Bel Canto (P.S.)

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.

Without the demands of the world to shape their days, life on the inside becomes more beautiful than anything they had known before. At once riveting and impassioned, the narrative becomes a moving exploration of how people communicate when music is the only common language. 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.

Ann Patchett has written a novel that is as lyrical and profound as it is unforgettable. Bel Canto engenders in the reader the very passion for art and the language of music that its characters discover. As a reader, you find yourself fervently wanting this captivity to continue forever, even though you know that real life waits on the other side of the garden wall. A virtuoso performance by one of our best and most important writers, Bel Canto is a novel to be cherished.

Average Customer Review: ( 724 customer reviews )
Write an online review and share your thoughts with other customers.

Like the hostages themselves, we get lulled by the harmony and unreality of life within the compound, yet as time passes Patchett delicately conveys a sense of impending doom through the Swiss Red Cross mediator, who himself longs to become a hostage after seeing the community that has been created within the walls of the Vice President's house. Patchett tells us at the beginning of the story what the end will be, and yet creates an aura of suspense as we realize that dreams of the future will never be fulfilled.
There is a surprise ending here that I wasn't sure rang true, but the book stands without it--a wonderful novel!

114 of 121 found the following review helpful:

Intriguing, lyrical, improbable, flawedJun 14, 2002
By Douglas A. Greenberg
In this PEN/Faulker award winning novel, Ann Patchett has created an intriguing and poetic tale based (loosely) on a real hostage taking episode that occurred in Peru in April 1997. *Bel Canto* succeeds in revealing the common humanity that persists behind the oppositional roles and stances shaped by social and political structures beyond our individual control. In these times of wars on terrorism and terrorist wars, this story emphasizes that even the most superficially frightening political fanatics ultimately are human beings with personalities, hopes, dreams, and reasons why, and for that reason alone the novel is well worth reading.

In terms of style and texture, Patchett has endeavored to compose a work that is lyrical and "magical," and she largely succeeds in creating an ethereal, dreamlike mood throughout. As such, however, the degree to which readers ultimately will embrace the novel depends upon their willingness to engage in a "willing suspension of disbelief." Those possessed of any significant degree of skepticism regarding the actual nature of political struggle, small group social psychology, and human behavior generally will find much about which to be dubious, beginning with the notion that ALL of the guerrillas would be mesmerized by Roxanne Coss' operatic singing. They also will look askance at the romantic interludes portrayed here, including the prospect of romance between a superstar American singer and a staid Japanese businessman. Furthermore, the lack of substantive political content is striking and to me, disappointing. It would seem that a lengthy confrontation between desperate rural guerrillas and cosmopolitan luminaries would reveal more insights regarding the social and economic bases for radical grassroots rebellion (and ruling class repression) than Patchett offers here. I must also join the chorus of voices rising in protest against the tacked-on ending, which is just plain horrible.

Despite these flaws, this book is a well-crafted and thoughtful work that once started is hard to put down.

57 of 63 found the following review helpful:

Beautiful SongJun 28, 2001
By Roe P. Wiles
I thought Bel Canto might evolve into an oppressive hostage story, but instead, it is an amazing study of human beings, their universality, and idealized love- certainly a beautiful song. The set-up one can read on the book jacket: Paraphrased, people of various nationalities attend a birthday party for a Japanese techno tycoon who was enticed to attend because his favorite Diva was entertaining. A subversive group takes the entire party hostage, since the group was stymied and disappointed that the president of the Latin nation was not there to be kidnapped and held for political ransom. From this point, the story takes on a momentum of its own, unfolds in a most unusual way, not tumbling to the conclusion, but giving the reader time to savor the moments, the characters, and the writing. I will never again look at a linguist/translator in a casual way. A very "different" novel, easy to read, yet strikingly complex, Bel Canto is strongly recommended. I did not want it to end.

Re Bel Canto , I neglected to mention a couple of important points when I reiterated my enjoyment of the characters. The characters develop unlikely relationships among themselves and between themselves and some of the terrorists, and also, the necessity to establish unconventional routines and fill the time to adapt to the circumstances presents a most intriguing scenario. Unlikely? Perhaps. But perhaps not... My favorite of the summer of 2001.

26 of 27 found the following review helpful:

At times beautiful, at times extremely flawedMay 07, 2002
By Matthew Krichman
If a novel is at once tremendously beautiful and amazingly flawed, how will these two characteristics be reconciled in the final evaluation of the work? Will the flaws be forgiven as minor technicalities, overwhelmed by the novel's beauty? Or are they so intrinsic to the overall work that they cannot be separated, leaving a sour taste in the reader's mouth that even tremendous beauty cannot overcome? Or perhaps they peacefully coexist, allowing the reader to separate them and evaluate them individually. Read Bel Canto, and answer for yourself.

The winner of this year's Fen/Faulker Award, Bel Canto is one of the more beautiful novels I have read in a long while. In an unnamed South American country that bears a strong resemblance to Peru, a group of terrorists sneak into the vice-president's home as he is hosting a birthday party for a Japanese businessman and take dozens of people hostage, including the world-renowned opera singer who had performed at the party. A protracted hostage situation ensues, extending over a period of several months. And during this time, bonds of friendship, trust, and love develop between terrorists and hostages. Relationships that at first glance might seem unnatural or unlikely quickly become meaningful and powerful, full of the most genuine emotion. Love and compassion gradually transcend and overwhelm the adversarial nature of the situation, powerfully reaffirming all the humanity that is common to us all. And the music provided daily by the opera singer serve as a backdrop of beauty, simplicity, and grace, a common language among people from different backgrounds and cultures. Her music brings hope and happiness, and kindles love in the most unexpected of places.

Throughout, Patchett's prose evokes a full range of emotions from the reader. Her writing sings, her sentences dance off the page with grace and beauty. But, alas, this is not a perfect novel. Some flaws are simple ones, errors that any editor should have caught, which makes them all the more inexcusable. In her attempts to sprinkle the text with bits and pieces of Spanish, Patchett unfortunately displays her lack of knowledge of the language by committing grammatical errors that even a first year Spanish student would catch. In her description of a chess game, she mistakenly refers to the horse's head of the rook. And perhaps most embarrassingly, one of her male characters is named Guadalupe, which happens to be the name of the virgin saint of Mexico - most definitely a woman's name. These errors, while egregious for a work of such enormous beauty and magnitude, could perhaps be dismissed as technical, not substantive flaws. But alas, there is a major substantive flaw as well. After writing a novel in which every turn feels so appropriate, Pratchett tacks on a three-page epilogue with a plot twist that seems so out of touch with the rest of the novel that it almost invalidates the beauty of the first 300 pages. And unfortunately, it is the ending that makes the final impression on the reader. I can only hope that it will not also be the lasting impression.

25 of 26 found the following review helpful:

Bittersweet and unusual story about life, love and music.Jan 26, 2003
By E. Bukowsky "booklover10"
"Bel Canto" is a style of operatic singing characterized by full, even tones and a brilliant display of vocal technique. It is also a whimsical and entertaining novel by Ann Patchett.

The book takes place in an unnamed country in South America. A birthday party has been arranged for a prominent Japanese businessman named Mr. Hosokawa. The only reason that Mr. Hosokawa has agreed to come to this party in his honor is that Roxanne Coss, a world famous soprano, is there to sing for the assembled guests. Ms. Coss does sing brilliantly and all seems to be going well. Unfortunately, the party turns sour quickly when a band of revolutionaries breaks into the house and holds the guests hostage.

Patchett, in a display of literary virtuosity, brings the characters in "Bel Canto" to brilliant life. With wit, humor and pathos, the author shows how living in close quarters with strangers sometimes brings out the best in people. Mr. Hosokawa, who is usually a businesslike automaton, blossoms into a sensitive and caring individual under the influence of Roxanne and her lovely music. Gen Watanable, who is Hosokawa's translator and secretary, falls in love with one of the female revolutionaries, and his life also takes off in unexpected directions.

Patchett touches on many themes in "Bel Canto," such as the power of glorious music to touch our souls and the importance of seeking beauty and romance in our lives. Since the world we live in is sometimes a barbaric place, it is not always possible for peace and love to flourish. Therefore, Patchett seems to be saying, it is vital to seize those rare moments in our lives when we can enjoy everything that is wonderful and amazing around us.

"Bel Canto" is marred by a pace that is a bit too leisurely and by a somewhat unsatisfying conclusion. However, overall it is an entertaining novel that is notable not only for the author's development of character, but also for her imagination, originality and wonderful use of language.

See all 724 customer reviews on Amazon.com