Corelli's Mandolin: A NovelThe acclaimed story of a timeless place that one day wakes up to find itself in the jaws of history: "An exuberant mixture of history and romance, written with a wit that is incandescent" (Los Angeles Times Book Review). The place is the Greek island of Cephallonia, where gods once dabbled in the affairs of men and the local saint periodically rises from his sarcophagus to cure the mad. Then the tide of World War II rolls onto the island's shores in the form of the conquering Italian army. Caught in the occupation are Pelagia, a willful, beautiful young woman, and the two suitors vying for her love: Mandras, a gentle fisherman turned ruthless guerilla, and the charming, mandolin-playing Captain Corelli, a reluctant officer of the Italian garrison on the island. Rich with loyalties and betrayals, and set against a landscape where the factual blends seamlessly with the fantastic, Corelli's Mandolin is a passionate novel as rich in ideas as it is genuinely moving. |
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Aenos Albanians Alekos amongst Antonia Antonio Corelli Argostoli arms asked Athens beautiful began beneath boys British Bunny Warren captain Carlo Cephallonia Communist daughter dead death doctor Dr Iannis Drosoula Duce everything eyes face Fascist Father Arsenios feel fell felt fight fingers fire Fiskardo flesh Francisco Gandin Germans girl goat going gold sovereign Greece Greek hair hands head heard heart Hector island Italian kapheneia killed kissed kitchen knees knew Kokolios koritsimou Kyria La Scala laughed Lemoni live Lixouri looked Louis de Bernières mandolin Mandras marry Metaxas mother mouth never night Pelagia perhaps pine marten play priest Psipsina realised remember saint seemed shoulders singing smiled snails soldiers someone Stamatis stood stupid suddenly talk tears tell thing thought told took turned Velisarios Venizelist village watched whilst woman wondered young