Stack of Spines

My selection of Corelli’s Mandolin began after a discussion with my cousin about books that made us stay up late, blink the tears away, and use our sleeves to wipe our running noses because we’re incapable of pulling ourselves away for even the sake of decency.  She said this was one of those books, while I claimed that A Thousand Splendid Suns was my most prolific sob-fests.

Imagine my surprise when I discovered this was so much more than a love story.  The opening scene is near the top of my list as far as opening scenes go.  deBernieres has a sense of humor that makes me want to buy him a grove of olive trees.  Corelli didn’t appear until almost halfway through the book, and I confess I wanted to give up more than once.  The last half certainly made up for the first.

Corelli’s Mandolin takes place on the island of Cephalonia in Greece, and the events of WWII that happened there were also island-like when compared to the rest of the war in Europe.  The characters form their own little microcosm and deBernieres has his own idea of what a plot should look like.  It’s a book that ten people will read and each have different opinions on what they loved right beside what they hated.  Even if you enjoy this book, something will annoy you to no end.  And if you hate it, you’ll find a character you love.  There is local pride mixed with political strife combined with love, loss, uncertainty, and a host of other emotions that will keep you guessing just what is on the next page.