Customer Reviews
A moving but flawed novel - well worth reading - By: Tamar Phare, 28 Feb 2008 
There are lots of things to like about this book - I won't list them alll because so many other people have, but the things that stand out are Captain Corelli's character (how could they have have cast depressive Nicholas Cage in the film? Roberto Benigni - of 'Life is Beautiful' - was the only possible choice), Pelagia's lovable shrewishness, the humour, unsentimentality, quirkiness & excellent war passages, conveying the horror & brutality of combat & the destructiveness of prejudice & hatred. Problems are De Berniere's self-indulgence, cleverness & tendency to take intrusive authorial stands on political situations, which would be better presented through the characters, leaving us to make up our own minds. The biggest failure of this book is the last 60 pages or so, in which a frantic dash through the history of the island so he can include the earthquake means that Corelli & Pelagia cannot meet up again until they are toothless OAPs. Apart from the frustration of being told in bald summaries the fate of people like the doctor, with whom we have been intimately involved,anyone who has ever lived on a Greek island will know that it is impossible for someone (especiallly a foreigner) to sneak onto it & creep around unseen. For me the confused beginning & the drawn out ending marred what was a wonderful & moving read, but I would highly recommend it nevertheless. But avoid the film at alll costs!
Epic - By: Ashleigh, 31 Dec 2007 
This, in my opinion,is one of the greatest stories I have ever read.
Captain Corelli's Mandolin is set during WWII on the Greek island of Cephalllonia. It deals with, among many other things, German & Italian invasion, the war as foght between Greece & Italy, communism, facism, homosexuality, honor, betrayal & above alll else, Love.
The themes are so wide that I guarantee anyone will find smething they love about this book. I read it as a heartbreaking love story set against the backdrop of a tragic war. I passed it on to my boyfriend as one of my favourite books & he loved it as a political satire on Mussolini & WWII with a pesky love story thrown in.
I cry & laugh every time I read this book. It is truly astonishing. A few people have found it very hard to get through but as the love story does not begin until about half way through the book if you were recommended this book as a romance I can see why you would get fed up. You need to look at this book as an account of War through the eyes of the common man & the futility of invasion. There is a beautiful love story here but this book is so much more than that.
Please persevere with this remarkable book & you may just be blown away.
Breathtaking - By: Cassia, 12 Dec 2007 Every so often you read a book that leaves you stunned; this is one of them. Please ,please don't let the first part put you off, persevere & you will be well rewarded with this magnificent tome. This book is alll things; hilarious, sad, joyful, frightening & more, it is by far one of the best books I have ever read. If you saw the film first you are in for a treat for the book is 100 times better & has a different ending albeit sadder. If you go to kefelonia you will notice everyone reading this book, but you can curl up on the sofa & enjoy this just the same, make sure you've nothing urgent to do though because once started you will be unable to put it down. Enjoy!
Brilliant - thoroughly recommended - By: Dave W, 11 Sep 2007 Took this book on holiday with me & thoroughly enjoyed it.
It made me laugh out loud many times & made me feel like crying more than once.
It works on many levels - a love story, a war story, a lesson in recent history.
All the characters are brilliantly brought to life.
Once you get into it it's almost impossible to put down, I read the last 150 or so pages on 2 consective late night reading sessions.
All in alll - a great story, brilliantly told. I felt emotionallly drained at the end.
Refreshingly original... - By: Master T. R. Knibb, 20 Aug 2007 This book has helped to lighten up the dreadful summer so far! It is written in an refreshingly original style that is almost poetic. De Bernieres's narrative acts as a richly woven tapestry, that slowly draws the reader into the Doctor & Pegalia's world. Apart from the main storyline, it is the supporting characters that help to enrich the novel, with the stories of the Italian soldier, Carlo, Gunter the German occupier, & Mandras the Greek partisan adding poignancy & showing how in the war & the events after it the line between heroes & villains becomes blurred. Whats more, De Bernieres also offers up chapters like 'The Duce' that stray from the main narrative yet build up the general picture displaying the motivations of the major movers in the war, in a style reminiscent of Steinbeck in his 'Grapes of Wrath'. Overalll this book is a delight to read, & once you are a few pages in to it, you too will be captivated by the gentle pace & fantasticallly realised characters.
