Come talk to me about Captain Corelli's Mandolin

[sassyTHEFIRST]

Am re-reading this furiously to teach to my Alevel Eng LIt group on TUes. It is sooo good, I'd forgotten. The humour! and the stuff about the Italian army in the mountains killing goats and putting their brains inside helmets to extract a few minutes' warmth

One of my favourite books ever. This reminds me to get it for my kindle.

Truly loved this b

Book, (sorry).
Awful awful film.

Oh yes the film is shocking. Louis de B said that he felt about it like a parent would whose ears had been put on backwards (paraphrased, but you get the gist).

Bump - any pearls of wisdom I can stun my Yr 12 with ?

I love this book I named my child after one of the characters (we are a Latin family so could get away with it!)

I think it has an incredible structure weaving between many different voices to show the personal struggle involved in war but also how human issues remain the same. Is it Carlo the gay character? I
Surely this was ahead of it's time in the portrayal - so sympathetic and warm in the way he describes his love for Corelli. I also loved the wisdom spouted by the doctor - I've heard it at sooo many weddings these days.
For me it's the descriptive, poetic quality mixed with his characteristic Latin style ( Louis admits to be heavily influenced by South American writers) which makes it so captivating. I fell in love with Corelli when I read it - I still think about those Mandolin strings holding his ribs together.
Truly rubbish film - apart from John Hurt xxxx

I loved the ending, absolutely bittersweet.

Let's not think on the film though.

I read it in 1994, but remember how much I loved it then. Am I right in remembering it's written from various narrative perspectives. If so, perhaps you could study how the voices are constructed? Must read it again sometime.

am I the only one who hated it. you could see the ending coming already from a mile off, it was so predictable and totally implausible. I really hated the book, more than any other I've read. I think I was enjoying the book till 2/3 of the way through, so the über shit ending was even more offensive.

I loved it. My first De Bernieres and have read most of his other stuff (Birds WIthout Wings my fave).

I may just pull it out again and have a re-read. I actually laugh out loud and cry with all of his books.

I have no wisdom for your year 12s but wish it was on the reading list when I did A Levels.

Oh and please tell me your called your child LEMONI. I so wanted to call my child Lemoni. I have 3 boys so it never happened.

For anyone interested, or who has read other De Bernieres books. Red Dog is out this year sometime, I think summer.

One of my all time faves.

Read it in 1995 and loved it.

Am v jealous of your Y12s who get to read it!

Oh brilliant as I have exhausted all of the others. Although I havet read Labels.

Ernest you are not alone. Made it to the end but did not enjoy the book.

Lovely book. Have you read his " red dog" ?

Adored the book (although the ending was a bit silly), despised the film. Great characters, very funny and very sad.

Maybe I loved it more because I read it on holiday in Kefalonia, which just helped to bring it to life.

Birds Without Wings is a great book too.

He was on the BBC breakfast this morning as film of Red Dog coming out soon. Not read that book but sounded as if I might like it. He was not effusive about the film of Capt Correlli.

I found it so boring, I only got about half way through. Very unlike me, normally I persevere!

It wasn't Lemoni - ha ha - although I love it and Pelagia. It was after
the main man!