Rating: 
Summary: Skip the last seventy pages
Review: The beginning of "Corelli's Mandolin" is brilliant. The writing is exquisitely crafted, with attention to detail in development of plot, character and setting. The scenes of battle are vivid and horrific, building a nice contrast with the picture of an island that we know is only waiting for its fate under fire. All in all, the first 356 pages of this book were wonderful, the kind of book that is a pleasure to read and to recommend to one's friends.After such a beginning, the last several chapters of the book were a terrible disappointment. The author turns from an engaging character study of human beings in times of crisis and tries to condense the post-war history of a specific Greek island into seventy or so pages. In the interest of "history" his characters' integrity and readers' credulity are strained and violated. By the end of the book I was so exasperated with the vapid, insensitive ending that I had to reread portions of the first half to remind myself of why I had liked it so much. Win some, lose some. Best to quit while you're ahead....
Rating: 
Summary: I loved it!
Review: I really really really really enjoyed this novel. Beautifully, creatively, humorously, thoughtfully, written. There is nothing about it I didn't like, except -- just a little bit -- the ending. One of the main characters just didn't seem to be acting like himself. Just a small criticism though. Overall it was a very enjoyable reading experience. I stayed up til 4 in the morning to finish it because I just had to know what happened.
Rating: 
Summary: Letting in the light
Review: My message to the self-confessed 'elitist' reviewer is: read this book and, in your own words "then you can judge whether or not Captain Corelli's Mandolin is really 'great' literature". Your general point on the merits of 'difficult' books is well made, but until you've read Corelli, how do you know the novel isn't what it's claimed to be? I had similar prejudices about John Irving and was proved (delightfully) wrong. The reviewer from Texas does himself no credit by puerile name calling. I too enjoy Nick Hornby, but I'd hardly classify him as great literature (nor would Hornby himself, to be fair). Likewise for Auster (I don't know Tyler's work). For that matter, John Fowles is a little out of depth in that pantheon of literary greats, although that's just my opinion. In summary, open your mind and you may be pleasantly surprised by the light.
Rating:
Summary: Thank you Senior de Bernieres
Review: All we have to say is that two of us, Connie and I individually, kissed this book when we were through. This is a book that you'll want to take you're time with - savor every word. Corelli's Mandolin is truly (sorry if it sounds cliche) a gift to the world from Sr. de Bernieres. We recommend this, and anything else by de Bernieres, to anyone, anywhere that loves a beautiful, funny, and endearing story that will fill you with joy and absolutely no pain.
Rating:
Summary: It must be read.
Review: This book is a fine example of one that you cannot put down. It is written in such a fluent manner that your eyes dance along every page, but it is not just the style that makes it so addictive, so does the content. Louis writes with immense passion and clarity that it seems as though all the senses are engrossed in the novel - the smell of the olive tree, the vision of the crystal clear water, the sweet sounds of Cpt Correli's mandolin. It seems inevitable that a movie will be produced from this book, but as always, it will never evoke the same emotions as that of the book.
Rating: 
Summary: EXTREMELY BIASED POLITICALLY
Review: Captain Correli's Mandoline is one of the best books i have ever read, and it is surprising how a foreinger has captured so well the Greek reality in another language (English). It is a gifted book indeed. HOWEVER, this actually becomes a problem when Louis De Bernieres tries to re-create the political atmosphere of the times. Having seen how accurately he describes the Greek life, environment, characters etc, it is hard to believe that his appreciation of the political situation was 'an accident' or a mistake. I tend to believe that he used his book for right-wing propaganda, and this really awfully stains a masterpiece: The only 'communist' character that De Bernieres includes in this book is a caricature of an uneducated, vulgar, illiterate man that becomes a 'devil' in the paradise named Greece (and Leukas). This is not only morally distasteful, but also historically inaccurate. I have to inform his readers, that the Communist Party in Greece is the place to find heroes, martyres, academics, artists, and many intellectual people. It still has a persisting 10% of the trust of the Greek public in the Greek Parliament, although even the socialist party that is governing for almost 20 years now is definitely not right wing. All 'socialist' oriented people in Greece are is more than half the population, and they all despise the cold war (especially the role of the US in it). In the way things are presented in the book though, De Bernieres would have us believe that at least 10% of the people of Greece are illiterate and vulgar. The reality of course is different: These people were chased like animals even when 'peace' was made and treaties were signed. They suffered exiles, torture and all sorts of hardship. Even their relatives could not find a job. People that today look common, old, suburban, etc, have been trough hell in their lives only because they wanted to support their ideas, most of the time peacefully. They are the living victims of the cold war, and it appears that Louis De Bernieres has not noticed that the cold war has to end someday. Maria-Stella Aloupie Biologist
Rating:
Summary: Don't bother.
Review: The only reason I finished this book was because it was reading for a book group. It is very slow reading till about pg 200. The ending stinks. Made me want to throw it against the wall!
Rating:
Summary: Super read
Review: I thought Corelli's Mandolin was a super read. De Bernieres' mastery of plot, characterisation and history were so real! I felt like I knew the characters and was so sad when I finished the book! I take offence at that "reviewer" who hadn't even read the book, as I consider myself a good judge of literature - I have read Anne Tyler, Paul Auster, Nick Hornby and all those other great writers and none of them is as good as Louis de Bernieres. What a dickwad!
Rating:
Summary: A Remarkable Piece of Work
Review: When I've heard about the book, I faced all the "5 stars" given to it with some disbelief. I guess that me being Greek -and especially coming from the area that the story takes place-, i did not think that an English writer would capture the essence, the tradition, the culture of Greece; a culture so diferent to any other, and especially during the 40's. But I was wrong. Everything is described with the finest detail and the book has the deepest understanding of the time, the people, the scenery, the feelings, the war. The devostation and the survival. Love and hope. Greece and Greeks. Humanity in general. I felt many times the need to congratulate Mr De Bernieres. He wrote a story strong and human. A story that makes the reader laugh, cry, associate. And he also managed to capture the essence of a whole era and tradition, in the most beautifull way. I would encourage every reader to take a deep dive into this remarkable piece of writting.
Rating:
Summary: Takes a little time but worth it
Review: Although the character introduction to this novel is fragmented--they each have a chapter to themselves and the rest of the book is spent in the subsequent interweaving of their lives, the prose De Bernieres employs is gorgeous. The descriptions of war atrocities and the ensuing devastation to familes, Greece, moral etc... are gut wrenching. Many times I had to stop and just cry for heroic acts by Carlo, pain for Pelagia, and hatred towards the whole idea of war. One of the emotional ties made with readers is the fact that the characters are real and developed. The literary tool of bouncing between third and first person was confusing at first but enables the characters to let us in on their thoughts. Had the novel been written in entirely third person or from the Dr.'s point of view, much would have been lost. The only let down was the ending. It seemed to me that during the course of the novel, the characters took on a life of their own, motivatied internally. Yet the ending seemed to be externally brought about and then resolved by the author. It just didn't seem to fit the characters involved.
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