A review by sarahbc93_
Corelli's Mandolin by Louis de Bernières

4.0

This is actually a very nice, sweet story. It took me a little bit of time to get into, and I didn’t enjoy some of the characters as much as I did with some of the others, but I did enjoy being immersed into the world that had been created.

While the story is set in a time and around events that did actually happen, there is an element of a myth to this story, in a way that mirrors the references to mythology within the story itself. There is a nostalgic feel to the story, not just about the time in the 40’s when the Greeks were under occupation, but also a nostalgia for the times of Ancient Greece and all that that time entailed.

I don’t think you can class Captain Corelli as the main character of this novel, especially as he only appears about 200 pages in and doesn’t really do much for the rest of the novel. In my opinion, the Greek inhabitants of Cephallonia are the main characters, with their resistance to and their endurance of the occupation.

Once you get into the flow of this book, it is a lovely read. And it’s one that spans a number of years, not just focusing on one second in time. Because of that, you really get to know the characters and their struggles and you feel for them as you watch them go through their days.