Captain Corelli's Mandolin
De Bernieres, LouisHumorous novel about a young Italian officer who is posted to a Greek island during World War II. [Small font]
Comments from Groups
We either loved this book or never quite got into it! The ones who loved it, loved the characterisation and the juxtaposition of everyday life within the tragedy of war. Dunedin 061Leaves the reader with lots of disturbing thoughts about the futility of war and the loyalty of the men carrying on knowing it was futile. Descriptions of personallities delightful. Opoti 001Very hard to get into But...I loved it once I got throught the tricky first quarter. Northland 001Beautiful. Loved immensly by all. We concluded our meeting by watching the movie - a lovely movie by itself but an empty shell compared to the richness of the book. Auckland 227Very highly rated resulting in lots of stimulating discussion. Whakatane 008
Pages
436
436
Year
1994
1994
Reviews
05-09-2022
We loved the book - a little hard going at first but worth persevering.
05-09-2022
We all found this a well-written and very interesting book - a great look at a history of which we knew very little and which provoked intense discussion.
05-09-2022
Lovely story which the majority of the group enjoyed reading. It was interesting learning about the history of the war. The interplay with the characters was enjoyable and we had a good discussion.
05-09-2022
Although many of us had read this already ( many years ago) we loved re-visiting it - great characters, historic background, and we love his writing style.
01-09-2022
Only half of our group managed to complete this book. They found it hard to deal with all the detail. Those that did finish it really enjoyed it however.
01-09-2022
Unfortunately not all of us got to finish the book, but those that did really enjoyed it. We found the book to be emotional and it gave great insight into personal lives and the history of the Greek islands. Some had seen the film but enjoyed the book more.
01-09-2022
We were all impressed by this book. We liked the characters and the way they continued with life despite the chaos that surrounded them. Some incidents were difficult to read due to their horrific nature, but the author carried us through these by his use of humour and glimpses of everyday life which interspersed the historical details.
01-09-2022
Everyone loved it. Good discussion (not always on topic) especially on history. Just loved De Bernieres' use of language.
01-09-2022
Brilliantly told story with drama, comedy and tragedy at various intervals. We learnt about the history of Cephallonia. Wonderful characters showing courage, spirit and honour. There was the violence and dislocation of war, with the innocent and inexperienced manipulated by ideology.
01-09-2022
Many people had read the book before and enjoyed the opportunity to read it again. It has rich language. It should be noted that the small text is hard on older eyes!
01-09-2022
Mixed reviews - slow. Sad, realistic portrayal of the destruction of war.