Bernieres, Louis de : Corelli's Mandolin

Literature Annotations

Genre	Novel
Keywords	Catastrophe, Death and Dying, Doctor-Patient Relationship, Father-Daughter Relationship, Freedom, Human Worth, Love, Physician Experience, Suffering, Survival, Trauma, War and Medicine
Summary	Opening during the early days of World War II, this haunting story of love, war, families and nations, good and evil covers 60 plus years in the life of a young Greek woman on the island of Cephallonia. The narrative traces the disruption of the peace of the old village by Italian occupation, German cleansing, and Communist infiltration in developing a history, while revolving around the personal life stories of the island physician, his daughter and her deep and romantic love for an enemy soldier, and the cowardice and bravery of people caught up in the horrors of war.
Commentary	The wise physician, whose village and home are the center of the drama presented in this novel, is both the island healer and a self-declared historian of the ancient Greek culture that evolved there and that informs the almost mythical magic of the story. It is through Dr. Iannis's consciousness that we grow to understand the glory of Greece, and her vulnerability to enemies new and old during and following World War II.
Publisher	Vintage International
Edition	1994
Place Published	New York
Annotated by	Willms, Janice L.
Date of Entry	12/10/96