I didn't really want to take out another book as I handed in Captain Corelli's Mandolin, but the librarian suggested it would be a good idea to keep going. She suggested another book by Louis de Bernieres, and the only one she had left was The Troublesome Offspring. Hmm, I though, could be good.
A few pages into the book and I was getting seriously worried. This was nothing like Captain Corelli's Mandolin! Where was the romance, the longing, the adventure? Instead, there was evidence of some magic realism going on, which I love, usually, but I was in the mood for love and romance! However, at some point I realised that I had stopped comparing it to CCM and had started enjoying this book for itself. It is a very quirky story, with magical characters both historical and possibly immortal, as well as plenty of drama, humour, shock, mystery, panthers. It is set in a South American country at a time when Coke is advertising on the moon, but it sounds more as if it was set during the Inquisition and time of the early missionaries.
I really recommend this book as well, although it is completely different from Captain Corelli's Mandolin!
