of sorrow and bitter loneliness can be lived based solely on a misperception.

It's a hard book to summarise beyond the basics, and a harder book still to talk about because it's so busy. Slow and steady but highly detailed and shifting often between parallel stories. Different characters carry their own storyline, sometimes for just a chapter, sometimes ongoing, all serving to flesh out the context of what's happening in and around Cephallonia. It's quite the masterpiece, but like many things worth reading, it's not the easiest read. It can be dense, and slow, and at times even a bit obscure. The first, oh, 120 pages took me about two weeks to read and I honestly wondered if I'd be able to finish it; then, finally, Captain Corelli turned up and things really picked up. The next two hundred pages went by in a flash before it slowed down a bit, leading towards a comfortably-paced ending.

The aspect of the novel that deals with the war, with the mechanics of it, the poor organisation, the fruitlessness of it, the absurdity of it, reminded me strongly of n  Catch-22n. Leaders are portrayed as either buffoons or sad, impotent losers. Their decisions are farcical, and people die for it. It's tragic, and yet like many tragic things, heavily loaded with irony. Or perhaps we could say, irony is heavy loaded with tragedy. Either way, the impact hits you right in the gut.

One of my favourite characters was Carlo, the secretively gay Bombardier who loves deeply but must always keep it to himself. He is a real hero, and from his journal as well as how we see him through other characters' eyes, he becomes a truly beloved character. He wasn't the only character - the novel is populated with engaging characters, people like Dr Iannis and his garrulous friends, Psipsina the pine marten and the delightfully curious Lemoni. The main characters - Pelagia, Dr Iannis, Antonio, Mandras and Carlo - are the most fully-realised, all their flaws laid bare as well as their strengths. And because the story takes place not just before and during the war, but well into the 90s, we see their lives play out like a true Shakespearian tragi-comedy.

I would have loved a map of the region, though. While I was able to keep up with most of the larger-scale events thanks to teaching history and reading n  Safe Area Goražden about the war in Bosnia, I knowledge of the European map is a bit sketchy (for some reason I struggle to even mentally place where France is in relation to other countries, and vice versa - it's always lower than I expect it to be) and I wasn't always sure where action was taking place. A map of southern Europe, with places relevant to the story included, would have really helped me, especially in that first 120 pages. As for events, it is beneficial to have a working knowledge of WWII - some things are clearly explained and expanded on, and the Greek aspect, like I said, is well covered; but at times I lost my place in events and time.

The tragic irony - those two always go hand-in-hand, don't they? - that permeates the novel at times makes it more heartbreaking than if it had been straight and serious. More sympathetic, certainly. There are times when the story turns brutal - or, rather, depicts the brutality of war, and I'm not talking about dying in battle, to which we still consider a certain degree of honour is attached. It's especially heart-wrenching to consider that the best phase of the war for the Cephallonians were the golden days when the Italians "occupied" them - reluctantly, and quite differently from the Nazis whom they shared occupation with. To see what happened after Italy changed sides, I'd like to think that de Bernières is exaggerating, but the Jews were by no means the only ethnic or religious group to suffer under the Nazis, I'll leave it at that.

I did have a few quotes I wanted to share, while I was reading it, but a good week has gone by since I finished it, and considering it took me over a month to read, I can't remember where they were or what they were. But it does have some fantastic lines, dry, witty, sophisticated, harsh, honest, sweet and shy. It's an impressive novel, and while I don't know that I'll be reading any more of his books in the near future - it was an absolute slog, after all - I was still deeply impressed by what he achieved with Captain Corelli's Mandolin.

This historical fiction and romance by English author Louis de Bernières, set in Kefalonia (Cephalonia) during WWII, was the winner of the 1995 Commonwealth Writer’s Prize. Pelagia is the daughter of the island’s doctor, the educated and patriotic Dr Iannis. She grows up learning the healing arts from him, and gets engaged to the handsome Mandras. Mandras goes off to fight with a group of rather extremist communist Greek partisans and does not reply her devoted letters.

Captain Antonio Corelli lands on the island with his regiment of occupying Italian soldiers. Sadly this only happened at the end of Chapter 23 out of 77, as the book dragged a little for me before this. Corelli is a death of fresh air, with his devotion to his choir and mandolin, cheeky humour and compassionate sense of honour. Corelli is stationed at the doctor’s home as a boarder. Gradually Pelagia and Corelli fall in love, despite the obstacles of war and being natural enemies.

The was a great book which highlights the culture and ways of the island, the joy of romance and the atrocities of war, including the 1943 massacre of the Acqui troops by German soldiers. Following the Italian surrender to the Allies, the Germans demanded their dearmourement, provoking a conflict which ended up with 9,500 of the 12,000 Acqui troops being killed, over 5,000 being murdered by an execution squad.

I loved the story and de Bernière’s witty and ironic writing style, my only complaint was there was just too much of it. While there were some comical side stories, like the strong man, the drunken priest and the hermit who thought he’d seen a parachuting angel, there was just too much of it for me. This was one of the rare cases when I enjoyed the movie as much as the book. I have previously enjoyed his Australian story Red Dog, so I’d be keen to try another of his books.

What a beautifully written book! I wept; I laughed out loud; I was furious; I was anxious and worried; I gasped in horror; I smiled secret smiles; I rejoiced; I LOVED. All the characters, even the minor ones, come to life. I did think a few chapters could have been edited, as they didn't serve the plot (but DID provide background history of WW II), and I found the ending unsatisfactory. But still, after borrowing it from the library I RAN out and bought it - High praise indeed.

I read it first in March 2001, and then recommended it to one of my book clubs and re-read it in Oct 2001.

BTW - The movie was absolutely horrible. Forget the movie! READ the book!