Captain Corelli's Mandolin

Captain Corelli's Mandolin, is the story of the war. Based in Greece, a small family trying to survive. The young Pelagia, the doctors daugter, is betrothed to a Man who fights in the war, and doesnt return her letters.  They then must host an Italian Soldier, station on their island. At first Captain Corelli is ostracised by the locals. But he proves in time to be civilised, humours and a consummate musician.

Why read - Recommendation from Mark, told me it was really good (he hasn't read it himself but knows people who have).

The book took me a little while to get into, but after the opening chapters I was hooked.  It was different than expected from the blurb on the back of the novel, but still followed the romantic, war stricken theme that I expected.  It felt like an old classic, a timeless novel, that should be read and studied.

It had a lovely flow to it, and it felt realistic, you could believe what was happening and you could see the time changing in this book.  It felt like a historical piece as much as a fiction novel.  It was very moving as you watched her grow up and times change. Although, the decision by the author for the ending was  a little frustration, and you almost wished he went the other way.  For the horrors and heartbreak that Pelagia went through, you wanted her to have her 'fairytale ending" in whatever form.

Overall however, I think its a great book. One that should be read as a 'classic' despite its relatively new status.  Its one that picks up war stories from the heart, from what people saw and felt, and from a completely different perspective, i.e. from a small island. And that despite the war affecting everyone around the world, and the hell and heartbreak it brings, small seeds of love and community helped people to battle through.