Bel Canto
- Authors: Ann Patchett
- Series:
- Type: Novel
- Genres: Mystery
- Rank:Top 1000 in Best Coming of Age Fiction Books on Amazon
- Rating: 4.7 based on 49 reviews
- Release Date: November 5, 2024
- Print length: 352 pages (Hardcover)
About the book
The poignant -- and at times very funny -- new novel from the author of THE MAGICIAN'S ASSISTANT, shortlisted for the Orange Prize. Latin terrorists storm an international gathering hosted by an underprivileged country to promote foreign interest and trade, only to find that their intended target, the President, has stayed home to watch his favourite soap opera on TV. Among the hostages are a world class opera singer and her biggest fan, a Japanese tycoon who has been persuaded to attend the party on the understanding that she will perform half a dozen arias after dinner. The tycoon's engaging and sympathetic translator plays a vital role in the subsequent relationships between so many different nationalities closeted together, interpreting not only the terrorists' negotiations but also the language of love between lovers who cannot understand what the other is saying. Ultimately, it is the terrorist strike that does more to promote foreign relations than anyone could have hoped to achieve with the party.
Accolades
Praise for Bel Canto
Bel Canto has all the qualities one has come to expect from a classic Ann Patchett novel: grace, beauty, elegance, and magic.
A novel that showcases Patchett's profound understanding of the heart.
Bel Canto invites readers to explore new and unfamiliar territory, to take some emotional risks rather than stand with Rolland among those 'already saved.'
A provocative and enchanting look at the power art has to suspend real life and to create a better world, one in which the differences between people can be erased and the barriers to our best selves can be hurdled.
One approaches the final pages with a heavy heart for several reasons, not the least of which being that this fine read has come to an end.
Combining an unerring instinct for telling detail with the broader brushstrokes you need to tackle issues of culture and politics, Patchett creates a remarkably compelling chronicle of a multinational group of the rich and powerful held hostage for months.
Bel Canto moves elegantly through its paces, captors and captivates alike stumble on that most elusive liberty: the freedom to be.
In more ways than one, Bel Canto is about finding beauty in unexpected places.
Handwritten notes in the margins reveal the kind of insider tidbits you didn’t even know you were dying to know….A conversation about a masterpiece…with the actual master.
Patchett’s ability to evoke sense of place...is near magical in itself.
This fluid and assured narrative, inspired by a real incident, demonstrates her growing maturity and mastery of form as she artfully integrates a musical theme within a dramatic story.
Patchett can be counted on to deliver novels rich in imaginative bravado and psychological nuance.
A strange, terrific, spellcasting story.
Blissfully romantic... with engaging wit and brilliant writing about love, Patchett has crafted a seductive, romantically charged novel...
A book that works both as a paean to art and beauty and a subtly sly comedy of manners.
Patchett’s tragicomic novel-a fantasia of guns and Puccini and Red Cross negotiations-invokes the glorious, unreliable promises of art, politics, and love.
Positively spellbinding.
A fascinating look into an author's mind [that] will make for such a unique reading experience.
Tremendous fun... Rereading this terrific novel with [Patchett]... is a master class in fiction writing conveyed in marginalia that has the tone of an ideal dinner conversation.
Bel Canto is its own universe. A marvel of a book.
You'll find a few hours of entertainment and maybe even a strange yearning to be kidnapped.
About the author
