Captain Corelli's Mandolin

This book is profusely saturated with sesquipedalian confabulation, narrative and history. The plethora of sumptuous wording can at times feel grandiloquent whilst simultaneously being vastly amusing.

The ephemeral delectation of a story being told lies in the both subtle and encompassing display of the scenery, the characters and the events, without sounding dreary and unimaginative. De Bernieres does not always succeed in steering away from that.

The story that de Bernieres unfolds is one of delight and melancholy with a thorough and disconsolate veritable historical account of WWII on the Greek island Cephallonia.

I gave the book 3 stars, because although it was an entertaining and English vocabulary enriching book the lead up to the end was tedious. It was clear and strong its historical aspects whilst maintaining the storyline. The narrative was not too cheesy and the love story was not too sappy. According to goodreads I then end up with 3 stars. I liked it.

I adored the first 3 quarters of the book, it was wonderfully written and I fell in love with the characters (esp Dr Iannis), however, after Corelli's departure I thought the story was rushed and disjointed. The ending depressed and frustrated me. Despite that, the novel is absolutely wonderful and I look forward to reading it again in a few years.