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Captain Corelli's Mandolin

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Captain Corelli's Mandolin

By: Louis de Bernieres
Narrated by: Michael Maloney
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It is 1941 and Captain Antonio Corelli, a young Italian officer, is posted to the Greek island of Cephallonia as part of the occupying forces. At first he is ostracised by the locals, but as a conscientious soldier, whose main aim is to have a peaceful war, he proves in time to be civilised, humorous - and a consummate musician. When the local doctor's daughter's letters to her fiancé go unanswered, the working of the eternal triangle seems inevitable. But can this fragile love survive as the war gets closer and the lines are drawn between invader and defender?

©1994 Louis de Bernières (P)2012 AudioGO Ltd 20th Century Fiction Genre Fiction Historical Historical Fiction Literary Fiction Military Protector Romance War Heartfelt Witty Tear-jerking
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Having seen the Hollywood version of Captain Corelli's Mandolin I was interested to see how well they had adapted it for the big screen. I have tried to read this book a few times but found it quite difficult to get into, however I have to say that the story is wonderful! and much, much better than the Hollywood version (no surprize there!). I wasn't entirely sure about Michael Maloney's reading of it at first, he reads quite quickly in parts but once I got used to it I found it a gripping listen. The story pulls no punches and all the futile and heartbreaking points of war are retold alongside a love story. If you thought you knew this story from the film then I urge you to try this, you will not be disappointed!

Wartime love story with hard facts!

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A beautiful story - both funny and sad in equal measure. I thought the narration was superb and added even more to the characters and storyline. Simply fantastic. A must listen!!!

absolutely wonderful

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What about Michael Maloney’s performance did you like?

The breadth of his characterization and the emotional involvement he brings to passages whether moving, amusing, historical or horrible is excellent and brings this great book to life.

A great book performed beautifully

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This is a thoroughly enjoyable book. It as a little darker than I had expected but no worse for this. The only reason I gave this book 4 rather than 5 stars is that it felt, to me, to have a rather long epilogue with a sizable break from the principle stories in the final third. I was not as engaged as I had been but there was a sense that it was building towards something. Michael Maloney did a solid job but I did not feel he brought to life the secondary characters well enough - some slightly lazy voices. Would still recommend this without reservation.

Very enjoyable

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Have generally focussed on traditional classics but, after a period of dystopian novels, felt like something more upbeat. Ignore the title and ignore the film. This is a beautiful, modern classic. There is plot, character development, comedy, pathos. It has it all. Laugh out loud funny and tears of sorrow. Combination of excellent source material and excellent narration make this a five star review.

PS I have listened to many audio books and this is the first one I have been inclined to review. My reasoning is that many traditional classics are covered well elsewhere but a mediocre (I am told) film has changed the perception of what is an excellent book.

Amazing

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