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Corelli's Mandolin: A Novel | 
 enlarge | Author: Louis De Bernieres
Publisher: Vintage
Category: Book
List Price: $14.95
Buy Used: $0.01
You Save: $14.94 (100%)
Rating:  400 reviews
Sales Rank: 48328
Media: Paperback
Pages: 448
Number Of Items: 1
Shipping Weight (lbs): 0.6
Dimensions (in): 7.9 x 5.2 x 1
ISBN: 067976397X
Dewey Decimal Number: 823.914
EAN: 9780679763970
ASIN: 067976397X
Publication Date: August 29, 1995
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
Shipping: Expedited shipping available
Shipping: International shipping available
Condition: Cover wear and may contain some marks or writing. Keen Northwest ships in 2 business days or less. Refunds for any reason if item returned within 30 days of shipment.
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| Editorial Reviews:
Amazon.com Review
In the early days of the Second World War, before Benito Mussolini invaded Greece, Dr. Iannis practices medicine on the island of Cephalonia, accompanied by his daughter, Pelagia, to whom he imparts much of his healing art. Even when the Italians do invade, life isn't so bad--at first anyway. The officer in command of the Italian garrison is the cultured Captain Antonio Corelli, who responds to a Nazi greeting of "Heil Hitler" with his own "Heil Puccini," and whose most precious possession is his mandolin. It isn't long before Corelli and Pelagia are involved in a heated affair--despite her engagement to a young fisherman, Mandras, who has gone off to join Greek partisans. Love is complicated enough in wartime, even when the lovers are on the same side. And for Corelli and Pelagia, it becomes increasingly difficult to negotiate the minefield of allegiances, both personal and political, as all around them atrocities mount, former friends become enemies, and the ugliness of war infects everyone it touches. British author Louis de Bernieres is well known for his forays into magical realism in such novels as The War of Don Emmanuel's Nether Parts, Senor Vivo and the Coca Lord, and The Troublesome Offspring of Cardinal Guzman. Here he keeps it to a minimum, though certainly the secondary characters with whom he populates his island--the drunken priest, the strongman, the fisherman who swims with dolphins--would be at home in any of his wildly imaginative Latin American fictions. Instead, de Bernieres seems interested in dissecting the nature of history as he tells his ever-darkening tale from many different perspectives. Corelli's Mandolin works on many levels, as a love story, a war story, and a deconstruction of just what determines the facts that make it into the history books. --Alix Wilber
Product Description
Extravagant, inventive, emotionally sweeping, this rich and lyrical, heartbreaking and hilarious novel has been widely hailed as a classic. Set on the peaceful island of Cephallonia, just as the horrors of World World II reach its remote shores, Corelli's Mandolin is "an exuberant mixture of history and romance, written with a wit that is incandescent" (Los Angeles Times Book Review.
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| Customer Reviews: Read 395 more reviews...
 Lyrical, Lovely Novel That Far Surpasses Expectations December 19, 2008
delicateflower152 (Texas)
Having seen the 2002 Nicholas Cage movie "Captain Corelli's Mandolin", I was prepared to be disappointed by this novel. I thought the movie was weak, so I expected the book on which it was based to not be much better. Of course, I should have known that even a good book can be made into a poorly done movie. In the case of "Corelli's Mandolin," the movie did no justice, whatsoever, to this fine book.
"Corelli's Mandolin" is witty and wonderful. DeBernieres writes with consummate skill, using words to paint unforgettable scenes and characters. He takes the reader into the lives of individuals who are forever impacted by world events beyond their control. Yet, these individuals do triumph. Although some may question whether failing to move beyond a lost love is actually triumphing over circumstances, Pelagia is able to build a business and raise an orphaned girl while never truly forgetting Corelli.
In many ways, "Corelli's Mandolin" reminds me of "A Bell for Adano" and "The Secret of Santa Vittoria." It captures the ethnic nuances of the locale in which it is set; it defines the people living there in terms of their culture, and it does so with love and with empathy.
"Corelli's Mandolin" is an intelligently written book encompassing love, war, personal triumph and tragedy, and a myriad of other themes which all combine to form a beautifully written book. The characters are strongly written; each is distinct and each has his or her own personal drama. These individual conflicts are skillfully woven together to form the overall story. I did find the ending of the book a bit disappointing and would not have rated the book as highly had the entire work been similarily written. However, overall it is a five star read.
If you are looking for a book that will touch your emotions, but rises above the schmaltz to provide some thought-provoking ideas, you will enjoy Corelli's Mandolin. This is a book you will want to savor without distraction or time constraints.
 So beautiful, until it fell apart June 30, 2008
Julie Hedlund (Lafayette, CO)
I thought this was one of the best books I ever read until the last 100 pages. Then it felt like the author just ran out of steam and tried to quickly rush through and tie everything up, covering many years in the process. It just didn't work given the beauty and complexity of the story up to that point. If not for that, I would have given it five stars easily.
Captain Corelli's Mandolin...Bernieres' masterpiece June 30, 2008
R. Nicholson
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
An unique love/war story.
This is my favorite of the two De Bernieres' novels I own; the other being 'Birds without Wings', which is excellent, but just not my first choice.
The novel is set in Greece during the Nazi/Italian occupation during WW II . It's a tale of the hardships during occupation, the Greek resistance and an developing relationship that begins between one of the Italian officers and Greek girl.
I simply loved this story. The prose is exquisite; it just makes you want to read on and on. And, despite the fact there was a war going on, there is an atmosphere of high romance and intrigue through out this novel, associated with not only the war, but the developing love story as well.
Conclusion:
Louis De Bernieres' very best work. Superb, skillful writing that has resulted in a tale well told and beautifully presented.
5 Stars, more if I could
R.Nicholson
 Enjoyed it, but... April 15, 2008
Avid Reader (Snellville, GA United States)
I truly enjoyed this book. For me, it was a welcome foray into a semi-alternate universe, and truly worth the trip. My only qualm was the fact that Pelagia's reaction at the end was, in my opinion, just as a man would write it, not quite as a woman would actually live it. I was unconvinced, and ended up feeling like I had to compensate for her incomplete reaction by engaging in my own...if that makes any sense at all. Anyway, nuff said, don't wanna spoil it. Highly recommended it regardless.
Book Review of Corelli's Mandolin December 27, 2007
J. Naud (Sacramento, CA)
This is a great book. I highly recommend it. It's a well written love story, similar to Love in the Time of Cholera.
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