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wanderingmole's review against another edition
5.0
Characterisation and voice of novel superb. Very enjoyable read. Not too challenging.
loumoopoke's review against another edition
funny
hopeful
relaxing
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.5
Content Warnings
Minor: Rape, Sexual assault, and War
kathypapakyriacou's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
informative
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.5
laticsexile's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
hopeful
informative
inspiring
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
What a wonderful book. To write a novel which is simultaneously very funny, very touching, and very dark is an amazing skill. To say that one didn't want the book to end is a massively overused comment, but is definitely the case here. I also immediately ran to wikipedia to find out more about the massacre of the Acqui division and the Greek Civil War, because the sense of the history and the setting is incredibly strong.
It would have been a 5 star review for sure, but the book paints a slightly rosier view of the British than is probably reasonable. As a Brit myself, I feel justified in docking the quarter point, although I might reinstate it at some point ;-)
It would have been a 5 star review for sure, but the book paints a slightly rosier view of the British than is probably reasonable. As a Brit myself, I feel justified in docking the quarter point, although I might reinstate it at some point ;-)
cemoses's review against another edition
3.0
It is more about the history of a Greek Town in the WWII than a romance which is what I thought it might be.
carolinajfonseca's review against another edition
emotional
funny
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
joejames's review
emotional
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.5
jgintrovertedreader's review against another edition
3.0
Pelagia is a beautiful 17-year-old girl living on the Greek island of Cephallonia when World War II breaks out. The Italians eventually occupy the island and that's when she meets Captain Antonio Corelli, a man who joined the Army because he thought it would give him plenty of time to practice his mandolin.
There were about 100 pages when I was enchanted by this book, from about page 250-350. Everything else was just okay.
The author is a beautiful writer. He's very poetic and his images just leapt to life for me. He's also a very intelligent, multi-lingual writer and my vocabulary, which I think is probably better than average, was not up to the task. Aside from obscure English words, there were bits of Greek, Italian, French, and a smattering of German thrown in for good luck. Wow. I could generally figure out what was going on, but reading this was a little too much like work in some parts. The book is told from many, many, points of view and each voice is very distinct. That's very hard to pull off, so he did get huge points for that.
He also has a little bit of the whole [b:Catch-22|168668|Catch-22|Joseph Heller|http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1242256344s/168668.jpg|814330] thing going on. He shows you the absurdity of this whole war--well, this part of it, anyway--very plainly. But where Joseph Heller chose to show the horrible side of war in a very graphic injury that you've read about for a while before you find out what it is, de Bernières horrifies you and then breaks your heart in a couple of scenes that are ultimately tearfully, achingly beautiful. I'm not a crier, but even I welled up a little. He shows that while war can be absurd, it's also ugly, but our more-human moments shine all the more brightly in its darkness. Just beautiful.
The ending--eh. I saw it coming from pretty far out, so it was predictable but still left me hugely frustrated.
You could probably read my favorite 100 pages by themselves and mostly get it without reading everything else. If you ever have time on your hands at the bookstore, give it a try. Mostly though it was a lot of work for such a short payoff. I see here on GR that "people who viewed this also viewed" [b:Love in the Time of Cholera|9712|Love in the Time of Cholera|Gabriel García Márquez|http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1166052341s/9712.jpg|3285349]. I can see that. So I'll agree. If you enjoyed that one, you'll probably enjoy this one too.
There were about 100 pages when I was enchanted by this book, from about page 250-350. Everything else was just okay.
The author is a beautiful writer. He's very poetic and his images just leapt to life for me. He's also a very intelligent, multi-lingual writer and my vocabulary, which I think is probably better than average, was not up to the task. Aside from obscure English words, there were bits of Greek, Italian, French, and a smattering of German thrown in for good luck. Wow. I could generally figure out what was going on, but reading this was a little too much like work in some parts. The book is told from many, many, points of view and each voice is very distinct. That's very hard to pull off, so he did get huge points for that.
He also has a little bit of the whole [b:Catch-22|168668|Catch-22|Joseph Heller|http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1242256344s/168668.jpg|814330] thing going on. He shows you the absurdity of this whole war--well, this part of it, anyway--very plainly. But where Joseph Heller chose to show the horrible side of war in a very graphic injury that you've read about for a while before you find out what it is, de Bernières horrifies you and then breaks your heart in a couple of scenes that are ultimately tearfully, achingly beautiful. I'm not a crier, but even I welled up a little. He shows that while war can be absurd, it's also ugly, but our more-human moments shine all the more brightly in its darkness. Just beautiful.
The ending--eh. I saw it coming from pretty far out, so it was predictable but still left me hugely frustrated.
You could probably read my favorite 100 pages by themselves and mostly get it without reading everything else. If you ever have time on your hands at the bookstore, give it a try. Mostly though it was a lot of work for such a short payoff. I see here on GR that "people who viewed this also viewed" [b:Love in the Time of Cholera|9712|Love in the Time of Cholera|Gabriel García Márquez|http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1166052341s/9712.jpg|3285349]. I can see that. So I'll agree. If you enjoyed that one, you'll probably enjoy this one too.
nenich19's review against another edition
5.0
DeBernieres displays an exceptionally horrifying talent for writing realistically. The horrors of war, the depressing experience of having to conceal your sexuality in fear of becoming a social outcast, the struggles of the young, love, madness... everything is portrayed so terrifyingly realistically, it's impossible not to love it.
And it's also impossible not to be saddened by it. Other than World War II you get to see the damage civil war has made. It very nearly destroyed the Greek civilization. And all the influences from abroad, America, Russia, United Kingdom only contributed to the demolition of all the values that made up Greece.
It's a novel that made me fall in love with the island life of the old, when things were simple. Today just sucks.
And it's also impossible not to be saddened by it. Other than World War II you get to see the damage civil war has made. It very nearly destroyed the Greek civilization. And all the influences from abroad, America, Russia, United Kingdom only contributed to the demolition of all the values that made up Greece.
It's a novel that made me fall in love with the island life of the old, when things were simple. Today just sucks.