Bel Canto

by Ann Patchett

In the interest of keeping this blog somewhat fresh, I thought I'd review a book that I have read recently. I am still in the midst of Moby Dick, but it is taking a while, and I hate to leave my book reviews sit for as long as I think it may take me to finish it. This is not a two or three day novel. But on to Bel Canto.

Here is an excerpt directly from Ann Patchett's webpage. This book is described below more eloquently than I could put on the page.
Somewhere in South America, at the home of the country's vice president, a lavish birthday party is being held in honor of Mr. Hosokawa, a powerful Japanese businessman. Roxanne Coss, opera's most revered soprano, has mesmerized the international guests with her singing. It is a perfect evening -- until a band of gun-wielding terrorists breaks in through the air-conditioning vents and takes the entire party hostage. But what begins as a panicked, life-threatening scenario slowly evolves into something quite different, as terrorists and hostages forge unexpected bonds and people from different countries and continents become compatriots. Friendship, compassion, and the chance for great love lead the characters to forget the real danger that has been set in motion and cannot be stopped.

I really enjoyed this book. Another virtual discussion group selection, I read this whole book in one day. I just couldn't put it down. I was drawn in to the intimacy of the hostage situation, and rooting on some of the different people. I got to know both the hostages and the captors, and I so desperately wanted all their hopes and dreams to come true. This book showed how people with nothing in common can completely become one society, and how that society can manage to function. It was wonderful to see how the language barrier quickly was overcame. And how, while each person started the hostage crisis thinking only of themselves and their loved ones on the outside, they eventually thought only of the others with them. They very quickly adapted to "this is how life is now" and lived each day accordingly.

Bel Canto means "beautiful song" in Italian, and it truly was a beautiful song. This book was definitely worth my time to read, and I do believe that I will read it again. I will be looking for more from Ann Patchett in the near future, as this book was so wonderfully written. I will confess that I was not happy with the ending. But I think that was because by the end of the book, I felt I had become personally invested in what happens to these people...I will stop there, because this is simply a must read. It was wonderful.

I did purchase this book, so if there is someone who lives nearby and would like to borrow this book, please don't hesitate to ask.