Reviews with content warning for Death - Corelli's Mandolin

This is a romance second, maybe even third; more like a drama. First, it is a touching and heartbreaking story of an island wracked by war, and one family’s experiences in particular.

The writing is amazing, cynical yet eloquent, with lots of moments of levity interspersed. I was reminded pleasantly of Vonnegut’s biting irreverence and outlandish plots.

It’s mostly third person but changes as needed. The story unfolds in short chapters that occur chronologically. These chapters mostly narrate our main family, but occasionally deviate to side characters or pivotal events. This seems frivolous at the time of reading, but every chapter intersects with our main story by the end. These seemingly dropped but later interwoven threads give the story a wholeness and sense of context in history.

I had no idea how close to true events this novel stuck - it only makes it more poignant. The plot slows briefly around page 200 and then again around page 370, however for such a long and deeply historical book it was remarkably readable. The characters are larger than life and so lovable. I hesitate to call them realistic, since they can verge on caricatures at times, but they work with the story. Again, very Vonnegut.

For a book that starts out so mundane, and whose writing is intentionally ironic, I admit- I almost cried multiple times. This is war, after all.

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dlrosebyh's review against another edition

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emotional medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

3.25

the ending ruined it, sorry

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michaelsbirthday's review against another edition

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emotional funny reflective sad slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.5

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introverted_reads's review against another edition

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adventurous emotional hopeful sad medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

5.0

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empeddle's review against another edition

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emotional funny hopeful inspiring lighthearted sad tense slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

5.0

Never has a book made me feel so much than this one, I cried so much reading this.

Carlo made me so sad

this book felt so real because it's like I loved it and I was laughing out loud at some bits but ngl sobbing at others. Takes a while to get into because you need to have some kind of knowledge of Greece/Italy around WW2 but would 100% recommend it to anyone.

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