Bel Canto

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Excellent! submitted by ashflowtuff on July 13, 2011, 7:42am This is an excellent book and I would highly recommend it to anyone who enjoys fiction. The story is very compelling - you are drawn into the intense situation and connect with so many of the characters. It is one of my favorite books that I've read in the last few years.

Perfect Rainy Day Read! submitted by leigh27 on June 24, 2012, 11:18am I really enjoyed this book. It's an interesting storyline and beautifully written. The characters are well-developed and I really cared about them. It's mostly a very mellow story, the kind you can settle into and savor. I highly recommend this book.

Relationships are so well depicted submitted by Susan4Pax -prev. sueij- on June 26, 2014, 10:26am I couldn't put this down... but at the same time, it doesn't feel all that memorable. What an odd combination.

The topic certainly doesn't inherently interest me: a failed Third World abduction attempt leaves the revolutionaries with a house full of unintended hostages, most of whom don't speak the same languages. The evening's performer, an opera singer, is the sole woman still held captive.

I think what the author did well that really captured my attention was the slow and intricate development of relationships throughout the capture. While the length of the scenario struck me as unrealistic, what happened inside the house was a fascinating look at *people*... and that always holds me when it's well done.

Captivating submitted by biblej on June 17, 2021, 7:59pm Captivating psychological read.

Good Writing submitted by cdunlop on September 30, 2023, 6:02pm In an unspecified South American country, an army of terrorists emerges from the jungle, taking hostages at an opulent birthday party. The party is being given for Katsumi Hosokawa, CEO of a large Japanese electronics company, which the host country hoped could be persuaded to build a plant there. Mr. Hosokawa was persuaded to attend only because he was promised that Roxanne Coss, an opera soprano whom he idolized, would be present to perform. But the intended hostages were not the party goers; the target was the country's president. The president had made a commitment to attend the festivities, but excused himself at the last minute because he could not be drawn away from a TV soap opera that he regularly watched. Given his absence, the terrorists had to settle for what was available.

Negotiations fail. Months pass. Tensions develop, but are gradually relaxed. The novel chronicles the changing relationships that develop between the terrorists and their captives. Roxanne Coss’ singing melts the hearts of people on both sides. It's not clear whether this is truly a case of Stockholm Syndrome, but forbidden amorous relationships even develop in a few instances. Roxanne discovers a gifted child protege among her fellow hostages. Eventually, a rescue is attempted, with some tragic consequences.

Perhaps inspired by the Japanese Embassy Hostage Crisis of 1996 in Peru, Ann Patchett nicely captures the unfolding events of her fictional creation, highlighting incremental developments that take place over its extended duration. Notwithstanding some improbable drama, and an epilogue that is not a logical outcome of what preceded it, Bel Canto is a verbal bel canto, whose ultimate point, it appears, is that art ultimately triumphs because human feelings are universal.