Rating: 
Summary: Wonderful! It almost redefines what literature is
Review: The book is difficult to get into. At the start there are a number of different threads that make repeated short appearances and it is difficult to see where it is going. What is happening is that the author is sketching in the background details and establishing the characters of an enchanting story. The time taken to do this is more than rewarded as you are gradually transported back in time to the Greek island where most of the story unfolds.The characterization is amazing and has captivated friends of mine from many different nations. However, it paints most of the nations involved in WWII in a bad light. Italians, Greeks, British, Germans and others (not listed to hide some details) are all at one time or another "slated". The book will make you laugh and it will make you cry. It has a magic so potent that when I finished reading it I was stunned...its depth, complexity and range were so vast that I really felt it redefined the word "novel". Everyone I have recommended it to has enjoyed it (although one or two needed a second attempt to get past the first 50 pages). I guess that it will not be straightforward enough for some people but I would really urge anyone to pick it up and try it. Trivia FYI: The book makes a split second appearance in a major romantic comedy on the big screen - I wonder if the star chose what book he would be reading in that scene? Buy it and read it - you will be the richer for it.
Rating:
Summary: Worth the time
Review: While the beginning is a struggle, as others have said, this book is well worth the time you must invest to get to the meat of the book (which starts around page 157). I had thought about giving it only 4 stars for the slow beginning, but decided it did deserve 5 after all. The characters are very real. Parts are hysterical and other parts will make you cry. You even feel for the animals in the story! Not the kind of book I usually read, but it was very enjoyable.
Rating:
Summary: Worth your time.
Review: It's really good. Funny, warm and sad. Definitely a war novel.
Rating:
Summary: Stunning blend of comedy and tragedy
Review: Despite recently finding out that this is Madonna's favorite book (!), I can honestly say this is one of the most moving books I have ever read. In lesser hands this book might have drifted too far into contrivance or absurdity, but de Bernieres keeps the balance letter-perfect between the comic and tragic elements of his epic story. There are characters that breathe off the pages; the juxtaposition of the commonplace in life with the many wonders that make life worth living (as well as the many sorrows that plague it) are blended in just the right amount. I finished the book a week ago and am still on a "high" from it.
Rating:
Summary: Heartwrenching
Review: This is a truly warm, heart wrenching book that intertwines comedy and tragedy with the grace of an extremely intelligent writer. A cross between David Lodge, Robertson Davies and a huge dash of Shakesperian tragedy. The pace and tone of the book change signifcantly as you turn the pages; starting with brilliant humour of village life that I kept wanting to read out to who ever was around me at the time. As the story moves, so starts the tragedy of human lives caught up in the horrendous atrocites of war. Towards the end of the book, you experience the atrocites as if they were your own. The characters of Carlo and Correlli, Pelagia and her father are so real that you live through each step of the story with them even when you would choose not to. The abilty of the author to make me gasp in pain or laugh along is surely a sign of a phenomenal talent - deserved of his awards. All in all, a highly recommended book.
Rating: 
Summary: Will make you cry (but with a smile on your face).
Review: A first warning: This is not an easy read. The book's organization makes the beginning choppy, and somewhat hard to stay focused (or interested). However, persevere and you'll find yourself submerged in a charming (but simple) plot, and a language rich in original and delicate images. The story itself may make you not read it too fast... This is a beautifully told story. And it's beautiful in that special WWII way abot love, friendships, integrity and betrayal, survival and growth in the context of war. When the best of Man meets the worse of Man. The kind of story that makes you cry while smiling; if you liked Cinema Paradiso, not miss this one.
Rating:
Summary: CAPTIVATING!
Review: I can't even begin to express how wonderful I found this bookto be... I was so involved in the plot, the characters' lives, and theCephallonian culture that I would cry for hours during the book's tragic moments, and walk on clouds reading about the characters' love and devotion. It's been nearly a week since I finished it, and I still feel an emptiness inside, a kind of yearning and longing for the warmth and pleasure I found by immersing myself in its reading. I would recommend it to anyone!
Rating:
Summary: A book to fall in love with
Review: I have just finished reading this book, and am in love with the characters. I actually read two other books in parallel with this one, NOT because it was boring, but because I wanted the characters to stay with me, to be alongside me on my daily journeys to and from work on the train. The characters are so beautifully realised, so fleshed out as to be real. I love the multi-person viewpoints from which the book is written. From one character we learn some very personal perspectives about the grim humour and brutality of war, before he actually comes to interact with any of the main characters. The coming together of the protagonists is like a slow dance at first. They edge closer, then circle and then their fate is sealed, explosively. There are some gloriously hilarious passages (the detonation of a mine on the beach comes to mind), and beautiful, sensuous prose. We are, after all, left in no doubt as to the author's viewpoint on the protagonists in the war, his attitude toward Mussolini explodes onto the page. It conveys the Duce as madman so convincingly, very early on, through a stream of consciusness technique. A terrific read, this has gone onto my list of favourite books.
Rating:
Summary: A cross between Catch-22 and Zorba the Greek.
Review: "Corelli's Mandolin," by Louis de Bernieres, is a seriocomic novel about the inhabitants of a Greek island called Cephallonia, during the time prior to and after World War II. The main characters are Dr. Iannis, an intellectual as well as a dedicated healer, and his beautiful daughter, Pelagia. The author slowly weaves a rich tapestry of colorful characters who inhabit this island, from the giant who can perform unbelievable feats of weightlifting to a priest who gets drunk at every opportunity. The tranquil life of these islanders is shattered by the onset of World War II, when the Italians and the Germans invade the island. De Bernieres intersperses moments of high comedy with scenes of great tragedy and violence. This is an anti-war novel as well as a story of love, betrayal and self-sacrifice. It is also a celebration of survival and of the richness of life. "Corelli's Mandolin" is not an easy book to read, since the author flits from one character to another and from one plot line to another very frequently. However, at the end, everything comes together satisfyingly. The novel is poignant and, at times, heartbraking. Overall, the journey to Cephallonia is well worth taking, and I recommend "Corelli's Mandolin" as a fine work of historical fiction.
Rating:
Summary: all De Bernieres books
Review: Alas Louis de Berniere seems to have only written 4 books and yet my life feels incomplete without another. I wish he'd hurry up. He takes you to places one can only dream of going and I long to re-enter his magical, colourful, inventive, often violent and chaotic carousel of worlds.
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