It seems like it has taken me ages to read this book. The fact is it has, and that is due to the fact that I didn’t enjoy it much, and was not motivated to read it.
I really struggled to get into the story, as it was really slow. It wasn't until I was gone halfway through that I started to become more interested. This was a shame as I had heard good things about it, and fully expected to love it. But it wasn't to be.
I did enjoy the story of Pelagia, and finding out about her life with her doctor father Iannis. In particular I liked reading about the relationship between Pelagia and Antonio Corelli, an Italian captain with a love for music and life. It was interesting seeing her initial hate and distrust of him turn to love, and when they were separated I felt her pain. This relationship for me summed up the feelings of women during the war, the fear of your loved one going off to fight and never returning. It also had a kind of Romeo and Juliet feel to it, as he is an Italian soldier positioned on the Greek Island during the war, and she a Greek woman forced to accommodate him in her house.
However the chapters focusing on Pelagia and Antonio were mixed in with chapters focusing on other characters, including soldiers fighting in various places. I found this distracting, and wanted to be back with Pelagia’s story.
The last quarter of the book was my favourite, because it stayed with Pelagia, telling us what happened to her and her family. We saw her grow older, adopt a child and open a bar. The ending was sweet, but I did feel resentment for the lost years of Pelagia and Antonio. I won’t spoil the story by revealing what happens though.
All in all I think the most amusing thing about this book was that I kept calling it Captain Corelli’s Manderin by mistake.
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