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Captain Corelli's Mandolin

3.87 of 5 stars 3.87 · rating details · 33,622 ratings · 1,338 reviews

Extravagant, inventive, emotionally sweeping, Captain Corelli's Mandolin is the story of a timeless place that one day wakes up to find itself in the jaws of history. The place is the Greek island of Cephallonia, where gods once dabbled in the affairs of men and the local saint periodically rises from his sarcophagus to cure the mad. Then the tide of World War II rolls ont...more

Paperback, 544 pages

Published August 4th 1997 by Minerva (first published 1994)

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Jul 26, 2012 Kristen rated it 1 of 5 stars · review of another edition

This is the first time I've ever given a book one star...I actually feel sort of bad doing it. Despite it being well-written, it's pacing was terrible, and I really had to fight to get through it. And then the ending -- oh the ending. After trudging through nearly 600 pages, the ending was about the most unsatisying I have ever read. I literally threw the book against the wall when I was done. And some idiot decided to make a movie out of it, with Nic Cage as Corelli? I can only imagine how awfu...more

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Jul 08, 2010 K.D. Oliveros rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Recommended to K.D. by: 501 Must Read Books; 1001 Books You Must Read Before You Die (2006-2010 versions)

Shelves: 1001-core, 501

Stunning. Mesmerizing. Remarkable. Beautiful, beautiful love story. I just scanned the 121 books that I've already read belonging to 1001 Books You Must Read Before You Die and there seem to be not too many books that could be considered as predominantly love stories. There is Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice but we all knew about it even before actually reading the book so there was no element of surprise. There is Haruki Murakami's Sputnik Sweetheart but it has fantasy interwoven in the story...more

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Mar 30, 2008 Pat rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition Recommends it for: folks who know where to stop reading

This is two books. The first half is without doubt one of the best novels I have ever read. The writing (even in translation) is lyrical; clearly, every word was carefully chosen. The characters are exquisitely drawn with humor and humanity. The plot, centering on the Italian invasion of a remote Greek island in WWII, is a wonderfully engaging love story. It flows amiably along to a logical and satisfying, if not quite "happy," ending.
Unfortuntely, things don't stop there. The second half of...more

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Jun 27, 2008 Wendy rated it 5 of 5 stars

Captain Corelli's Mandolin has, unfortunately, become victim to it's own success. It has become one of those books that anyone who is anyone has read and so nobody now wants to read for fear of being a fashion victim. It even features in Notting Hill, Hugh Grant is reading it at the very end of the film when he and Julia Roberts are sitting in the garden. However, don't let this put you off - it's a brilliant book.

The story, briefly, is a typical love story.During the 2nd World War, the inhabita...more Captain Corelli's Mandolin has, unfortunately, become victim to it's own success. It has become one of those books that anyone who is anyone has read and so nobody now wants to read for fear of being a fashion victim. It even features in Notting Hill, Hugh Grant is reading it at the very end of the film when he and Julia Roberts are sitting in the garden. However, don't let this put you off - it's a brilliant book.

The story, briefly, is a typical love story.During the 2nd World War, the inhabitants of a small greek island, Cephalonia, have their lives disturbed by the arrival of an invading Italian army. The main characters we are concerned with are the local doctor, Iannis, and his daughter, Pelagia, they are forced to billet the commander of the Italian army, Captain Antonio Corelli, in their home. The islanders do everything they can to make life difficult for the Italians, forming a quiet sort of resistance group, and Pelagia does her bit by making life uncomfortable for Captain Corelli. Despite their natural resistance to an invader, Dr Iannis finds a kindred spirit in Corelli and they develop a mutual respect. Iannis is a poet at heart, he is working on a History of Cephallonia and Corelli too is a natural poet. Corelli is naturally averse to a life in the army, he is a musician (playing the mandolin of the title) who wants nothing more from life than to play and write music. He is not a natural military leader, preferring to organise his men to sing opera than to set patrols, but he gains their respect through his strong character.

We don't meet Corelli till half way through the book but he is instantly likeable and the electricity between him and Pelagia can't be missed.

What is it about this book that makes it so brilliant? The odd-ball characters, like the strongman Megalo Velisarios or Father Arsenios the overweight priest?;is it the wonderful descriptions of the Greek Island of Cephalonia?; is it the love/hate relationship between Corelli and Pelagia?

Louis de Bernieres has a wonderful style of writing, interspersing the main thread of the story with what seem at first sight to be unconnected anecdotes. In this book these anecdotes centre around Prime Minister Metaxas of Greece, Mussolini and a soldier named Guercio amongst Saints and madmen!

These sidetrackings initially deterred my mum from reading this book - after I had read it and raved to her that she "had to read it" but if you take them at face value, eventually you begin to see their significance to the story. It's a bit like life, I guess, no one story exists in isolation, de Bernieres seems to say, everything is influenced by what has happened in the past or what is happening elsewhere in the world. "No man is an island" John Donne said, and even on the island of Cepphalonia, where things seem not to have changed since the time of St Gerasimos, the outside world encroaches and people are effected by the events outside their own sphere of existence.

Read this book and you will be caught up by the story of Corelli and Pelagia and you will feel the warm Greek sun on your face. However I'm sure you will never imagine Nicholas Cage as Captain Corelli.
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Apr 08, 2008 Justin Hudnall rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition Recommends it for: Folks who aren't too cool to love non-sarcastic books.

De Bernieres style falls between Vonnegut and Gabriel Garcia Marquez, and if that doesn't make your head spin and pants feel hot then I don't know what will. It's ridiculously European, in every good sense of the word. It's an epic romance for nihilists and atheists.

The only two horrors come from the realization that the book is now out of print, and that it was already filmed with Nicolas Cage and Penelope Cruz. Satan's hand is everywhere unseen...

20 likes · like · see review

Oct 07, 2012 Velvetink rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: fiction, historical-fiction, war, read-2010, italy-mediterranean

Running throughout the novel is a Homeric theme which I really liked. Imbued with a mythic weight and a delightful tragicomic lightness, Louis de Bernieres' Corelli's Mandolin bursts with tenderness and wit.

Corelli's Mandolin is not in the least a simple love story. It is a portrait of a fiercely proud and independent little community rebelling in what small ways it can. It is a snapshot of the horrors endured by the men in combat during the Second World War. It is a damning commentary on the g...more

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Dec 29, 2008 Jessica rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: borrowed-from-library

This is a meaty, sweeping, witty, and romantic story about one of the more literarily-neglected corners of World War II, the involvement of Italy and Greece and the occupation by the former of the latter.

The action centers on the Greek island of Cephalonia, where the village doctor, Iannis, tends to the ailments of the locals and raises his beautiful and intelligent daughter, Pelagia. Pelagia's bethrothed, Mandras, disappears into the war, and when he returns, Pelagia no longer loves him, so he...more

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Nov 13, 2006 Elizabeth rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition Recommends it for: everyone

Shelves: fiction, alltimefavorites, historicalnovels, greece, balkans

Unlike the movie, this book is a savory treasure. 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 similar to a carnival fun ride. 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 p...more

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Feb 28, 2007 Matthew Klobucher rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

This apparently little-known book is a jewel. Written with passion and incandescant humor, the novel recreates WWII-era Greece (and to a certain extent, the rest of Fascist-occupied Europe at that time) with striking beauty. The characters are unforgettable and nearly all likeable; raw pathos, tragedy, comedy, and romance are fused into one gripping narrative that defies classification. It is, if anything, an effective composition of high Romance and a coming-of-age story: two classic stories in...more

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Feb 03, 2008 Bethany rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: fiction-and-literature, book-group

I adored this book. I fell in love with all the words and the beautiful way they all fit together.

But, I do need to say, all the people that I recommended the book to, and the people that I know read the book, did not feel at all the same way.

In addition, the movie was all wrong.

Here is what I wrote about the book when I first read it:

An intelligent, heart pounding, gut wrenching book about a small island in Greece in World War 2. The island is occupied by the fascist Italians and some of Hitler...more

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Dec 19, 2008 Jason rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: all-time-favorites, world-war-ii

easily one of the best books i've ever read...
so good, i'm reading it again, even though i just did...
horrifying, yet beautiful in the extreme...
a brutally honest exploration into the notions of allegiance, loyalty, and the twisting emotional complexity of the forces that can either tie us together or force us apart...

in the face of betrayal and broken allegiances, corelli's mandolin, like corelli himself, is a force that continually works to pull and tie people together...

de bernieres has creat...more

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Jason i actually feel guilty...
like i've transgressed a commitment or betrayed a loyalty or something...
but every time i pick up a book to read, i stop afte...more
updated Jan 02, 2009 05:48pm

Tracy I should re-read them!

Actually, what I had been thinking about in response to your desire to play music was...literature. No, really, it was a poem by...more
Jan 03, 2009 10:27am

Mar 09, 2012 Book Concierge rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

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 i...more

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Mar 14, 2013 Robert Strandquist rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: while-in-belgium

Rant: call me shallow; call me impatient; call me Ishmael, but don't call me out for abandoning this novel. I gave up on page 250 out of 435. It's not Berniéres writing style that put me off, in fact he's quite facile; nor is it his satiric tone. I enjoyed the many shifts in narrative voices especially the one by DUCE reveals not only his versatility but also his command of historical events before and during WWII in Europe. Also the cultural tensions between the Greeks and Italians have flavors...more

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Aug 23, 2007 Martha rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: favorites

"Corelli's Mandolin" is, like "The English Patient", a literate historical romance. It also manages to be a highbrow page-turner, with equal doses of wit and pathos to go with the romance.

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Feb 25, 2009 Laura rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Let me just say that historical fiction is my favorite genre and Louis de Bernieres is my favorite author among historical fiction...so far. This was an excellent insight into the effects of war on a community, but focused on the soldiers. With a long-standing but complicated romance on the side it appeals to a wide audience. For me, the most memorable scene was the firing range when the shooters didn't want to shoot and one of those being fired upon falls, but is not shot, but lays among the de...more

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Oct 06, 2011 Bre Cregor rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

All is well that ends well.

In my mind, this novel did not end well.

There were definitely segments of this novel which warranted 5 stars: Carlos's letters and history, the pamphlet on Mussolini, his short but astute observation on the flaws of symmetry ( which I was especially interested in, being an ardent lover of balance), and La Scala's rehearsals (how I laughed out loud!).

In addition, de Bernieres had that ability to make me hate characters, that is a literary gift.

His descriptions of the wa...more

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Oct 21, 2010 Tocotin rated it 1 of 5 stars

Shelves: historical-fiction, my-own-books, used-books, waste-of-time, contemporary-literature

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. Strange... I heard mostly good things about this book, but it's quite boring so far. The author is apparently in love with his style, which is getting tedious. The longer the words, the better (he loves the word "malodorous" for some reason).

The images and characters are rather stereotypical: of course the Greek island is beautiful and sunny, the people picturesque and stupid in this special "ethnic", endearing way; when he's describing a group of inmates of the local lunatic asylum, of course o...more Strange... I heard mostly good things about this book, but it's quite boring so far. The author is apparently in love with his style, which is getting tedious. The longer the words, the better (he loves the word "malodorous" for some reason).

The images and characters are rather stereotypical: of course the Greek island is beautiful and sunny, the people picturesque and stupid in this special "ethnic", endearing way; when he's describing a group of inmates of the local lunatic asylum, of course one of them must be an exhibitionist; the village must have a freethinking doctor, a conservative and a communist... oh well.

All right, I've finished. Frankly, I'm disappointed. I assumed the book was funny, touching and a little crazy, and it turned out to be pompous, cliched and unoriginal and OMG BORING! I couldn't care for a single character (not even Psipsina the pine marten), I hated them all, I couldn't believe either in their motivations or in their feelings. They were completely cardboard, the lot of them: the villagers, the beautiful Pelagia, the good and wise doctor methodically pissing on her herbs, the good Italians, the goofy and good British, the ugly and hideous communists, the inhuman Germans, the crazy Orthodox priest, the naughty little child... oh and the good and noble homosexual for whom I had such high hopes.

What was the point of this book? The love story? It was shallow. The cruelty of history? It was exploited. The beauty of Greece? It was never shown. The characters were coming alive at one moment, and turning into puppets the next. Their complexities weren't even touched, as if the author backed off in fear and resolved to use them only in the most hamfisted ways. Mandras's mother Drosoula became Pelagia's unexpected ally, fine - then she cursed her long-lost son with a light heart and never mentioned him again? Mandras became a cruel, hardened, heartless communist bandit, fine - and then killed himself because he couldn't rape his fiancee? Carlo loved Francesco dearly and went almost mad at his death, fine - then he just told us he loved Corelli as well and shut his mouth forever, never showed his love, let the readers forget, then suddenly remember it in the crucial moment?

And the scatological, rank humor... oh... yeah a cat shat in Mussolini's hat, sorry helmet, oh very funny. Oh and the Cyrillic mentioned over and over again, olives eaten raw, a pea staying in an ear for decades... What a dishonest, torturous book. I'm sorry. I really wanted to like it...(less)

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Apr 01, 2010 Clara rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: historical-fiction, favourites, war, made-me-cry

I can't possibly conceive how this book has an average rating of 3.90! I found it to be one of the most moving, entriguing and educative novels and anyone who has a shred of taste should read it.

I think the balance between historical fact, first-person narrative, third-person narrative, monologue and diary was so exquisite it couldn't have been done any better. Yes, I admit that there were times when I skipped a couple of pages of battle-type stuff to get to find out what happens with Pelagia ag...more

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Mar 09, 2009 Maya Panika rated it 2 of 5 stars

When I was living in Cuba, books in English were a precious commodity amongst the expat community. You read them, you passed them on - when you went home, you left them behind for those who would come after you. An American artist - one of many that passed through our lives - left me her doggy, much-read copy of Captain Corelli's Mandolin, exhorting me to read it; it was `incredible, unbelievable, the greatest book she'd ever read'. I had three attempts at it but never made it past page 30. It f...more When I was living in Cuba, books in English were a precious commodity amongst the expat community. You read them, you passed them on - when you went home, you left them behind for those who would come after you. An American artist - one of many that passed through our lives - left me her doggy, much-read copy of Captain Corelli's Mandolin, exhorting me to read it; it was `incredible, unbelievable, the greatest book she'd ever read'. I had three attempts at it but never made it past page 30. It found it much too wordy, overblown, overwritten, annoying.

Two years later and I saw it again, the same edition with the blue and cream cover, half-price in WH Smiths at Manchester Piccadilly station. I was off to a friend's for the weekend and bought it to read on the train. I got about forty pages in before I abandoned it again. I left that copy with my friend, who's never managed to get through it either.

A few more years passed and I saw it in a jumble sale, the spine unbroken, apparently unread. It sat on my shelf until a couple of weeks ago when I heard Louis de Bernieres on Midweek, with Libby Purvis and my thoughts strayed to my still un-read copy. This time I was determined, whatever it took, to see it through to the bitter end.

I still struggled through the first chapters; they are overwritten; tediously wordy - never use one word where you can cram in a paragraph of adverbs.

Everything changes on page 57. Carlo is the best of this novel. From the moment he enters the story with his heartbreaking, impossible love for Francesco, it's like calming, fragrant oils have been poured on the story's choppy waters; the style settles and a plot suddenly emerges.

Corelli is a magnificent creation; the Italians in general lift the thing and send it spinning like a master pizza maker with his dough. For the entire central section of the book, I was enthralled (though I have to add, I thought Mandras was a cruelly mistreated character, Pelagia was a cow where he was concerned. My heart truly bled for him and his fate).

You could have cut the entire last third; Once Corelli leaves and the Germans take over, it's a picture left out in the rain; all the colour and life drained away and - I know it's describing a dire time of cruelty and hardship but that's not why it falls down here, I honestly think the author lost interest once his beloved Italians were out of the picture. The rest is just a downwards roll to the finale. It could all have been broken down to a chapter or two and the book would have been greatly enhanced by that because it seems to me that LdB had pretty much lost the will to live by then.

And then we reach the ending which was pants. Such a disappointment; improbable, out of character in my opinion. A huge anticlimax.

To summarise, it's a book of three parts; the beginning is annoyingly wordy, the ending disappointing and dull. Well worth the trouble of reading for the middle, which is joyous, beautiful, wonderful.

In short, nowhere near as bad as I'd feared, but nowhere near as good as it had the potential to be. (less)

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Jul 02, 2008 Stephen Gallup rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

The author may have tried to accomplish too much with this story. Like Shakespeare and Melville, he includes passages that could practically stand alone as good advice on living or doing something. There are some high-level summaries of historical developments that perhaps do not belong here, at least in that format. There is a certain amount of technical detail about music that left me behind. He could have just deleted the early chapter on Mussolini. And if I wanted to be picky (I don't) I cou...more

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Aug 05, 2007 bonnie rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I should probably mention that I read this entirely based on http://www.thisonenext.com, and I am quite impressed. This book is absolutely me.

By the second chapter, I had the distinct impressions that this was one of those gems of a book that should not ever, ever, ever be made into a movie, ever. For perspective, I feel this way about Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, and do not feel it about Lord of the Rings. The problem with these "feelings" is that I won't ever be able to investigate them,...more

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Mar 27, 2009 Coco rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I still feel terrible that I didn't like this book. Many people love it and I feel I missed something. I picked it up the first time and couldn't make it past the first few chapters. The second time, I made myself finish because it was for book club. Some members of the group loved it, but I just didn't. Parts were beautifully written and I enjoyed the historical aspects, but the ending was awful, in my opinion, and the story often tedious. Maybe just one star?

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May 29, 2008 Tobias Kask rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Captain Corellis's Mandolin is the bittersweet story about love and war on the Greek island Kefalinia, before, during and after the second world war when the island was annexed by Italian forces. We get to meet a handful of people whose destinies (didn't see that one coming!) are entwined as the page count increases.

Until the last 50 pages or so, it was a four-star book and absorbed the same number of my tears when it lost its tempo and focus.

My mind slips back to the sad destinies of the char...more

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Feb 19, 2009 Shauna rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I picked this book up at a thrift store when I was looking for some light summer reading. I was really surprised to enjoy it as much as I did. The book is a story of relationships set against the background of a war, but the personalities of the characters elevate the story beyond that of the typical 'love in times of war' novel. Of all the relationships, that between Pelagia and her father is my favorite. I loved the detail of him rearranging the silverware drawer to distract his daughter from...more

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May 10, 2008 Reuel rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

A love story set on the Italian- and German-occupied Greek island of Cephalonia during and a bit after WWII (1940-1954). (Cephalonia, one of the larger Greek islands, is on the west side of the Greek mainland, toward Italy.) The village doctor, a widower, educates his daughter much more than is typical for the island's inhabitants--male or female. He trains her to be his successor. A love triangle develops with the daughter torn between her courageous but illiterate village sweetheart and an Ita...more

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Apr 05, 2011 Laura rated it 4 of 5 stars

Recommended to Laura by: Chrissie

Shelves: 1001-books-you-must-read-before-you, hf-world-war-ii, passport-books, read-2011, book-and-movie

Chrissie, your book just arrived from Belgium, thanks!!

It took me some time to get into this book since in the beginning they are too many characters to get know through the plot. This is the story of the Italian invasion in the island of Cephalonia in Greece. Captain Corelli is ahead of this invasion and he fells in love with Pelagia who, in the other hand, is also involved with Madras who belongs to a group of Greek partisans. Dr Iannis is the doctor who practices medicine in this small island...more

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Mar 25, 2009 Maggie rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: 2009

I just can't put into words how I felt about this book. Other than I loved it. There are no comparisons I can make, no adjectives that do it justice. I literally wept with grief and with joy while reading this book. My husband officially thinks I have lost my mind. He may be right. What he doesn't know is that Corelli reminded me so much of him. Like Antonio, Elliot won me with humor; and against my "better judgement." And like Pelagia, once won, I could never love another. Not even Gerard Butle...more

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Dec 11, 2008 Daisy rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: finished

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. For years my friend Glenny has been claiming this is one of the best books she's ever read. I daresay I'd go so far as to say that she's stated that it's her FAVORITE (perhaps right after The Bridge of San Luis Rey, which I also read on her recommendation. So, I put it on my list and found it at the library.

It took me a few days to read it because, my God, why would Bernieres say anything that didn't take an excess of words? Not only was this book so dense that it took all my concentration to ke...more

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Feb 11, 2013 Cleo rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Corelli's Mandolin was a book I reviewed very early on in this blog's life. Here is what I said in my first review of it: "I loved the prose style of this historical novel. It's witty and kind of hard to describe, but very distinctive. If you read it, you'll see. I guess it sort of reads like a folktale or a epic quest or something. And the way the book is formatted- and the font is very good. It has "love and death, heroism and skullduggery, humor and pathos, and art and religion... a good old-...more Corelli's Mandolin was a book I reviewed very early on in this blog's life. Here is what I said in my first review of it: "I loved the prose style of this historical novel. It's witty and kind of hard to describe, but very distinctive. If you read it, you'll see. I guess it sort of reads like a folktale or a epic quest or something. And the way the book is formatted- and the font is very good. It has "love and death, heroism and skullduggery, humor and pathos, and art and religion... a good old-fashioned novel." (Washington Post.) Corelli's Mandolin tells of the Greek island of Cephallonia during World War II. In the midst of the occupation are Pelagia, a beautiful young woman, and two suitors: Mandras, a fisherman of the island, and the charming, funny, clever mandolin-playing Captain Corelli, an officer of the Italian garrison. This was a very exciting book, and I really raced through it, wanting to get the end and find what ultimately happened. But it was deeply sad. So many characters that you grow to love throughout the book die during the various occupations of the war, and also many animals that are characterized and then killed. The ending was also kind of unsatisfying; I felt so frustrated with it. But I did like the characters. They felt so real. 4 stars." Despite its shortness, and a few ungrammatical sentences, it's actually not a bad little review.

But I really loved Corelli's Mandolin more than four stars. More like 4.5, or maybe even 5. Though I will admit that Louis de Bernieres can be a bit verbose at times. Too much so, perhaps. But at times, its verbosity can be slyly amusing, and even funny. Some of the writing has a sort of snide tone that fits the novel well.

I really loved the animals in the book, the goat and the pine marten called Psispina, which apparently means cat in Greek. I also loved Lemoni, the little girl who discovered the marten as well. And I love, love, loved Captain Corelli himself. He's handsome, charming, witty, and (nearly) laugh-out-loud hilarious. He also plays the mandolin, as you might have guessed, and very well too. More than well, amazingly. Some of the descriptions of what he gets up to in the army are so, so, so funny, as well as when he first arrives at Pelagia's house. Although I don't agree with his opinion of Wagner; yes, Wagner was an anti-Semite and an awful person by all accounts, but his music is great, despite its later Nazi associations. I also think Corelli has synesthesia; at one point he doesn't like a certain tune because "it was a particularly vile shade of puce." Be warned though, he does not appear until page 157. So don't despair if there is no sign of Corelli; he will soon be there. The fact that you love Corelli so much is what makes the book's ending so heartbreaking. Pelagia is a good character too.

But the book isn't just the story of Cephallonia. There are other narratives within the book, from a first person narrative by Mussolini himself (once), to a homosexual Italian soldier's account of the war (many times). Though it's a bit confusing to adjust to the different stories at first, you get used to it, and it ends up making a much better novel overall. I would recommend Corelli's Mandolin if you're looking for an interesting and challenging read.

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Dec 30, 2012 Becky Powell rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

If the Harry Potter movies had not followed the book so closely, there would likely have been a riot. Potter-ites everywhere would have been indignant and reviews would have been scathing. But, generally speaking, films adapted from books have a habit of making a hash out of their book.

Such is the case with one of my favorite books, Corelli’s Mandolin by Louis de Berniere. For those of you who have seen the movie by the same name, but have not read the book, no doubt you think me inane. The film...more If the Harry Potter movies had not followed the book so closely, there would likely have been a riot. Potter-ites everywhere would have been indignant and reviews would have been scathing. But, generally speaking, films adapted from books have a habit of making a hash out of their book.

Such is the case with one of my favorite books, Corelli’s Mandolin by Louis de Berniere. For those of you who have seen the movie by the same name, but have not read the book, no doubt you think me inane. The film version of this book tore apart, twisted, belittled and tortured the wonderful and wondrously told tale. Nicholas Gage, who played the lead in the move, was perfect for the part, but no one gave him the right script. If I had been Penelope Cruz, and I’d read the book, I would have cried in every scene.

The book lived and breathed Greece. You could smell the sea, and hear the old men chattering their coffee cups and gossiping in the cafe. The characters are three-hundred-and sixty degree characters and the plot is richly layered. The plot in the movie is convenient. Worst of all, the movie changed the ending and even saw fit to change the parentage of a key character. I won’t give too much away. You must read the book.

The movie made me angry. They must have fed the book through a paper shredder and then composed the script by pasting random pieces together. I wondered how de Bernieres might have thought about the violence done his story. I felt sorry for him, protective in a way.

Then, a crazy idea sprouted in my brain. A ballet. This book should be a ballet with narration by a peculiar old man and a young boy. A dance would capture the magical, earthy feeling of the book so much better than acting did. This is an ephemeral story that could be told with a graceful arch of a neck or a long and slender outstretched arm. Swirling skirts in bright colors would say all that needed to be said about the village ethos. A playful, prankish dance would breathe life into the Italian soldiers who half-heartedly occupied the island. The German soldiers would leap fiercely across the stage, stark and black against a grey foreboding mist. I’m really serious about this.

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About Louis de Bernières

Novelist Louis de Bernières was born in London in 1954. He joined the army at 18 but left after spending four months at Sandhurst. After graduating from the Victoria University of Manchester, he took a postgraduate certificate in Education at Leicester Polytechnic and obtained his MA at the University of London.

Before writing full-time, he held many varied jobs including landscape gardener, motor...more Novelist Louis de Bernières was born in London in 1954. He joined the army at 18 but left after spending four months at Sandhurst. After graduating from the Victoria University of Manchester, he took a postgraduate certificate in Education at Leicester Polytechnic and obtained his MA at the University of London.

Before writing full-time, he held many varied jobs including landscape gardener, motorcycle messenger and car mechanic. He also taught English in Colombia, an experience which determined the style and setting of his first three novels, The War of Don Emmanuel's Nether Parts (1990), Señor Vivo and the Coca Lord (1991) and The Troublesome Offspring of Cardinal Guzman (1992), each of which was heavily influenced by South American literature, particularly 'magic realism'.

In 1993, he was selected as one of the 20 'Best of Young British Novelists 2' promotion in Granta magazine. His fourth novel, Corelli's Mandolin, was published in the following year, winning the Commonwealth Writers Prize (Best Book). It was also shortlisted for the Sunday Express Book of the Year. Set on the Greek island of Cephalonia during the Second World War, the novel tells the story of a love affair between the daughter of a local doctor and an Italian soldier. It has become a worldwide bestseller and has now been translated into over 30 languages. A film adaptation of the novel was released in 2001, and the novel has also been adapted for the stage. In 2001, Red Dog was published - a collection of stories inspired by a statue of a dog encountered on a trip to a writers' festival in Australia in 1998.

Prizes and awards
1991 Commonwealth Writers Prize (Eurasia Region, Best First Book) The War of Don Emmanuel's Nether Parts
1992 Commonwealth Writers Prize (Eurasia Region, Best Book) Señor Vivo and the Coca Lord
1994 Sunday Express Book of the Year (shortlist) Corelli's Mandolin
1995 Commonwealth Writers Prize (Overall Winner, Best Book) Corelli's Mandolin
1995 Lannan Literary Award (Fiction)
1997 British Book Awards Author of the Year
2004 Whitbread Novel Award (shortlist) Birds Without Wings
2005 Commonwealth Writers Prize (Eurasia Region, Best Book) (shortlist) Birds Without Wings

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“Love is a temporary madness, it erupts like volcanoes and then subsides. And when it subsides, you have to make a decision. You have to work out whether your roots have so entwined together that it is inconceivable that you should ever part. Because this is what love is. Love is not breathlessness, it is not excitement, it is not the promulgation of promises of eternal passion, it is not the desire to mate every second minute of the day, it is not lying awake at night imagining that he is kissing every cranny of your body. No, don't blush, I am telling you some truths. That is just being "in love", which any fool can do. Love itself is what is left over when being in love has burned away, and this is both an art and a fortunate accident.” — 2,434 people liked it

“Women only nag when they feel unappreciated.” — 1,080 people liked it

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