Dr. Iannis resides on the Greek island of Cephalonia with his daughter Pelagia, who has acquired medical knowledge through her observations of her father's practice.

Meanwhile, Carlo Guercio, a closeted homosexual, fights alongside the Italian forces invading Albania and witnesses the tragic death of his beloved Francesco, for whom he harbors deep affection, at the hands of the Greek army.

Bernières has denied that the character of Corelli is based on Amos Pampaloni [it] who was then an Italian artillery captain in Cephalonia, despite the many similarities in their stories.

The Orlando Sentinel called Corelli's Mandolin a "radically traditionalist" novel, "a good nourishing tale full of true things, historical and psychological, spiced with opinion and contrariness, with not one dollop of regard for artistic fashion.

"[5] The Cleveland Plain Dealer praised the multiple emotional levels of the novel, remarking, "Like Puccini, de Bernières can evoke golden narrative, full of both pain and gladness.

"[6] Gene Hyde wrote, "To defy Sisyphus and rebel against the absurd, especially in the face of war, is an excruciatingly difficult and noble task.

It was narrated by Tom Goodman-Hill, with Celia Meiras as Pelagia, Stephen Greif as Dr Iannis, Daniel Philpott as Corelli.

Following its UK tour, the production transferred to London's West End at the Harold Pinter Theatre from 4 July to 31 August 2019 starring Alex Mugnaioni as Captain Antonio Corelli and Madison Clare as Pelagia.

In 2024, CYRESSA editions have announced the release of Captain Corelli’s mandolin, a graphic novel adaptation of Louis de Bernières' best-selling novel, produced by Arnaud Ribadeau Dumas.

This unique collaboration between Louis de Bernières and Arnaud Ribadeau Dumas combines the author’s powerful literary style with the narrative and graphic talent of the French illustrator.