For the first 300 pages of CORELLI'S MANDOLIN, I enjoyed great writing, laughed and fell in love with some of the most wonderful characters I've ever known.  For the last 135 pages, I constantly had to put the book down --- I was crying too hard to keep reading.  

Set on an Italian-occupied Greek island during WWII, this is the beautifully-written account of a doomed love affair between a local girl and the Italian soldier who quarters with her family.  This novel has it all --- romance, humor, heartbreak, love, passion, war, sorrow.  About halfway through, I started reading it slower and slower, wanting it to last forever.  

I've had the same two favorite books for the last 20 years.  CORELLI'S MANDOLIN now makes it a threesome.