Bel Canto

I've been curious to read another Ann Patchett book ever since reading State of Wonder, which left me a bit unsure about reading more from the author. State of Wonder was fine, but of course, who is looking for just fine. So I ended up reading this novel - one of Patchette's early (4th) and most acclaimed novels, and I have to say, I really loved this book. The writing style was captivating, but of course the mark of a good novel is to make you really feel you both understand and care about the characters, and Bel Canto didn't let me down, right from the first page. Loosely based on the Japanese hostage crisis in Peru, the novel goes deeply into the minds, motivations, and actions of both the hostages and the terrorists. A very big thumbs up from this reader.

Ann Patchett has a way of taking the unexpected and turning it into something extraordinary, and Bel Canto is a perfect example of that gift. Inspired by real-life events, this novel starts with a terrifying hostage situation - gun-wielding insurgents storm a lavish party at a South American vice president’s home. But instead of a straightforward thriller, Patchett weaves a strangely beautiful, almost mystical story. As days turn into weeks, and then into months, captors and captives find themselves bound together by unexpected friendships, unspoken understandings, and even love. The writing is, as always, stunning. Patchett crafts an atmosphere where time seems to stand still, where language, nationality, and circumstance barriers melt away in the face of human connection. Opera - particularly the mesmerizing voice of soprano Roxanne Coss - becomes a symbol of beauty amid chaos, a reminder that life can hold moments of wonder even in captivity. While the ending may feel abrupt compared to the slow, dreamlike pacing of the novel, Bel Canto remains an unforgettable meditation on love, art, and the blurred lines between hero and villain. It is a truly unique and moving read.

A masterpiece from Ann Patchett. Her stories, her lyrical, descriptions, the people she creates, the painful events are like a beautiful song. Their music will last for me forever.

This is an unusual story. It all takes place in one house, the home of the country’s vice president. Rebel gurillas hold a group of rich and influential internationals. The story is about the bonds and loves that form in such a strained situation

"Bel Canto" is a mixed bag, with moments of eloquence and understated humor undone for me by lack of dramatic tension, an abrupt ending and a puzzling epilogue. I really like what Patchett attempted with "Bel Canto." It's a quirky comedy of manners in an unlikely setting: a hostage situation in a South American nation brought on by rather mild-mannered "terrorists" and involving a cosmopolitan group of foreign nationals, including a famous American opera singer. What unites the disparate characters over months of siege is love of beautiful music, embodied first by the diva but manifested through other characters as well. There are some truly lyrical passages in which individuals express how they are transported by the diva's singing, notably the humble priest's belief that her talent is a gift from God that brings listeners nearer to God. The book, whose elements of unlikely romance, miscommunication and violence parallel that of many operas, pays homage to the humanizing influence of music. There is delightful humor woven throughout the book. One hilarious scene has a clueless captive, to everyone's horror, asking the diva whether she can cook for them. Her response is priceless. When the captives require knives to cut vegetables to prepare food, they must rely on the terrorists who, in short time, are crying over onions in the kitchen. In drawing this humanistic portrait, dramatic tension is sacrificed. There are long stretches in which nothing happens. Because the author is so even-handed toward everyone, there is no one with suspect motives or even at cross purposes with others. The characters are all charming but not very deep. The motives of some of them are baffling and some are just sacrificial plot devices. The story comes to an abrupt climax and there is a tacked on epilogue that I'll bet few readers saw coming. The whole conclusion could have been written in a more satisfying manner (not to make it happily-ever-after, just to make it clearer as is). "Bel Canto" has passages of real charm and beauty that I felt could not sustain the whole book. Even so, I look forward to reading Ann Patchett's other work.

lovely to read, but always a weird ending with Patchett. I still read her books though! I prefer her nonfiction. It always feels like something is just missing with the fiction endings - except for Tom Lake, which I loved.

This is a perfect novel, it is a remarkable tale of humanity, in all of its love, beauty, ugliness and heartbreak, bravo!

良い状態で期日前に届きました。ありがとうございます。

Historia buenisima Engancha conmueve y no puedes dejarla Muy bien escrita!!!

Starts off beautifully...loses its way half way through... a pity

Super!

Dopo aver letto "Commonwealth" della stessa autrice, volevo leggere ancora un libro scritto da lei. E ne valeva la pena. Altrettanto bello se non di più.