Ann PatchettBel Canto

In an unnamed South American country, a birthday party is being held for Japanese businessman, Mr. Hosokawa, in the hopes that he will bring business to this poor country. The only way he could be lured to this country was to see Roxane Coss, a famous opera singer revered by Hosokawa. The international party party is taking place at the home of the country's Vice-President, Ruben Iglesias. But after Roxane has finished singing, the party is interrupted by a terrorist group who plan to take the President hostage so they can get others in their group released from prison. The only problem...the President decided not to attend the party so he could watch his favorite soap opera. The terrorists now don't have the leverage they need but they can't just free the hostages, so the women are let go except for the famous opera star and the remaining hostages and terrorists spend months waiting for demands to be met. But relationships develop between captors and their prisoners, despite circumstances and the language barriers of the guests from around the world. The one thing that seems to bring them together is their love of Roxane and the beautiful music she provides until their time together must inevitably end.I have had this book on my shelf for years. I don't know what took me so long to read it. I loved Run and The Magician's Assistant, titles also by Patchett. A discussion on twitter revealed many others loved Patchett but had not read this book. It also received mixed reviews, those that loved it and those that could not finish it.I am definitely in the loved it group. Patchett is am amazing writer, very lyrical and beautiful. Opera and terrorism seem to be odd in the same book plot but Patchett made it work. This is not a fast read and is a novel to be savored. It isn't political but about relationships that develop in unusual circumstances. All become used to their situation. Roxane discovers one of the young captors has an amazing voice and wants to help him become an opera star. Gen, Mr. Hosokawa's interpreter becomes the interpreter for the group and learns many secrets and falls for a young woman in the terrorist group. Ruben wants to adopt another of the young captors, a boy who has become like a son to him. They stop thinking about what is happening in the outside world as I did. But a hostage situation can not go on forever. The ending comes suddenly and the very ending surprised me and I'm not sure whether it was believable or inevitable.Regardless, this was a beautiful story and if it is sitting on your shelf, pick it up and read it already!my rating 5/5

Started out a bit slowly, but became a page turner. Now I must go listen to some opera!A book that will not soon leave your thoughts.

Rated this high because it was very unique and I loved how the backdrop of opera was used. At times it got a little tedious and somewhat redundant and I read hurriedly ; but then times when I loved the interwoven back ties and the lives f both the captors and terrorists . Good depictions of the Stockholm syndrome - Ending epilogue was a surprise. I'd definitely recommend for true readers .

"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.

“…years later when this period of internment was remembered by the people who were actually there, they saw it in two distinct periods: before the box and after the box.” (p161)In a word cloud summarizing reviews of this book, the phrases “Stockholm Syndrome” and “power of music” would likely loom large. Fair enough – there’s no denying that together these phrases accurately describe the story’s scaffolding. But don’t make the mistake of thinking you now have this novel figured out.Despite the setting, this is a surprisingly calm, poignant and thoughtful story. Expect deep insights into the human condition. You’ll come to know some extraordinary characters, and encounter moments of both understandable weakness and quiet courage. You’ll explore the nature of language and communication in ways that might affect your worldview. The climax and epilogue are pitch perfect; I disagree strongly with a prominent review that describes them as “abrupt” and “puzzling”.Yes, a few of the events and circumstances may not quite feel credible. But isn’t this also true of real life (and accounts of real life)? Don’t overthink things – just sit down and enjoy this incredible story.

Beautiful writing. End was a bit disappointing.

Book came in perfect condition and arrived when it was supposed to.As for the story itself I didn't enjoy nearly as much as some of her other work. I understand it's a love story but I didn't find this one a bit boring.

It had a hole in the cover that traversed several pages. See photo.

This is the third book by Ann Patchett I have read and my favourite so far, although I also enjoyed The Dutch House. Inspired by real events, it is an imagined, a 'what if', work of fiction and I assume that what would intrigue a novelist is the long period of time that the terrorists and hostages co-existed. The novel introduces us to a wide range of people of varying nationalities, ages, backgrounds, education and viewpoints, separating husbands and wives because all women hostages apart from Roxane Coss are swiftly released. This leaves her as one of only 3 women in total living in the Vice President's house, surrounded by its 10' high garden wall. Ann Patchett describes how, over time and through circumstance, many new bonds are forged and, as the 'real' world recedes, for some the desire to escape does too. Central to the novel is the theme of communication: where communication between terrorist and the Government is lacking, communication through language and music (opera) in particular informs much of the plot, which is why the interpreter/ translator Gen and the opera singer Roxane are two of several key figures. Like many other reviewers, I wasn't sure about the epilogue, but it didn't spoil the novel for me. Ann Patchett is very good at describing, with a great deal of charm, humour, and empathy, the inner consciousnesses of a wide range of characters, creating effective vignettes of minor characters as well as the main protagonists. For me, her prose has clarity, wit and, from time to time, sentences of sheer lyrical beauty. It is descriptive, but not pretentiously so. It is certainly my favourite of the books I have read in the last two years and I look forward to her next novel.

Language, music, love and violence. This beautifully written story is both surprising and engaging. I couldn't put it down and feel bereft now that I've finished it.

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