- Hardcover
- Publisher: Short Books (an imprint of Faber and Faber) (2001)
- ISBN-10: 1904095089
- ISBN-13: 978-1904095088
- ASIN: B001KRSFZ4
- Product Dimensions: 17.2 x 11.6 x 1.2 cm
- Average Customer Review: 2.5 out of 5 stars See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
- Amazon Bestsellers Rank: 2,886,331 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
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Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
6 of 8 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
Initially this book is hampered by the fact that it has been reviewed by Louis de Bernieres. His name, in large font on the front cover, detracts from the author's: Maria Corelli. There is also the added confusion of Captain Corelli. My advice is to ignore it and get your teeth into one of the most fascinating and heart rending short stories of 2001.
Once you enter the world of Maria, it is easy to forget that it is indeed a true story such are her trials and tribulations. The story that follows, which is literally letter to her parents, is both frank and historically interesting. Sixty years on it is sometimes impossible to imagine what people endured through the war for the sake of love and freedom. They risked everything and Maria seems to have lived on a knife edge. The account of her spending three months in the mountains in rural Italy is particularly lucid.
She freely admits that some of her sentences are a little stilted or not entirely fluid since she was away from England for so long and fought to conceal her true identity. This only adds to the authenticity and colour of the story. If anyone is having doubts about whether they would enjoy a book recounting a young woman's experiences of the War in Italy,it was bought for my Mother for Christmas and before New Year, all my family had read it and thoroughly enjoyed it! I think that speaks for itself.
Once you enter the world of Maria, it is easy to forget that it is indeed a true story such are her trials and tribulations. The story that follows, which is literally letter to her parents, is both frank and historically interesting. Sixty years on it is sometimes impossible to imagine what people endured through the war for the sake of love and freedom. They risked everything and Maria seems to have lived on a knife edge. The account of her spending three months in the mountains in rural Italy is particularly lucid.
She freely admits that some of her sentences are a little stilted or not entirely fluid since she was away from England for so long and fought to conceal her true identity. This only adds to the authenticity and colour of the story. If anyone is having doubts about whether they would enjoy a book recounting a young woman's experiences of the War in Italy,it was bought for my Mother for Christmas and before New Year, all my family had read it and thoroughly enjoyed it! I think that speaks for itself.
1 of 4 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
It is difficult to understand how, with the benefit of 50 years hindsight,the author was persuaded to publish this letter.
Yes,it must have been a very traumatic experience for a young woman and the terror of being exposed to the German authorities must have been awful. But in comparison to what was happening to hundreds of thousands of lives all around her at that time, reading about missing singing lessons,the numerous references to the losing of coats and dresses whilst conducting a triangular love affair seems rather insignificant.
The constant references to the "English" army will stick in the throats of anyone who is aware of the thousands of Polish and Scottish troops for example killed at Anzio and Monte Casino. Perhaps all forgivable at the time of writing but hindsight says that this is an interesting family document that should have remained in the family archive.
All this book did was make me angry.
Yes,it must have been a very traumatic experience for a young woman and the terror of being exposed to the German authorities must have been awful. But in comparison to what was happening to hundreds of thousands of lives all around her at that time, reading about missing singing lessons,the numerous references to the losing of coats and dresses whilst conducting a triangular love affair seems rather insignificant.
The constant references to the "English" army will stick in the throats of anyone who is aware of the thousands of Polish and Scottish troops for example killed at Anzio and Monte Casino. Perhaps all forgivable at the time of writing but hindsight says that this is an interesting family document that should have remained in the family archive.
All this book did was make me angry.
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