Corelli's Mandolin: A Novel

by Louis de Bernières

Book Overview

The acclaimed story of a timeless place that one day wakes up to find itself in the jaws of history: "An exuberant mixture of history and romance, written with a wit that is incandescent" (Los Angeles... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 067976397X
• Release Date: August 1995
• Publisher: Vintage
• Length: 437 Pages
• Weight: 0.85 lbs.
• Dimensions: 7.9" x 1.0" x 5.2"

Customer Reviews

A Novel of Equal Sadness and Beauty

You'll laugh. You'll cry. You'll want to rip the book in half and throw it out the window.

I want to write the perfect review

I finished Corelli's Mandolin almost two years ago. I've been holding off writing this review because each time I get around to it, I feel I'm not up to it. It's just that...this is the finest fiction I've ever encountered and I thought only my best words and thoughts would do it justice. With 2001 underway, I've decided that day is not coming soon - time to do it.I could go on all day about the beauty and intensity of this tale, but I'll restrict my commentary to the three following items:1. You must give this book 50 pages to settle in. The first 50 will feel like tough slogging. The book does not find its paces until the Italian troops start marching their way to Athens. Then, you're off and running.2. I urge you to read the book before the movie comes out. Form your own visions of Corelli and Pelagia before having to deal with the images selected by the filmmakers. I won't reveal those names here (you can find them elsewhere if you like), but will only say that the choice for Pelagia is inspired; the choice for Corelli...well, I'm skeptical it'll work.3. The power of Corelli: I have approached total strangers browsing the fiction section of bookstores and pressed this book into their hands urging they choose this one.Don't pass this up.

Captivating

As someone who has been known to consume novels in mere hours, I rearely buy books - I borrow them instead. After countless recommendations, however, I picked up a copy of Louis de Bernieres' novel in an airport bookshop, and read the first sentence, to me always the yardstick of whether a book will be worth the read or not. 25 minutes later the shop assistant was asking me whether I wanted to buy it, a smile on her face. I did, and never have I been alternately amused, entertained, moved, educated and captivated by a novel to actually read it through to the finish without interruption - of any kind. I was near silent for the entire plane journey - an eight hour flight. The only sounds I made were stifled, tearful laughter, and stifled, tearful sobs.Words will not suffice to describe Captain Corelli's Mandolin. Written in a richly lyrical style by a man in utter command of language (and not just English), the humour is infectious, the story compelling, the characters so fully fleshed it is almost as though you know them personally - and this of course means that the tragic events which do eventually follow strike home on the heart like nothing you will have read before or will read again. Tears do not roll down my cheeks that easily, yet Carlo's heroism has stayed with me weeks afterwards, as has Corelli's spirit, Pelagia's beauty and Doctor Iannis' indefatigable spirit. Yes, the last 70 pages add an epilogue that seems a touch out of place - maybe John Madden's film will address this - but nothing can detract from the humanity that has gone before, or the pathos and the sheer beauty of de Bernieres' prose. This is the greatest novel I have ever had the fortune to pick up and anyone with a romantic bone in their body should have it as compulsory reading. In a word? Wonderful.

Smashing stuff :)

This novel is one of the best books that I have ever read. In my short 16 year-old life, I have not yet read any book even remotely comparable to the emotions and afterthoughts I have experienced throughout my reading of this novel. It is not only a semi-historical novel, it is a demonstration of the humour, tragedy, human fallacies and qualities in a time of conflict. The happenings de Bernieres describes are vivid, breathtakingly colourful...sometimes I wish that I myself could experience the lives of Pellagia or Corelli, just to feel what they felt at times of intense happiness, sadness or love. Although the beginning may be unattractively slow, or long-winded, don't be put off, because you'll definitely be missing out on the wealth of literary ecstacy later on....the ending, I'll just say that you shouldn't expect anything; but ultimately, it is more realistic than any other corny movie ending where "everyone lives happily ever after". Anyway, I believe that ANYONE should read this book. Life would less exciting without it. :)

Informative and emotive

As an A Level English student, I have to read many books for my course, however, I have never been so moved by a novel as I have when reading Captain Corelli's Mandolin. It forces a large variety of emotion from it's reader. Moments of delightful comedy can be followed by deep tragedy; in the space of two chapters you will find yourself laughing out loud to crying with sympathy.The narrative of the novel is extremely interesting. There is not one overall use of narative. Instead each chapter moves from the view points of characters from all perspectives of the story. Louis De Bernieres puts particular emphasis on the 'little people' of history and we realise that it is in fact those 'little people' who are the true historical heroes. This form of narrative provides a completely unbiased record of the war. Situations in the novel are actually based on true life situations which makes the novel that bit more personal.De Bernieres also cleverly combines many different themes in the novel, the most important of which (in my opinion) is that of mythology. This creates the message that history contines throughout our own lives and also the moral message that we never learn from our past.It is difficult to define this novel into a certain genre as it combines so many. It is not only a war novel, it provides romance, comdy, tragedy and many more. If I could give one piece of advice to a reader, it would be to give this book a chance. Many people in my English class found that though the book had a very slow start, it was in fact the most beautiful book they had ever read and by the end of the novel, they understood why the beginning of the book had been quite difficult to grasp. Captain Corelli's Mandolin is an extremely refreshing, original novel that also provides some intensely tragic and sensitive moments. It's a must on everybody's book shelf!