Captain Corelli's Mandolin by Louis de Bernières
This book would not have been my first choice of reading material, and certainly not for a plane ride to the US, but my housemate and travelling companion was the one choosing our mutual reading material and she had a desire to read this book. As it turned out, it took much longer than the trans-Pacific flight for either of us to finish the book, but that was due to our life circumstances and not the book.
Captain Corelli's Mandolin is a cross between a war novel, a coming of age novel, and a love story, and in all three areas it works very well. A word of warning though, as a war novel, it is quite graphic. I am not sure that pictures would have been less graphic than the descriptions. I know war is never pretty and that is a reality we should not hide ourselves from, but at the same time, I prefer my leisure reading to be less real. That said, do not let the descriptions in the book put you off the idea of reading this book. The love story will be reward you in the end.
I thought about stopping a few times to find where the places mentioned are, and whether they are real or fictional. But the idea of bringing knowledge of the real world into the world of the book seemed to ruin the world of the book, so I kept the map and historical research until after I had finished. And yes, most events and places mentioned are 100% completely real, though I am sure there is a heavy dose of fiction in the descriptions and characters. Those characters are engaging, and I even found myself mad at the author for what happened to them -- one in particular -- but again, that comes back to the this being a war novel and war is never pretty.
The characters in the book grow, some better than others. It is an interesting adventure to watch how the war affects their lives. The paths they have set for their lives are twisted and turned round and round in circles until they, and the reader, are sure nothing will ever work out. But it does, for everyone.
As I mentioned, it took over a month for us to finish this book, but the time spent with friends was rewarded, and never seemed as long as it was while we were visiting. I have long believed that the best books draw readers into their world. This book did just that. By the end, the reader is feeling the world of the book.
*** Note:
An internet search reveals that a movie was made based on the book. I am not sure that was a good idea, and I am positive that Nicholas Cage cannot do Captain Corelli justice. I may at some point seek out the movie, but more than likely I will leave this as a written word indulgence.
One Bear's Opinion: Five Cups of Strong Coffee and a Plate of Biscuits for Dipping
Happy Reading Everyone,
Oliver
