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Bel Canto [Paperback]

Ann Patchett (Author)
4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (82 customer reviews)
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Book Description

Publication Date: 30 April 2002

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.

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Product details

  • Paperback: 336 pages
  • Publisher: Fourth Estate; New Ed edition (30 April 2002)
  • Language: English
  • ISBN-10: 1841155837
  • ISBN-13: 978-1841155838
  • Product Dimensions: 13 x 19.8 cm
  • Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (82 customer reviews)
  • Amazon Bestsellers Rank: 11,146 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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More About the Author

› Visit Amazon's Ann Patchett Page
Ann Patchett
Ann Patchett is the author of six novels, including Bel Canto, which won the Orange Prize for Fiction. She writes for the New York Times Magazine, Elle, GQ, the Financial Times, the Paris Review and Vogue. She lives in Nashville, Tennessee.

Product Description

Amazon Review

In Ann Patchett's Bel Canto, an unnamed South American country, a world-renowned soprano sings at a birthday party in honour of a visiting Japanese industrial titan. Alas, in the opening sequence, just as the accompanist kisses the soprano, a ragtag band of 18 terrorists enters the vice-presidential mansion through the air-conditioning ducts. Their quarry is the president, who has unfortunately stayed home to watch a favourite soap opera--and thus, from the beginning, things go awry.

Among the hostages are not only Hosokawa and Roxanne Coss, the American soprano, but an assortment of Russian, Italian and French diplomats. A Swiss Red Cross negotiator named Joachim Messner is roped into service while on holiday. He comes and goes, wrangling over terms and demands, and the days stretch into weeks, the weeks into months.

With the omniscience of magic realism, Ann Patchett flits in and out of the hearts and psyches of hostage and terrorist alike, and in doing so reveals a profound, shared humanity. Her voice is suitably lyrical, melodic, full of warmth and compassion. Hearing opera sung live for the first time, a young priest reflects:

Never had he thought, never once, that such a woman existed, one who stood so close to God that God's own voice poured from her. How far she must have gone inside herself to call up that voice. It was as if the voice came from the centre part of the earth and by the sheer effort and diligence of her will she had pulled it up through the dirt and rock and through the floorboards of the house, up into her feet, where it pulled through her, reaching, lifting, warmed by her, and then out of the white lily of her throat and straight to God in heaven.
Joined by no common language except music, the 58 international hostages and their captors forge unexpected bonds. Ultimately, of course, something has to give, even in a novel so imbued with the rich imaginative potential of magic realism. But in a fractious world, Bel Canto remains a gentle reminder of the transcendence of beauty and love. --Victoria Jenkins, Amazon.com --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Review

‘A beguiling mix of thriller, romantic comedy, and novel of ideas…Crisply written, immaculately plotted, and often very funny, it is that rarity – a literary novel you simply can’t put down.’ The Times

‘Like the blueprint of operatic performance that she has imported, Patchett slides from strutting camp to high tragedy, minute social comedy to sublime romanticism.’ Alex Clark, Guardian

‘Expect miracles when you read Ann Patchett’s fiction. Comparisons are tempting to the unabashed romanticism of Laurie Colwin, the eccentric characters of Anne Tyler, the enchantments of Alice Hoffman. But Patchett is unique; a generous, fearless and startlingly wise young writer.’ New York Times Review of Books

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews
44 of 45 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars An excellent read! 21 Sep 2002
By A Customer
Format:Paperback
I've just finished Bel Canto and logged on to buy more Ann Patchett. I wasn't intending to submit a review until I saw some of the negative ones here! So what did I like about the novel?
Firstly, Patchett can write. She can also control a novel's development. After 50 pages I was being drawn in but also resenting the focus seeming to be solely on the hostages. However, what gathers pace as you read on is the emergence of the individuals among the young captors. This might not be to everyone's sympathies but for me Patchett avoids sentimentality while showing us the potential other lives of the youngsters involved in the hostage-taking.
I also enjoyed the way Patchett handled the complexities of what might have been a cliche, as the emotional needs of captors and hostages inter-twine. And although I have next to no interest in opera, I was impressed with how she used the power of song to reveal depths previously unknown to the characters themselves.
Unlike some previous reviewers I was struck by her characterisation, including the sense that some of the more minor figures had inner lives that might be developed further - this might also be a slight frustration, as with the priest, for example, who almost slides out of view. But that may be Patchett undermining our expectations.
And finally, I have no problem with the ending. There's one aspect of the outcome that we have always known and another that is a surprise but makes emotional sense. What more do you want?
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22 of 23 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent 12 Oct 2005
By DevJohn01
Format:Paperback
`BELL CANTO' is not the type of novel that I would typically read, much less enjoy, however when I purchased it I was expecting something completely different. What I was expecting was the story about political leaders and prominent businessmen being taken hostage by a terrorist group and the way that they are overthrown (sort of like `Die Hard'). Well....it is a story about political leaders and prominent businessmen (and one of the worlds most talented opera singers) being taken hostage. But it was also a story about love and relationships and the bonds that can be formed between people regardless of race, class, gender or even language.
Okay, I'll admit that it did take me while to get into this book. Maybe because it wasn't what I what I expected or maybe because I didn't quite know where the story was going. But once I did start getting into it I fell in love with the story and how the hostages related to their captors, how the hostages formed friendships with one another despite speaking completely different languages and how they all created their own little world which everyone, hostages and terrorists alike, truly began to enjoy.
I read many of the other reviews of `BELL CANTO' on this site as I always do after I finish a book and noticed that there were many that were less than flattering. And I must say that it is very unfortunate that a few misplaced commas can ruin some peoples experience in reading a story. I enjoyed Ann Patchetts novel for the beauty of the story not for the grammar or editing. Admittedly these are important aspects of a novel but, for me, they do not make or break story, which is why this is one time that I am definitely glad that I did wait until after I was finished with this book to read its reviews. I would not have wanted my experience ruined by searching for grammatical errors!
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16 of 17 people found the following review helpful
4.0 out of 5 stars Go on & read all of her books 13 Aug 2003
By Booksthatmatter
Format:Paperback
I usually avoid books shortlisted for major awards as the hype irritates me, but I did read Bel Canto and was very pleased too! She's a wonderfully elegant writer, deftly sketching in human relationships and building dramatic tension very subtly. I thought the unlikely terrorist leader in this was a superb creation and the mini-tragedies that play out are enthralling. The scenario sounds implausible, but was a skilful way to create an environment artificially isolated from the real world in which the author can experiment with her characters. Very impressive and very surely handled - but don't just read the prizewinner - get your hands on her other books too, particularly the Magician's Assistant
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4 of 4 people found the following review helpful
4.0 out of 5 stars Disappointing ending 19 Oct 2007
By LindyLouMac
Format:Paperback
A great story with a disappointing ending, in fact for me the epilogue was a complete let down. Although I do appreciate it was a difficult story to write an ending for! Up until about the last ten pages or so it was a beautifully told story of the bonds that developed between the hostages and their terrorist kidnappers, despite the many differences in race, culture and language.
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11 of 12 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars one of the best novels i've read 18 Aug 2004
By Joe Sherry
Format:Paperback
Bel Canto is set in an unnamed South American country. The novel opens at a birthday part for a Japanese business man, Mr. Hosokawa, who was wooed to that country for the chance to hear his favorite opera singer, Roxane Coss, sing for him. This is a major event for this South American country, and the Vice President is there (the President declined so he could watch his daily soap opera) and is holding the event at his home. Several other diplomatic officials, priests, and executives from Hosokawa's company are there. Most of the people at this party do not speak the same language. When Coss finishes her last song, the lights go out. When the lights come back on, the building has been taken over by terrorists.
This is only the opening of the novel. This begins a stand off lasting several months between the terrorists and the government of the country. But while the stand off provides the structure to the novel, the heart of it is inside that house. The novel is truly about the relationships between the hostages and also the relationships with the terrorists. Mr. Hosokawa does not go anywhere without his interpreter (he does a lot of international business), so Gen (the interpreter) was by his side at the party. Gen becomes a major player in the house because he is the only one who can communicate between the Spanish speaking terrorists, the Swiss negotiator outside the house, and the hostages who speak various languages (French and Russian, are the two that I can remember).
As the novel progresses, Patchett reveals the disparate cast of characters and who they are and how they came to be at this party. We see deeper into the lives of Hosokawa, Roxane Coss, the Vice President, the French Ambassador, and several others. Read more ›
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
5.0 out of 5 stars Haunting and beautifully written
Gunmen burst into the birthday party of a Japanese businessman in a South American country. The guests are held hostage including a renowned soprano paid to sing at the party. Read more
Published 16 days ago by M. F. Cayley
4.0 out of 5 stars Gorgeous book
I was totally captivated by Ann patchett's artful weaving of this story, which centres on a few very appealing characters caught in an extraordinary situation. Read more
Published 23 days ago by livinleeds
5.0 out of 5 stars Boy the girl can write!
Ok, so this will be a bit of a strange review because to start - not much happens (I think) in the story - as in, the only setting really is the house where the terrorists and... Read more
Published 1 month ago by Ginrah
4.0 out of 5 stars Found without translation
In a botched attempt to capture the president of an unnamed South American dictatorship, terrorists resort to taking hostage a disparate group of foreigners who happen to be... Read more
Published 4 months ago by Antenna
4.0 out of 5 stars Brilliant
I would give 4.5 but i can't so it has to be 4.
This is a treat of characters and relationships formed between captors and hostages. I'm still thinking about them. Read more
Published 5 months ago by Ms R. Mitten
4.0 out of 5 stars Pretty good read for a book group !
I found the book a bit boring, to be honest and the ending a touch over the top, but its a good solid choice for a book club - it certainly stimulated a long conversation at mine,... Read more
Published 6 months ago by t33lady
5.0 out of 5 stars Clever and romantic
This was a selection for my regular book club, I knew nothing about it when I bought it. It is an excellent novel, clever in its use of sub-stories and themes, you read about the... Read more
Published 7 months ago by D. Schofield
5.0 out of 5 stars Good service great book
Book arrived quickly and was in really good condition. Having read a few hit and miss reviews about this book I was a bit concerned that the story would not be up to scratch. Read more
Published 8 months ago by EmmaL
1.0 out of 5 stars Wanted to love it but hated it
Selected for our book club after we all liked 'Run' I so wanted to like this. Struggled a third of the way through then gave up. Boring. Read more
Published 8 months ago by Tulip
1.0 out of 5 stars No magic for me
I had never heard of Bel Canto despite it being short listed for the Orange Prize for Fiction, nor had I heard of Ann Patchett before this was chosen as my Book Group Book of the... Read more
Published 9 months ago by Lucy Literati
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