Rating: 
Summary: A stunning book
Review: It reminded me of "100 years of Solitude" by Marquez, masterful story telling with some truly wonderful passages of sublime prose. It had the feeling of truth, of a story that was real in a very human sense. It's been about a week since I read it yet it still says with me, the characters, the situations and the vivid rendering of the Greek island.A fantastic novel.
Rating:
Summary: A masterpiece of turn of the century literature
Review: I recently had the good fortune of stumbling upon Corelli's Mandolin. It was a absolutely incredible book whose characters will stay with me for the rest of my life. I cannot recommend it enough.
Rating:
Summary: One of the most moving stories I've read.
Review: The characters in this story come alive. You love them and share in their pain of love and war. The story moved me so deeply that at one point, I was sobbing so hard I could bearly read. The only disappointment was the end. It almost seems the author got tired of writing and ended it in a rather trite manner - but even that does not detract from the wonder of this book. I recommend it for both men and women.
Rating:
Summary: Reminded me of the magic of John Fowles' "The Magus"
Review: This book was unputdownable - once I had really begun to sympathise with the characters. The Greek Islands exert a magnetic spell (in both books), and de B. has certainly been able to capture that. In fact, the book is suffused with a heady, intoxicating, and sublime delirium that served completely to draw me into its world outright! And love is a central theme too - love of love, and love of life - and love in giving life. Corelli's presence in his music, is the magic of the soul ...
Rating:
Summary: A wonderful world which you are reluctant to ever leave.
Review: De Berniere's depiction of Cephallonia is at once magical and entrancing. He creates wonderful scenes and also a powerful sense of interaction between characters and the community as a whole. The romantic in you wants a happier ending earlier in the novel, but this cannot detract from the sheer power of sentiment which he manages to create. The novel is less dark than some of de Bernieres other works, and this is perhaps another of its virtues. I reccommend this novel to everyone - and have yet to find someone who hasn't enjoyed it. Unfortunately it is one of those novels which makes you regret that a book has to have a start and an end.
Rating:
Summary: Wonderful characters, fantastic writing, read it now
Review: I bought this book in 1996, read the first three or four chapters, thought 'God this is a bit dull' and put it back on the shelf. Last year I picked it up again after hearing someone rave about the book, persisted past the four chapter barrier and found myself in a world that felt totally real. This is simply one of the best books I have ever read and my only regret is that I didn't devour it sooner. It is entirely absorbing with a vast gallery of sympathetic characters who remain true to their characters throughout (and once you get to know the people, those first few chapters are a pleasure to re-read). The end of the book left me feeling almost bereaved - an effect I have only experienced once before, at the end of the Tales of the City cycle when Mary Ann abandons Brian and San Francisco. I actually found myself almost in tears on the Tube during certain chapters - it's very embarrassing when tourists start to stare! Yes the ending is disappointing with its rollercoaster rush into the present - I really disliked it - but it isn't unbelievable. There is an element of stubborn pride in Corelli that makes his actions credible. Life IS disappointing; little sweethearts like Lemoni grow up, friends and relations die and lobster-coloured lager-drinking English tourists do invade island paradises. One other thing, the writing in the book is so beautifully precise - How about you? Read it now, to do otherwise is to take self-denial to ridiculous extremes.
Rating:
Summary: a whole new look at wwII on the level that really matters.
Review: This book is said to be the book that all the official reviewers ignored until the weight of popular opinion forcibly changed their minds and they began to recommend it themselves. This book will draw you in, lavish itself upon you and will never let you down. Just when you thought hope and human kindness had disappeared in the brutality of the second world war this book lifts you up to the highest heights and allows your spirit to swoop and soar on a roller coaster of emotions. And just when you think it's over and done telling it's story think again and read the last chapters behind closed doors if you don't want to be publicly seen sobbing and weeping with happiness. You'll never regret reading this book and be amazed that the author writes with such maturity, this being only about his third published title. GO ON SPOIL YOURSELF
Rating: 
Summary: Wonderful book to read.
Review: I read de Berniers' Captain Corelli's Mandolin over the weekend and felt the same way I feel when I read books by Marquez. As with Marquez it takes awhile before the distractions in my head recede to the point where I can appreciate the complex and intricate rhythm of the words and then I am hooked. The text is extraordinarily dense and rich with meaning about life and love and packed with historical information.The ending was a disappointment, or more precisely, the approach to the ending was a disappointment.
Rating:
Summary: The Mandolin of Peace
Review: Captain Corelli's Mandolin tries to find a way to peace in this violent world. It shows how people can discover love in the middle of a terrible war, and how love can endure huge sacrifices and survive long years of suffering. It is a fascinating book, and I loved to translate it into Portuguese, mainly because I like Greek culture very much. I learned a lot with this book and hope I have the opportunity to translate other books by him. If we can feel the strings of this Mandolin inside us, like Captain Corelli, the world will be a nice place for everyone.
Rating:
Summary: My first really really good read in ages.
Review: The novel concerns the wartime occupation of a minor Greek island during World War II. On the way, you will encounter Hitler, Mussolini, Eisenhower, and Churchill...but they will seem all the lesser personages once you have finished. The tone of the story is for the most part light, and the humor is aloof and sublime - something like a cross between Catch-22 and Oscar Wilde. The characters seem real and believable, and it is this quality which will move you all the way through the story. Throughout the summer day romances, the wartime deprivations, and post-war rebuilding, you will laugh, cry, gasp, and shake your head in wonder...De Bernieres is that good a writer. Unlike many of the novels dealing with war, this one knows the fine line between tragedy, and profanity. With a knowing touch, the author can sadden you profoundly with a chapter concerning the war, and heroic sacrifices of men you have come to recognise as flesh-drawn characters, without resorting to the usual gamut of horrific dismemberment and disgust to which many writers resort. Any death is gripping without being gruesome, and the liveliness of the characters more than redeems the mood. Some earlier reviewers have complained about the ending, I noticed. I would agree that it is unconventional, but I am frankly stuck as to how it could be improved upon. (Try writing your own if you can, and if it is good enough, I suspect it would be so good that it would be publicable without even any introductory story...) If you haven't read the book, do so right now - or over the next week - and see if I'm right or wrong. Even if I am as wrong as Chamberlain, you won't regret having read the story!
|
