It is 1941 and Captain Antonio Corelli, a young Italian officer, is posted to the Greek island of Cephallonia as part of the occupying forces. At first he is ostracised by the locals, but as a conscien-tious but far from fanatical soldier, whose main aim is to have a peaceful war, he proves in time to be civilised, humorous - and a consumate musician. When the local doctor's daughter's letters to her fiance go unanswered, the working of the eternal triangle seems inevitable. But can this fragile love survive as a war of bestial savagery gets closer and the lines are drawn between invader and defender?
| ISBN | 0749397543 | | Pages | 544 | | ISBN13 | 9780749397548
(What's this?) | | Weight (grammes) | 354 | | Publisher | Vintage | | Published in | London | | Imprint | Vintage | | Previous ISBN | 9780749385057 | | Format | Paperback | | Height (mm) | 197 | | Publication date | 01 Jun 1995 | | Width (mm) | 129 | | Non-book description | B | | Spine width (mm) | 30 | | DEWEY | 823.914 | | Academic level | General | | DEWEY edition | DC20 | | Alternative ISBN | 9780754053484 |
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"Brims with all the grand topics of literature -- love and death, heroism and skull-duggery, humor and pathos, not to mention art and religion...A good old-fashioned novel."--"Washington Post Book World""An exuberant mixture of history and romance, written with a wit that is incandescent"--"Los Angeles Times Book Review""Stunning...A high-spirited historical romance...Remarkable."--"The New York Times Book Review""His novel will give pleasure to all sorts of readers. It is also so good that it will last."--A.S. Byatt writing in "Evening Standard""Captain Corelli's Mandolin is an emotional, funny, stunning novel which swings with wide smoothness between joy and bleakness, personal lives and history...it's lyrical and angry, satirical and earnest."--"Observer""A wonderful, hypnotic novel of fabulous scope and tremendous iridescent charm."--Joseph Heller"It is funny, heartbreaking, and horrifying in its fictional testimony....Captain Corelli's Mandolin, delightful and sad, comic and at the same time nearly unbearable in its portrayal of European darkness during the war, is a tour de force depiction of the triumph of life over evil by one of Europe's great comic writers of our time."--"Booklist""Dazzling....a fabulous book in the tradition of Tolstoy and Dickens....So joyous and heartbreaking, so rich and musical and wise, that reading it is like discovering anew the enchanting power of fiction."--"San Francisco Chronicle"
This book is a fantastic window into Cephallonia around the time of the Second World War and after. It is humorous and poigniant - at the same time a reminder of the true cost of war and a detailed comment about human nature. It rekindles a sense of hope in love and mankind, while at the same time encouraging you to mourn for the monsters we can become...
Witty, funny and truly unique, this book is essential. -
Sophie LawrenceA great story of love and loss set against a dramatic, sad and yet heroic back drop. Corelli is evocatively told by author able to capture Reality and the Fantastic which prompts tears and belly laughs. Who wouldnt have wanted to live in de Bernieres pre-war Cephallonia, and glad you didnt have to suffer it after the German invasion. Magic. -
Paul Curtis - Blackwell Library Suppliesde Bernieres has created an exceptionally moving story, switching between first and third person to allow the reader a real insight into the characters, their minds and their perceptions of the other characters. I would urge everyone to avoid the pitiful screen adaptation and read this book, a story of love in all its guises. -
bec walton - Bookseller, Blackwell, Nottingham
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