Just finished reading this and it’s difficult to describe my emotions. I’m moved, saddened, and filled once again with the horrors of war. I also have a new loathing for all types of totalitarian ideologies, whether it be communism, fascism or any other kind of “ism”. They’re supposed to be opposing philosophies, but the end result is much the same. Innocent people get railroaded over. As the author once said, these atrocities are “what happens to the little people when megalomaniacs get busy”.
This book reminds me of two others – Birdsong and 100 Years of Solitude. The first because it gives a vivid description of the miseries of war stripped of all its glamor. The second because it portrays the transition of a family from start to finish. Many people may not like the ending, but that’s what it is. It fits in perfectly with the main theme that happy endings are not always a given. People get screwed over. But don’t worry! It’s not all that bad. The world moves on and new things grow where the old is destroyed. Like “Birdsong”, there is new life coming up all the time.
The story structure seems like a disconnected series of portraits to start off with, but then coalesces around the central storyline. Strangely enough, my first impressions as I started reading was that this was one of the funniest books I’ve ever read! The style of writing and the subtle humor are wonderful. The author displays a remarkable capacity for getting into people’s heads and giving their point of view. He does this with the president of Greece, and the madman Mussolini. Also the hero, heroine, and the doctor in the first chapter. I loved it.
The relationships in this book are very deeply explored. Father and daughter. Girl and first blush romance. Girl and second blush romance. Boy and grandmother. It’s all about relationships. This book is something of a bildungsroman – the style I like so much. Starting with the youth and moving on into old age.
I picked this off the BBC’s “Big Read” which is a list of 100 books to read before you die. And I’m grateful for it. Plays on your emotions like a…mandolin! Starting with a happy uplifting mood, to desolation, hopelessness, heartbreak and then the long road to forgiveness and hope. It’s the lives of everyday people that move us the most. Not kings and queens or mad despotic lunatics. If only “leaders” would just leave other people alone to live their lives in peace, so much misery can be avoided.
Don’t miss out on this one. You might be perplexed at the beginning and wonder where it’s going. But keep at it and you’ll be richly rewarded.
” Starting with a happy uplifting mood, to desolation, hopelessness, heartbreak and then the long road to forgiveness and hope. It’s the lives of everyday people that move us the most. ”
Happy you could see ” forgiveness and hope ” :)
In reply to tp
Have you read the book?