Synopsis (credit: back cover)

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 but far from fanatical 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 — a member of the underground — go unanswered, the working of the eternal triangle seems inevitable. But can this fragile love survive as a war of bestial savagery gets closer and the lines are drawn between invader and defender?

Winner: Commonwealth Writers' Best Book 1995.
On the 1001 Books You Must Read Before You Die List.

(Bought second-hand at Central Library, Drill Hall, Cape Town.)

The book forms part of my permanent collection.

-- There is more than one copy of the book on my bookshelf --

Having read his Birds Without Wings, I had high expectations of this book. I wasn't disappointed.

With its tight weave of storylines through several decades of history, it is essential background for anyone interested in understanding the phenomenon that is Greece.

The mastery of Louis de Bernières is that it never becomes a history lesson. He understands people and how they are affected by what's going on around them. Not one of the many characters struck me as unrealistic or unconvincing. And with this author there is something extra: one gets the impression he loves his characters.