What do you think?
Rate this book
Bel Canto
Na casa do vice-presidente de algum país da América do Sul, uma elegante festa de aniversário está sendo realizada. O homenageado é o Sr. Hosokawa, poderoso empresário japonês. Roxanne Coss, soprano de fama internacional, fascina os convidados. É uma noite perfeita – até que um bando armado invade o local pelos dutos de ar-condicionado e torna todos os convidados reféns. O objetivo inicial era sequestrar o presidente, mas ele ficou em casa assistindo à novela. E assim, desde o início, nada sai como o esperado.
No entanto, o que começa como um cenário de pânico e risco de vida evolui para algo completamente novo, com terroristas e reféns desenvolvendo laços inesperados e pessoas de diferentes países agindo como compatriotas. Compaixão, amizade e a possibilidade de um grande amor levam os personagens a esquecer a ameaça real que os cerca.
390 pages, Kindle Edition
First published May 22, 2001
About the author
Ann Patchett
77 books29.9k followersPatchett was born in Los Angeles, California. Her mother is the novelist Jeanne Ray.
She moved to Nashville, Tennessee when she was six, where she continues to live. Patchett said she loves her home in Nashville with her doctor husband and dog. If asked if she could go any place, that place would always be home. "Home is ...the stable window that opens out into the imagination."
Patchett attended high school at St. Bernard Academy, a private, non-parochial Catholic school for girls run by the Sisters of Mercy. Following graduation, she attended Sarah Lawrence College and took fiction writing classes with Allan Gurganus, Russell Banks, and Grace Paley. She later attended the Iowa Writers' Workshop at the University of Iowa and the Fine Arts Work Center in Provincetown, Massachusetts, where she met longtime friend Elizabeth McCracken. It was also there that she wrote her first novel, The Patron Saint of Liars.
In 2010, when she found that her hometown of Nashville no longer had a good book store, she co-founded Parnassus Books with Karen Hayes; the store opened in November 2011. In 2012, Patchett was on the Time 100 list of most influential people in the world by TIME magazine.
She moved to Nashville, Tennessee when she was six, where she continues to live. Patchett said she loves her home in Nashville with her doctor husband and dog. If asked if she could go any place, that place would always be home. "Home is ...the stable window that opens out into the imagination."
Patchett attended high school at St. Bernard Academy, a private, non-parochial Catholic school for girls run by the Sisters of Mercy. Following graduation, she attended Sarah Lawrence College and took fiction writing classes with Allan Gurganus, Russell Banks, and Grace Paley. She later attended the Iowa Writers' Workshop at the University of Iowa and the Fine Arts Work Center in Provincetown, Massachusetts, where she met longtime friend Elizabeth McCracken. It was also there that she wrote her first novel, The Patron Saint of Liars.
In 2010, when she found that her hometown of Nashville no longer had a good book store, she co-founded Parnassus Books with Karen Hayes; the store opened in November 2011. In 2012, Patchett was on the Time 100 list of most influential people in the world by TIME magazine.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 23,812 reviews
June 1, 2016
Let me preface this review by saying that I know this a disproportionately emotional review, but it's my review and my emotions and it is what it is.
In 1996, the home of the Japanese ambassador to Peru was taken hostage by guerillas during a party and held for 126 days until the home was raided by military force killing all the insurgents, many executed after they surrendered. At a time when Peru suffered an undercurrent of terrorist activity, president Fujimori was praised for his handling of the crisis and his approval rating soared. Since then, the commanders in the Peruvian army have been on trial for homicide but granted amnesty because they were praised as national heros. President Fujimori himself is in prison for human rights violations, not from this incidence, but still an interesting side note since those loss of rights are linked to his low tolerance for terrorist activity. A very interesting story that happened in Peru, a country with a name and a history more interesting than opera, but this I'm afraid was not that story.
It upset me to realize that Patchett was using a piece of Peruvian history with no intention of telling a story of Peru or its political unrest or even including a proper description of the country. She only refers to "the host country" or "this godforsaken country" in a vague brush of one of those South American countries that aren't very important or distinct. Did she neglect to put Peru in the story because it defames the country or really is it that they just aren't interesting enough to her? I know I shouldn't be offended that she dedicated this whole book to an opera singer who wasn't even part of the crisis and even gave it an Italian name, but a little bit I am. Even the "about the book" section is dedicated all to loving opera without a mention to the actual crisis that inspired the events.
There is a passage in the book about Roxane, the opera singer, singing a Czech piece and Gen, the translator, notes the distinction between knowing the words and speaking the language and only someone who spoke the language would see the lack of understanding. Maybe my reading this book was a little like that. I felt like I was reading two books simultaneously. The one about opera with vague, inaccurate concepts of an unnamed Peru where, if I had let Patchett guide my visual picture of the book I would have imagined the Von Trapp house stuck in the middle of the Amazon jungle. And the other of what I know about Peru and the crisis situation, trying to meld that visual to this story.
I realize that this is a piece of fiction and Patchett has the artistic license to write a fictional description of the crisis anyway she wishes, but I didn't like the story she chose to tell. A hostage situation is intense, but even the takeover she stretches through wanderings of the love of opera and manages to dull it so that not even the hostages seem anything other than mildly putout. Maybe it's because I'm not a opera lover (there are opera pieces I enjoy, but as a whole it's not something I seek out), but I found it unbelievable that all these people (most of them men) would be so mesmerized by an opera singer and all of them fall in love with her and her music. I felt as though Patchett was using this story as a vehicle to force me to love opera and me on the other side of the pages resists for nothing more than the force of her request.
It took me over 200 pages to get into this 300-page story and the only thing that eventually drew me in and saved it was the relationships between the hostages and their captors. In a normal setting I may not have believed it, but I did of the generally humble Peruvians, which is why the country should have been vital to the story. It took Patchett awhile to get there, but eventually I did like the characters. Even though I knew how it would end, I was anxious for the conclusion, to avoid inevitable tragedy. I could have done without the epilogue that was unnecessary and cheap. If Patchett wanted to include an epilogue, maybe she should have included one about the actual events. Or maybe it's all too appropriate that Peru was ignored. Okay, I'm done with my Peruvian inferiority complex over here. Feel free to talk about the actual story in your review or in the comments section.
1.5 stars, somewhere between a book prevented from being a great story and a book that upset me according to my own star ratings. I did find some merit in the book by the end, but it wasn't enough to overcome Patchett's inability to research her setting.
In 1996, the home of the Japanese ambassador to Peru was taken hostage by guerillas during a party and held for 126 days until the home was raided by military force killing all the insurgents, many executed after they surrendered. At a time when Peru suffered an undercurrent of terrorist activity, president Fujimori was praised for his handling of the crisis and his approval rating soared. Since then, the commanders in the Peruvian army have been on trial for homicide but granted amnesty because they were praised as national heros. President Fujimori himself is in prison for human rights violations, not from this incidence, but still an interesting side note since those loss of rights are linked to his low tolerance for terrorist activity. A very interesting story that happened in Peru, a country with a name and a history more interesting than opera, but this I'm afraid was not that story.
It upset me to realize that Patchett was using a piece of Peruvian history with no intention of telling a story of Peru or its political unrest or even including a proper description of the country. She only refers to "the host country" or "this godforsaken country" in a vague brush of one of those South American countries that aren't very important or distinct. Did she neglect to put Peru in the story because it defames the country or really is it that they just aren't interesting enough to her? I know I shouldn't be offended that she dedicated this whole book to an opera singer who wasn't even part of the crisis and even gave it an Italian name, but a little bit I am. Even the "about the book" section is dedicated all to loving opera without a mention to the actual crisis that inspired the events.
There is a passage in the book about Roxane, the opera singer, singing a Czech piece and Gen, the translator, notes the distinction between knowing the words and speaking the language and only someone who spoke the language would see the lack of understanding. Maybe my reading this book was a little like that. I felt like I was reading two books simultaneously. The one about opera with vague, inaccurate concepts of an unnamed Peru where, if I had let Patchett guide my visual picture of the book I would have imagined the Von Trapp house stuck in the middle of the Amazon jungle. And the other of what I know about Peru and the crisis situation, trying to meld that visual to this story.
I realize that this is a piece of fiction and Patchett has the artistic license to write a fictional description of the crisis anyway she wishes, but I didn't like the story she chose to tell. A hostage situation is intense, but even the takeover she stretches through wanderings of the love of opera and manages to dull it so that not even the hostages seem anything other than mildly putout. Maybe it's because I'm not a opera lover (there are opera pieces I enjoy, but as a whole it's not something I seek out), but I found it unbelievable that all these people (most of them men) would be so mesmerized by an opera singer and all of them fall in love with her and her music. I felt as though Patchett was using this story as a vehicle to force me to love opera and me on the other side of the pages resists for nothing more than the force of her request.
It took me over 200 pages to get into this 300-page story and the only thing that eventually drew me in and saved it was the relationships between the hostages and their captors. In a normal setting I may not have believed it, but I did of the generally humble Peruvians, which is why the country should have been vital to the story. It took Patchett awhile to get there, but eventually I did like the characters. Even though I knew how it would end, I was anxious for the conclusion, to avoid inevitable tragedy. I could have done without the epilogue that was unnecessary and cheap. If Patchett wanted to include an epilogue, maybe she should have included one about the actual events. Or maybe it's all too appropriate that Peru was ignored. Okay, I'm done with my Peruvian inferiority complex over here. Feel free to talk about the actual story in your review or in the comments section.
1.5 stars, somewhere between a book prevented from being a great story and a book that upset me according to my own star ratings. I did find some merit in the book by the end, but it wasn't enough to overcome Patchett's inability to research her setting.
March 24, 2009
This book came highly recommended, and once I started reading, I kept thinking I had already but couldn't, for the life of me, remember how it ended. Turns out, it only seemed familiar to me because it is based on a real life experience. In 1995, the president of Peru and many of his guests were taken hostage and held for months. Bel Canto is a fictitious story based loosely on those events.
I only liked Bel Canto. I understand its appeal - the coming together of hostages and terrorists alike, but the writing was a bit too ethereal and romantic for me. SO much emphasis placed on opera, as if it's the universal band-aid. I know a lot of people that don't enjoy opera at all. In fact, a music lover myself, I'd have to admit that most of opera is an acquired taste. The hugeness of the voice, the strong vibrato and foreign languages take some getting used to. However, according to the author, there is no politician, businessman, servant or gunman that doesn't fall into a deep state of hypnosis when a soprano begins her song. I tend to think that perhaps the terrorist from a South American country, where musical tastes are a bit different, might not have been so cast under her spell, but I could be wrong. I've never thought of it as the only offered solace to a terrifying situation.
Which leads me to the other thing that I find a hard time believing. Terrorists...with guns....coming through air vents into a vice presidential palace and no one seems particularly petrified throughout it all. Again, I think this was the author's way of romanticizing the event by leaving out the crapping of pants and desperate pleas for loved ones, but everyone was annoyingly contrite and calm, even the terrorists themselves, who seemed awfully nice and understanding.
The end was appropriately tragic. I read a few reviews that described this as an example of magical realism, a genre I try and avoid so this labeling surprised me. Maybe all the lack of fear, suspended time and happy hostage household was part of it. The ending, while sad and tragic, satisfied my need for logic and realism. This event seemed to have a larger psychological effect on the survivors then the original hostage takeover. Whether or not that is realistic or not, I have no idea.
I wish she hadn't written her epilogue. It was unnecessary and unbelievable. Sort of like how all doctors on a hospital television show end up as couples, as if there were no one else in the world to date or socialize with. .
The book as a whole, however, is not void of greatness. The Russian cabinet member and his story of the box was poetic. Cesar's natural talent and love of performing made me cheer. And the inward look at most regarding their professions and priorities was very appropriate.
All combined, it makes for an enjoyable, flawed book.
I only liked Bel Canto. I understand its appeal - the coming together of hostages and terrorists alike, but the writing was a bit too ethereal and romantic for me. SO much emphasis placed on opera, as if it's the universal band-aid. I know a lot of people that don't enjoy opera at all. In fact, a music lover myself, I'd have to admit that most of opera is an acquired taste. The hugeness of the voice, the strong vibrato and foreign languages take some getting used to. However, according to the author, there is no politician, businessman, servant or gunman that doesn't fall into a deep state of hypnosis when a soprano begins her song. I tend to think that perhaps the terrorist from a South American country, where musical tastes are a bit different, might not have been so cast under her spell, but I could be wrong. I've never thought of it as the only offered solace to a terrifying situation.
Which leads me to the other thing that I find a hard time believing. Terrorists...with guns....coming through air vents into a vice presidential palace and no one seems particularly petrified throughout it all. Again, I think this was the author's way of romanticizing the event by leaving out the crapping of pants and desperate pleas for loved ones, but everyone was annoyingly contrite and calm, even the terrorists themselves, who seemed awfully nice and understanding.
The end was appropriately tragic. I read a few reviews that described this as an example of magical realism, a genre I try and avoid so this labeling surprised me. Maybe all the lack of fear, suspended time and happy hostage household was part of it. The ending, while sad and tragic, satisfied my need for logic and realism. This event seemed to have a larger psychological effect on the survivors then the original hostage takeover. Whether or not that is realistic or not, I have no idea.
I wish she hadn't written her epilogue. It was unnecessary and unbelievable. Sort of like how all doctors on a hospital television show end up as couples, as if there were no one else in the world to date or socialize with. .
The book as a whole, however, is not void of greatness. The Russian cabinet member and his story of the box was poetic. Cesar's natural talent and love of performing made me cheer. And the inward look at most regarding their professions and priorities was very appropriate.
All combined, it makes for an enjoyable, flawed book.
April 10, 2020
Holy crap! This "1-Dayer" deserves applause & praise indeed as it will surely stay with you like some truly terrific (& best yet, catchy) song for days, for weeks to come.
What happens when terrorists take over a party held in honor of a Japanese businessman at the house of the Vice President of some unknown South American city? A translator is thankfully employed, a Diva is made to sing like a modern Scheherazade. Renaissance flourishes as these individuals in the most insane of circumstances come together to realize the true WORTH of people and the VALUE of themselves. This is what all those characters in Boccaccio did... ! (& anyone reaching the very heights reached by Boccaccio must MUST be extolled!)
This Stockholm Syndrome is comical, sad, romantic. It's written with a less amount of elegance than the cover promises--but that is hardly ever a fault in this book, ripe & so ready to be inscribed into the canon.
What happens when terrorists take over a party held in honor of a Japanese businessman at the house of the Vice President of some unknown South American city? A translator is thankfully employed, a Diva is made to sing like a modern Scheherazade. Renaissance flourishes as these individuals in the most insane of circumstances come together to realize the true WORTH of people and the VALUE of themselves. This is what all those characters in Boccaccio did... ! (& anyone reaching the very heights reached by Boccaccio must MUST be extolled!)
This Stockholm Syndrome is comical, sad, romantic. It's written with a less amount of elegance than the cover promises--but that is hardly ever a fault in this book, ripe & so ready to be inscribed into the canon.
May 29, 2019
1.5 "overwrought, stereotypical, ridiculous" stars !!
2015 Most Disappointing Read Award (tie)
Of all the books on my reading list, "Bel Canto" was one that I was most looking forward to. You see after my faith and my loved ones the thing I most adore is Opera.
Opera has been my passion, my solace, my escape and the most direct connection to my emotional life. I have found Opera beautiful, profound, wise and affirming. I was introduced to Opera at the age of 10 and since then there has not been a day where I have not listened to it. I remember traveling through Colombian jungle (with some friends) at the age of twenty four and ran out of batteries for my discman. I was working through some obscure Russian opera at the time. My mood plummeted so severely that one of my friends took out her AA batteries from her mini-flashlight. (now that's a good friend)so that I could listen at night until we reached the next village.
I read "The Patron Saint of Liars" by Patchett in 2013 and thought it was a very good book (3.5 stars) full of psychological insight and an understanding of what disconnection does to family relationships. I was expecting this book to be even better as it won awards, was a later novel and for God's sake was about Opera.
From the get go I felt my heart sink and chapter after chapter I read in disbelief that this was the same book that others gave such accolades. The book rang so false to my ear. The melodrama and overly disgustingly sweet sentimentality was jarring, discomforting and infuriating.
I somehow suspected that Ann Patchett had subcontracted a junior writer from Disney Animation and another burned out writer from Harlequin Romance to come together and churn this out while she joined their ideas and linked them with a very few gorgeous passages. The characters were absolute caricatures with extreme gender and ethnic stereotypes. The emotions and story line were completely illogical and the whole experience left me both angry and depleted.
The only thing that will act as salve to cure my disappointment is to go and listen to Diana Damrau sing some heavy Richard Strauss songs with orchestra. Thank goodness for that.
Addendum: My partner just noted that I rated Veronica Wants to Die by Paulo Coelho higher than this. This is getting scary.
2015 Most Disappointing Read Award (tie)
Of all the books on my reading list, "Bel Canto" was one that I was most looking forward to. You see after my faith and my loved ones the thing I most adore is Opera.
Opera has been my passion, my solace, my escape and the most direct connection to my emotional life. I have found Opera beautiful, profound, wise and affirming. I was introduced to Opera at the age of 10 and since then there has not been a day where I have not listened to it. I remember traveling through Colombian jungle (with some friends) at the age of twenty four and ran out of batteries for my discman. I was working through some obscure Russian opera at the time. My mood plummeted so severely that one of my friends took out her AA batteries from her mini-flashlight. (now that's a good friend)so that I could listen at night until we reached the next village.
I read "The Patron Saint of Liars" by Patchett in 2013 and thought it was a very good book (3.5 stars) full of psychological insight and an understanding of what disconnection does to family relationships. I was expecting this book to be even better as it won awards, was a later novel and for God's sake was about Opera.
From the get go I felt my heart sink and chapter after chapter I read in disbelief that this was the same book that others gave such accolades. The book rang so false to my ear. The melodrama and overly disgustingly sweet sentimentality was jarring, discomforting and infuriating.
I somehow suspected that Ann Patchett had subcontracted a junior writer from Disney Animation and another burned out writer from Harlequin Romance to come together and churn this out while she joined their ideas and linked them with a very few gorgeous passages. The characters were absolute caricatures with extreme gender and ethnic stereotypes. The emotions and story line were completely illogical and the whole experience left me both angry and depleted.
The only thing that will act as salve to cure my disappointment is to go and listen to Diana Damrau sing some heavy Richard Strauss songs with orchestra. Thank goodness for that.
Addendum: My partner just noted that I rated Veronica Wants to Die by Paulo Coelho higher than this. This is getting scary.
June 18, 2017
How could a wanna-read-bad TBR turn into a sorry-ass DNF?
WTF? DNF! OMG!
WTF?
Who AM I? I finish every book I start, yet I did not finish this one! And I LOVE Ann Patchett! Her State of Wonder is one of my all-time favorite books! What the fuck is going on?
DNF!
I’m having a serious crisis here. Have I thought this out carefully? Can I really pull off abandoning this book? I must do it. Calm down. It’s okay. Listen to your friends who whisper, “It’s fine….let go…” A zillion other books are beckoning. Yes, life is too short to keep reading something you hate. If I repeat that last sentence enough times, I’ll start believing it, right?
OMG!
Oh my god, I did it! I DNF’d it, and I didn’t die! (A weird feeling still remains, however.)
I’m so speechless about throwing this book out the window that I’ve resorted to acronyms to express myself, blurting out clumps of capital letters and exclamation points. Usually I rely on strong verbs and a chain of touchy adjectives, but here, no. I just have unpronounceable cap combos. Now that’s bad.
Let’s start with the fact that yes, I’ve been dying to read this. The title, however, shooed me away for a long while; I hate opera and all its bel-canto-ness. Then a friend assured me that it wasn’t about opera, that it was about a terrorist attack with a bunch of hostages. So I ignored my title hatred and rubbed my hands in glee. Who doesn’t like a good hostage story, as long as it’s in the hands of a pro? And I knew Patchett’s a pro.
I don’t know how she did it, but Patchett managed to make a terrorist attack boring. I didn’t get a sense of mad confusion or terror; it all seemed muted and sort of civilized. And eventually, many of the terrorists become nice guys. I know she wanted to show their humanity but she went overboard.
And my biggest complaint is that she told us immediately who wins in the end. Completely ruined it for me! The fun is in wondering how it turns out. I don’t know what she was thinking, seriously.
I don’t like opera, as I’ve said. Surely there would have been at least a few hostages and terrorists who didn’t like it either. But no, every single person seemed to be transported to la-la land when the little songbird opened her mouth. If it were me lying on the floor, surrounded by armed terrorists, I would be bemoaning not only my questionable fate, but also the fact that I was stuck in a room listening to non-stop eardrum-shattering high-pitched screeching. Just my luck, I’d be thinking. It would disrupt any calming thoughts I was working on, it would take away any chance I had of internal peace. I’d be begging the terrorists for ear plugs.
The characters were lifeless and boring and I didn’t care an iota about any of them, much in the same way I don’t give a shit about cardboard.
The only thing I liked was imagining a whole group of people lying face up and motionless on the floor, having conversations while looking at the ceiling. This unique scenario seemed trippy, and I loved thinking about horizontal chit-chat.
Somehow Patchett managed to take the tense out of terrorism, no easy feat! It was pure torture to pick this book up, and I only made it halfway through.
I wanted so much to love this book, and god knows I didn’t want to abandon it. I wanted the reality to be different. I didn’t want my love of Ann Patchett tainted. Because now whenever I think of the sweet State of Wonder, I’ll also think of the sour Bel Canto. Very sad.
Of course Patchett is a skilled writer. The language is eloquent and there is some insight. But seriously, I just didn’t give a damn.
September 24, 2025
If you were locked in a room with a stranger without knowing when you'd be let out, you'd likely become good friends, and if the stranger were of the opposite sex, you might even become romantic partners. This is because humans are social creatures. When loneliness sweeps over, the way to solve it is to find companionship.
If this is true for individuals, then what would happen if a large group of people were held hostage together?
This novel, Bel Canto, tells the story of a group of people who are taken hostage and end up becoming friends with the terrorists. The idea is bold, interesting, and logically sound, showcasing Ann Patchett’s vivid imagination. Here, a businessman falls in love with an opera singer, the singer discovers a musical prodigy, a translator and a female terrorist fall madly in love, and the vice president takes in a godson... The hostages and terrorists become close. It's not shocking; the logic is similar to a beautiful woman falling in love with a thief, a hitman falling for a client, or a wolf loving a sheep - just wrapped in a tender, sentimental package.
Spoiler Alert!
Bel Canto has a large cast of characters, intense emotions, and a beautiful journey, but it ends tragically. The novel begins with a Japanese businessman attending a business banquet in a South African country, where the vice president's residence hosts dignitaries and a soprano is invited to sing. A group of armed terrorists bursts in, taking everyone hostage to demand concessions from the government. However, negotiations stall as the government refuses to yield. The relatively non-violent terrorists don't harm the hostages, leading to a stalemate. To pass the time and dispel loneliness, the opera singer begins to perform for everyone. The relationship between the hostages and terrorists gradually softens, and they become familiar with each other. Eventually, it seems like a utopia, isolated from the world but full of joy. The narration during this time is beautifully and gently written.
The hostage situation creates a unique environment where worldly concerns like career ambitions and material gain are set aside. In this vacuum, people's hearts are the purest, free from vested interests. The novel inadvertently ponders a grand theme: true equality and universal brotherhood can only be achieved when social relations are frozen. Otherwise, it's all lies. Only in a specific moment and space can people truly come together without distance or hierarchy, even giving rise to passionate love. Look at the terrorists - mostly teenagers, with even some girls disguised as boys. They harbor kindness and have not killed a single hostage, driven by dreams of fighting for the poor and marginalized.
However, politics is frightening, life is cruel, and reality is harsh. The beautiful, serene hostage days cannot last forever; they must be shattered. The government, in the name of "justice," storms in with commandos, ruthlessly killing the terrorists - who have become friends with the hostages. After the gunfire, the scene is chaotic. The unprepared terrorists are completely wiped out, along with the love, friendship, and trust established in that vacuum. All the beauty is swept away. As a reader, you might resent Ann Patchett’s cruel arrangement, but please remember, soldiers are soldiers, and thieves are thieves; they cannot coexist peacefully. This unchanging truth in human history is the most frightening aspect. Governments often eliminate, not reconcile, opposition forces.
Apart from these heavy topics, from a literary perspective, this novel pays homage to traditional pure literature. As a relatively young American female author, Patchett could be expected to follow experimental, avant-garde, or postmodern trends, but this novel is exceptionally simple, emphasizing detail, elaborate description, and character and psychological portrayal. It makes me wonder if she received strict training in traditional novel history, mastering what some might consider outdated techniques.
A surprisingly delightful read.
3.7 / 5 stars.
If this is true for individuals, then what would happen if a large group of people were held hostage together?
This novel, Bel Canto, tells the story of a group of people who are taken hostage and end up becoming friends with the terrorists. The idea is bold, interesting, and logically sound, showcasing Ann Patchett’s vivid imagination. Here, a businessman falls in love with an opera singer, the singer discovers a musical prodigy, a translator and a female terrorist fall madly in love, and the vice president takes in a godson... The hostages and terrorists become close. It's not shocking; the logic is similar to a beautiful woman falling in love with a thief, a hitman falling for a client, or a wolf loving a sheep - just wrapped in a tender, sentimental package.
Spoiler Alert!
Bel Canto has a large cast of characters, intense emotions, and a beautiful journey, but it ends tragically. The novel begins with a Japanese businessman attending a business banquet in a South African country, where the vice president's residence hosts dignitaries and a soprano is invited to sing. A group of armed terrorists bursts in, taking everyone hostage to demand concessions from the government. However, negotiations stall as the government refuses to yield. The relatively non-violent terrorists don't harm the hostages, leading to a stalemate. To pass the time and dispel loneliness, the opera singer begins to perform for everyone. The relationship between the hostages and terrorists gradually softens, and they become familiar with each other. Eventually, it seems like a utopia, isolated from the world but full of joy. The narration during this time is beautifully and gently written.
The hostage situation creates a unique environment where worldly concerns like career ambitions and material gain are set aside. In this vacuum, people's hearts are the purest, free from vested interests. The novel inadvertently ponders a grand theme: true equality and universal brotherhood can only be achieved when social relations are frozen. Otherwise, it's all lies. Only in a specific moment and space can people truly come together without distance or hierarchy, even giving rise to passionate love. Look at the terrorists - mostly teenagers, with even some girls disguised as boys. They harbor kindness and have not killed a single hostage, driven by dreams of fighting for the poor and marginalized.
However, politics is frightening, life is cruel, and reality is harsh. The beautiful, serene hostage days cannot last forever; they must be shattered. The government, in the name of "justice," storms in with commandos, ruthlessly killing the terrorists - who have become friends with the hostages. After the gunfire, the scene is chaotic. The unprepared terrorists are completely wiped out, along with the love, friendship, and trust established in that vacuum. All the beauty is swept away. As a reader, you might resent Ann Patchett’s cruel arrangement, but please remember, soldiers are soldiers, and thieves are thieves; they cannot coexist peacefully. This unchanging truth in human history is the most frightening aspect. Governments often eliminate, not reconcile, opposition forces.
Apart from these heavy topics, from a literary perspective, this novel pays homage to traditional pure literature. As a relatively young American female author, Patchett could be expected to follow experimental, avant-garde, or postmodern trends, but this novel is exceptionally simple, emphasizing detail, elaborate description, and character and psychological portrayal. It makes me wonder if she received strict training in traditional novel history, mastering what some might consider outdated techniques.
A surprisingly delightful read.
3.7 / 5 stars.
July 21, 2016
How did Patchett do this? A seemingly horrifying event turned into a mystical one. Where lines of good vs evil are blurred. Where time is suspended.
It's a birthday party gala in South America. The guest of honour, a powerful Japanese figurehead, almost didn't make it himself except for the soprano whose voice he adores. As the final note is sung, the lights go out and the guerrillas enter. The party is hijacked for political reasons but what transpires during the next few months are the unusual relationships that are forged by the beauty of a voice which unites both terrorists and hostages. Where for long moments during this siege, captivity is interrupted and they are a group of people witnessing a main attraction, living it day to day.
Patchett is an artist. She details a portrait in which I bear witness. I searched arias and operas to get a sense of the beauty and passion this music can evoke. I'm in awe and for that I'm rating it a 4⭐️. I am smitten now with you, Patchett, but, I reserve the final star for the ending I wasn't as smitten with.
It's a birthday party gala in South America. The guest of honour, a powerful Japanese figurehead, almost didn't make it himself except for the soprano whose voice he adores. As the final note is sung, the lights go out and the guerrillas enter. The party is hijacked for political reasons but what transpires during the next few months are the unusual relationships that are forged by the beauty of a voice which unites both terrorists and hostages. Where for long moments during this siege, captivity is interrupted and they are a group of people witnessing a main attraction, living it day to day.
Patchett is an artist. She details a portrait in which I bear witness. I searched arias and operas to get a sense of the beauty and passion this music can evoke. I'm in awe and for that I'm rating it a 4⭐️. I am smitten now with you, Patchett, but, I reserve the final star for the ending I wasn't as smitten with.
April 25, 2026
The year was 2003, the year that I graduated from high school. I was reading Taming of the Shrew by The Bard himself.
In the fall, I would be attending Kalamazoo College who decided hey let's stress these little college freshmen out by assigning them this book over the summer.
I dropped Taming of the Shrew, never to be picked up again, and I began reading this book. Because I am an overachiever (and Netflix didn't exist at the time), I read this book twice.
And I hated it. It reads like a soap opera but not in a good way. It was the beginning of a nearly 10 year reading slump. What would my life have been like if I hadn't put down Shakespeare?
How the New York Times thought that this was one of the best books of the 21st century beats me.
2025 Reading Schedule
Jan A Town Like Alice
Feb Birdsong
Mar Captain Corelli's Mandolin - Louis De Berniere
Apr War and Peace
May The Woman in White
Jun Atonement
Jul The Shadow of the Wind
Aug Jude the Obscure
Sep Ulysses
Oct Vanity Fair
Nov A Fine Balance
Dec Germinal
Connect With Me!
Blog Twitter BookTube Facebook Insta My Bookstore at Pango
In the fall, I would be attending Kalamazoo College who decided hey let's stress these little college freshmen out by assigning them this book over the summer.
I dropped Taming of the Shrew, never to be picked up again, and I began reading this book. Because I am an overachiever (and Netflix didn't exist at the time), I read this book twice.
And I hated it. It reads like a soap opera but not in a good way. It was the beginning of a nearly 10 year reading slump. What would my life have been like if I hadn't put down Shakespeare?
How the New York Times thought that this was one of the best books of the 21st century beats me.
2025 Reading Schedule
Jan A Town Like Alice
Feb Birdsong
Mar Captain Corelli's Mandolin - Louis De Berniere
Apr War and Peace
May The Woman in White
Jun Atonement
Jul The Shadow of the Wind
Aug Jude the Obscure
Sep Ulysses
Oct Vanity Fair
Nov A Fine Balance
Dec Germinal
Connect With Me!
Blog Twitter BookTube Facebook Insta My Bookstore at Pango
August 27, 2009
This is one of my top five favorite books. Bel Canto made me a devoted Patchett fan, although her other work hasn't quite stood up to the high expectations this one set for her. Just to set the scene, I read this book while on a three week trip through Europe. Travelling by train, I had plenty of time to read, but missed a lot of the beautiful countryside (especially of France and Switzerland) because I simply couldn't tear myself away from this book, it was that good. My husband woke up on the train at one point (the ending of the book) to my sobs. I was so overcome I couldn't even tell him what was the matter (he was really worried for a minute there...then he thought I was crazy). I should clarify that I'm not an especially emotional person. I had just formed such a strong attachment to the characters in this book that the ending hit me almost as hard as losing a friend. Plus, it was just so beautifully done that the loss was almost bittersweet.
This book gave me so much to think about that I wanted to grab someone--anyone!--who had read this book and talk it all out with them. Well, that was almost two years ago, so my furor has died down. I need to read it again to write a fair review.
For the time being, though, first I loved the writing. I admire any author who can tell a great story with the words ushering me along rather than tripping me up. Another reviewer referred to the book as "lyrical" and I heartily agree. It was just beautifully done.
Second, such richly imagined characters were a delight to spend time with. I thought each character was fully developed and interesting. Even the minor characters, about whom I received limited information, still felt real. And I got the sense that there was so much more to know about them lurking just below the surface.
Finally, the story was heartbreakingly beautiful. As my waterworks attest, it was very moving, without feeling like my emotions were being made sport of. In the ending, it all just came together for me. "Bel Canto" referring to the beautiful song that was the idyllic life of the hostages and captives. But just like the opera singer's song had to end eventually, their peaceful suspension from reality could not endure. To me, what made the story and the illusion so poignant was the knowledge they had all along that it WOULD end. An audience can't fool itself into thinking a performance will last indefinitely, but perhaps the awareness of the end in sight makes the beauty of the moment all the more valuable. That reference made this story even more meaningful to me. I just loved it.
I gave this book five stars, but it wasn't absolutely perfect. I actually strongly disliked the epilogue. I found it disheartening, somewhat contrived, and generally unecessary. The story would have been better off without it.
In spite of that, this book is everything a great book should be.
UPDATE: Reread in August 2009. I still loved it, and enjoyed the writing, but it wasn't the same experience it was the first time. I wasn't as impressed, as moved, or as eager to share this book with others as I was the first time around. It must have just been the way it hit me at that time in my life. Even without it being the earth-shatteringly awesome book I felt it was before, I still highly recommend it.
This book gave me so much to think about that I wanted to grab someone--anyone!--who had read this book and talk it all out with them. Well, that was almost two years ago, so my furor has died down. I need to read it again to write a fair review.
For the time being, though, first I loved the writing. I admire any author who can tell a great story with the words ushering me along rather than tripping me up. Another reviewer referred to the book as "lyrical" and I heartily agree. It was just beautifully done.
Second, such richly imagined characters were a delight to spend time with. I thought each character was fully developed and interesting. Even the minor characters, about whom I received limited information, still felt real. And I got the sense that there was so much more to know about them lurking just below the surface.
Finally, the story was heartbreakingly beautiful. As my waterworks attest, it was very moving, without feeling like my emotions were being made sport of. In the ending, it all just came together for me. "Bel Canto" referring to the beautiful song that was the idyllic life of the hostages and captives. But just like the opera singer's song had to end eventually, their peaceful suspension from reality could not endure. To me, what made the story and the illusion so poignant was the knowledge they had all along that it WOULD end. An audience can't fool itself into thinking a performance will last indefinitely, but perhaps the awareness of the end in sight makes the beauty of the moment all the more valuable. That reference made this story even more meaningful to me. I just loved it.
I gave this book five stars, but it wasn't absolutely perfect. I actually strongly disliked the epilogue. I found it disheartening, somewhat contrived, and generally unecessary. The story would have been better off without it.
In spite of that, this book is everything a great book should be.
UPDATE: Reread in August 2009. I still loved it, and enjoyed the writing, but it wasn't the same experience it was the first time. I wasn't as impressed, as moved, or as eager to share this book with others as I was the first time around. It must have just been the way it hit me at that time in my life. Even without it being the earth-shatteringly awesome book I felt it was before, I still highly recommend it.
May 12, 2017
To me, this book is luminous. Glorious. Magnificent. Perfect. (Well, almost perfect. I'll explain in a moment.)
I first read "Bel Canto" in 2005, and I was so absorbed in the story that I would sneak away from my desk at work just to have a few precious moments with it. The story opens with a renowned opera singer, Roxanne Coss, giving a private performance at the home of a vice president of an unnamed South American country. Several people in the room are already in love with her, and others will fall in love with the sound of her voice.
The moment she's done singing, the room is stormed by guerrilla fighters, and everyone in the home is taken hostage. What follows is a fascinating look at what happens when a group of strangers are forced to live together for weeks. The fighters make demands, a poor Red Cross volunteer acts as intermediary with officers outside, and meanwhile, everyone inside the house tries to get along, despite numerous language barriers.
Which brings me to one of my favorite characters, the translator Gen. Without Gen, the entire story could not have happened, because he was the one who helped people communicate. Gen is constantly in demand, translating from English to Spanish to Russian to Japanese and back to English again.
There are some surprising and emotional attachments that form -- even Gen falls in love! -- and by the end of the book, I was in tears. My only complaint is with the ending, which I won't spoil, but to say I was devastated is an understatement. But given the scenario, you can't really expect a happy ending, can you?
The characters are beautifully drawn, Ann Patchett's writing is gorgeous, and some of the scenes are so vivid that it would make a wonderful film. I would heartily recommend this book to anyone who loves literary fiction. Brava!
I first read "Bel Canto" in 2005, and I was so absorbed in the story that I would sneak away from my desk at work just to have a few precious moments with it. The story opens with a renowned opera singer, Roxanne Coss, giving a private performance at the home of a vice president of an unnamed South American country. Several people in the room are already in love with her, and others will fall in love with the sound of her voice.
The moment she's done singing, the room is stormed by guerrilla fighters, and everyone in the home is taken hostage. What follows is a fascinating look at what happens when a group of strangers are forced to live together for weeks. The fighters make demands, a poor Red Cross volunteer acts as intermediary with officers outside, and meanwhile, everyone inside the house tries to get along, despite numerous language barriers.
Which brings me to one of my favorite characters, the translator Gen. Without Gen, the entire story could not have happened, because he was the one who helped people communicate. Gen is constantly in demand, translating from English to Spanish to Russian to Japanese and back to English again.
There are some surprising and emotional attachments that form -- even Gen falls in love! -- and by the end of the book, I was in tears. My only complaint is with the ending, which I won't spoil, but to say I was devastated is an understatement. But given the scenario, you can't really expect a happy ending, can you?
The characters are beautifully drawn, Ann Patchett's writing is gorgeous, and some of the scenes are so vivid that it would make a wonderful film. I would heartily recommend this book to anyone who loves literary fiction. Brava!
June 23, 2018
Men of great importance were held hostage with a soprano. Until they realized how trivial their existences have been to the world and the world's to them. Men of different countries, men of different taste and language shut their eyes to the same beauty. Terrorists with gun earned sympathy worshipping that beauty only. A priest found his God next to him.
Bel Canto embodies art itself. The book celebrates the love for what is beyond and what is incomparably greater. Our deaths don't define us, neither our birth places. It is always the things we seek. And Ben Canto beautifully explores that.
I wanted to write a book that would be like an opera in its structure, its grandeur, its musicality, its melodrama.
Anne Patchette's carefully woven tale moves from one being to another within a room. And for a confined story such as this, she gives life to a soaring voice. Drawing no line for herself, the abundance of well crafted words and flow of noble emotions in this savage plot, can get overwhelmingly on one's nerves which may as well explain the mixed reaction.
In Bel Canto best human qualities blossom and present the philosophical problem that comes with the idea of every ideal society. With all the contradictions coming from a single room, there's no doubt the room wouldn't stand when the time comes.
Bel Canto embodies art itself. The book celebrates the love for what is beyond and what is incomparably greater. Our deaths don't define us, neither our birth places. It is always the things we seek. And Ben Canto beautifully explores that.
I wanted to write a book that would be like an opera in its structure, its grandeur, its musicality, its melodrama.
Anne Patchette's carefully woven tale moves from one being to another within a room. And for a confined story such as this, she gives life to a soaring voice. Drawing no line for herself, the abundance of well crafted words and flow of noble emotions in this savage plot, can get overwhelmingly on one's nerves which may as well explain the mixed reaction.
In Bel Canto best human qualities blossom and present the philosophical problem that comes with the idea of every ideal society. With all the contradictions coming from a single room, there's no doubt the room wouldn't stand when the time comes.
October 1, 2019
I have read a few of this author's books now and I know what to expect. Perfect prose, well defined characters, a slow rambling story like a stroll in a beautiful park. And more often than not a difficult ending.
Bel Canto demonstrates all of those characteristics. Reading it was a real pleasure and the author did not put a foot wrong literary wise. All of the characters are well defined and by the end they become people you know and some like Gen you really want to meet.
Then there is the ending. Just for once I thought the author was going to get it right. It was traumatic yet expected and almost a relief when it arrived. Then she added an epilogue which was most definitely not required. It was just wrong. I can vaguely see what she was aiming for but it was still wrong.
Four stars for a beautiful book which would have been five if I could just mentally unsee that epilogue!
Bel Canto demonstrates all of those characteristics. Reading it was a real pleasure and the author did not put a foot wrong literary wise. All of the characters are well defined and by the end they become people you know and some like Gen you really want to meet.
Then there is the ending. Just for once I thought the author was going to get it right. It was traumatic yet expected and almost a relief when it arrived. Then she added an epilogue which was most definitely not required. It was just wrong. I can vaguely see what she was aiming for but it was still wrong.
Four stars for a beautiful book which would have been five if I could just mentally unsee that epilogue!
November 30, 2024
Some of you loved it, some of you hated it. I'm leaning towards the latter. I thought it was a good idea poorly executed.
A small South American country throws a lavish birthday party for an important Japanese business executive with high hopes that his electronics company will build a factory to help prop up their ailing economy. The executive, Katsumi Hosokawa only agrees to come because opera diva Roxanne Coss will be performing. A terrorist group invades the party at the vice president's home taking the partygoers hostage. The hostage crisis continues for months. Stockholm Syndrome takes root, hostages develop feelings for the young gun-wielding terrorists, bonds form, relationships bloom. And the language barrier is not an obstacle thanks to the incredible translation skills of Gen Watanabe. And of course the music, ah yes the incredible singing voice of Roxanne Coss becomes a polarizing, transcendent force that beguiles absolutely everyone. No one escapes its wondrous effect. Just once i wanted someone to stand up and shout 'ENOUGH! SHUT THE F*** UP ALREADY!!!
The first 3/4 of the story was boring. Characters in general, were poorly developed (except Katsumi Hosokawa- love that guy) there is little to move the plot forward or hold your interest (the vice president likes to clean. Alot.) and the writing is fodder for mass consumption. She's one of those writers that make you think 'hey I can be a writer!!' (I cant)
And the ending, albeit emotional, i thought was predictable. I was hoping for a more
imaginative outcome. The ingredients are all here for a good story, I just think Patchett was hoping it would write itself. It didn't.
And that epilogue, as my 14 year old son would say, was dogwater.
A small South American country throws a lavish birthday party for an important Japanese business executive with high hopes that his electronics company will build a factory to help prop up their ailing economy. The executive, Katsumi Hosokawa only agrees to come because opera diva Roxanne Coss will be performing. A terrorist group invades the party at the vice president's home taking the partygoers hostage. The hostage crisis continues for months. Stockholm Syndrome takes root, hostages develop feelings for the young gun-wielding terrorists, bonds form, relationships bloom. And the language barrier is not an obstacle thanks to the incredible translation skills of Gen Watanabe. And of course the music, ah yes the incredible singing voice of Roxanne Coss becomes a polarizing, transcendent force that beguiles absolutely everyone. No one escapes its wondrous effect. Just once i wanted someone to stand up and shout 'ENOUGH! SHUT THE F*** UP ALREADY!!!
The first 3/4 of the story was boring. Characters in general, were poorly developed (except Katsumi Hosokawa- love that guy) there is little to move the plot forward or hold your interest (the vice president likes to clean. Alot.) and the writing is fodder for mass consumption. She's one of those writers that make you think 'hey I can be a writer!!' (I cant)
And the ending, albeit emotional, i thought was predictable. I was hoping for a more
imaginative outcome. The ingredients are all here for a good story, I just think Patchett was hoping it would write itself. It didn't.
And that epilogue, as my 14 year old son would say, was dogwater.
December 29, 2024
This was another one of our favorite authors with our Library Book Discussion group. I am now bringing my review to Goodreads.
Did you know that this book was actually based on a true story?
Set in South America, readers find themselves in a large room filled with mostly affluent bureaucrats and CEO’s that are suddenly taken hostage by terrorists during a beautiful soprano opera performance by the book’s female lead, Roxanne Coss.
The story remains in that same setting, and the hostages are held captive for over 4 months. So what was intended to be just hours, turned into days and then months of standoff.
And... Patchett shows readers exactly how universal humanity is...
Our cares, our fears, our talents, our values, our love.
Where what once was terrorists vs hostages now blurs and becomes a giant group of humans, together.
Are we now seeing friendships forming? Maybe even romance?
Or…Are we experiencing Stockholm Syndrome? (feelings of trust or affection felt in many cases of kidnapping or hostage-taking by a victim toward a captor.)
Are the hostages learning to adjust to this new normal – finding ways to appreciate their spouses better?
And the terrorists – some were teenagers with minds and talents – being used in this heartless way – could we humanize them?
And then there is Roxanne Coss.
Her voice and her music touches everybody. There is something magical and lyrical about her voice that seems to calm everyone.
The beautiful, tender, lyrical language. The character development.
And then…What was the point of that epilogue? Everything was going so well until then. Is that really how you are going to end this? I’m not sure I could accept it.
Did you know that this book was actually based on a true story?
Set in South America, readers find themselves in a large room filled with mostly affluent bureaucrats and CEO’s that are suddenly taken hostage by terrorists during a beautiful soprano opera performance by the book’s female lead, Roxanne Coss.
The story remains in that same setting, and the hostages are held captive for over 4 months. So what was intended to be just hours, turned into days and then months of standoff.
And... Patchett shows readers exactly how universal humanity is...
Our cares, our fears, our talents, our values, our love.
Where what once was terrorists vs hostages now blurs and becomes a giant group of humans, together.
Are we now seeing friendships forming? Maybe even romance?
Or…Are we experiencing Stockholm Syndrome? (feelings of trust or affection felt in many cases of kidnapping or hostage-taking by a victim toward a captor.)
Are the hostages learning to adjust to this new normal – finding ways to appreciate their spouses better?
And the terrorists – some were teenagers with minds and talents – being used in this heartless way – could we humanize them?
And then there is Roxanne Coss.
Her voice and her music touches everybody. There is something magical and lyrical about her voice that seems to calm everyone.
The beautiful, tender, lyrical language. The character development.
And then…What was the point of that epilogue? Everything was going so well until then. Is that really how you are going to end this? I’m not sure I could accept it.
September 15, 2012
yes, i have just discovered betterbooktitles.com
June 25, 2020
“To think that God heard his name from so many voices.” (4.5 stars)
The ending of “Bel Canto” left me in a bit of a daze for a few minutes. The novel cast a spell so strong, that when the jarring reality of life springs up at the conclusion you can’t help but be a little disoriented.
This is a novel that has been on my radar for years, but I am just now picking it up.
This story, told by an omniscient narrator, follows a hostage situation in the vice presidential palace of an unnamed South American country. The hostages include a world famous opera soprano, and many business and political leaders from various countries. The point of view also considers the guerrillas who take the hostages.
I have never read an Ann Patchett novel before. I will pick her up again! She has a simplicity and lovely finesse with language. I was caught up in the story, but also in the words she used to weave it. With a precise prose that brimmed with clarity Patchett created characters that, even if only a few lines of the text were devoted to them, came across as real people.
I feel like opera gets a lot of negative attention from readers of this text. And opera is important to many of the characters in the book. However, I feel the bigger point is what opera represents to many of the characters in the text. It is a source of life and inspiration. Something that gives joy and generates much power and strong feelings. That is something different for every person alive, and when you realize that you put opera in its proper context in this book, and you can place the love that characters feel for that art in its proper context, and thus appreciate it, and its potency as used in “Bel Canto”.
So many enchanting moments in this book. So many small pleasures. I loved the world it created. I loved the people in that world. So many characters whose small joys I felt as my own. I loved their truth, their pain, and humanity.
“Bel Canto” is something else!
The ending of “Bel Canto” left me in a bit of a daze for a few minutes. The novel cast a spell so strong, that when the jarring reality of life springs up at the conclusion you can’t help but be a little disoriented.
This is a novel that has been on my radar for years, but I am just now picking it up.
This story, told by an omniscient narrator, follows a hostage situation in the vice presidential palace of an unnamed South American country. The hostages include a world famous opera soprano, and many business and political leaders from various countries. The point of view also considers the guerrillas who take the hostages.
I have never read an Ann Patchett novel before. I will pick her up again! She has a simplicity and lovely finesse with language. I was caught up in the story, but also in the words she used to weave it. With a precise prose that brimmed with clarity Patchett created characters that, even if only a few lines of the text were devoted to them, came across as real people.
I feel like opera gets a lot of negative attention from readers of this text. And opera is important to many of the characters in the book. However, I feel the bigger point is what opera represents to many of the characters in the text. It is a source of life and inspiration. Something that gives joy and generates much power and strong feelings. That is something different for every person alive, and when you realize that you put opera in its proper context in this book, and you can place the love that characters feel for that art in its proper context, and thus appreciate it, and its potency as used in “Bel Canto”.
So many enchanting moments in this book. So many small pleasures. I loved the world it created. I loved the people in that world. So many characters whose small joys I felt as my own. I loved their truth, their pain, and humanity.
“Bel Canto” is something else!
July 9, 2021
This was an awful story.
I loved the Dutch House, which I am now beginning to feel was entirely because of Tom Hanks' narration. Next I read State of Wonder which was an ordinary experience and now this - Bel Canto which was a real chore.
The characters were paper thin, unrealistic and not well developed at all. What made this experience particularly difficult was the impossibly unreal storyline.
Stockholm Syndrome love, inter hostage relationships, combined with chess, music lessons, concerts and outside ball games. This all created a trifle of far fetched, terribly written nonsense. Served up with lashings of over sentimentality.
About halfway through I realised this was going to be an unforgettable experience. It was.
1 Star
I loved the Dutch House, which I am now beginning to feel was entirely because of Tom Hanks' narration. Next I read State of Wonder which was an ordinary experience and now this - Bel Canto which was a real chore.
The characters were paper thin, unrealistic and not well developed at all. What made this experience particularly difficult was the impossibly unreal storyline.
Stockholm Syndrome love, inter hostage relationships, combined with chess, music lessons, concerts and outside ball games. This all created a trifle of far fetched, terribly written nonsense. Served up with lashings of over sentimentality.
About halfway through I realised this was going to be an unforgettable experience. It was.
1 Star
May 6, 2008
I just couldn't do it! The premise was great, the writing was swallowable, but the story! The painful, painful story. There was no character that I truly cared about, and when the "hostages" became "free" or whatever I threw the book across the room and there it has remained ever since. A hefty dust bunny now resides atop. I'd rather read Better Homes and Gardens than finish this one.
May 13, 2009
I was only 3 when Patty Hearst showed up on TV toting a semi automatic weapon looking bewildered and stylish in a ¾ length leather belted coat. Do I remember this? Hell no, I was three, but later… you know when I was like eight or nine and I would think it was so cool that she was brainwashed---what an interesting word--- and I’d have Barbie kidnap Skipper and force her to drop her frumpy ways and really live the lie…, I mean life. Sorry.
So, what does that have to do with this? Well, I guess you could say that I was intrigued with the whole idea of Stockholm Syndrome way before I knew it had a name. Just imagine becoming emotionally attached to people that held you hostage. Isn’t that a bit fucked up? Duh. (As my 4 year old would say)
So, Bel Canto, while the characters and events are mostly fictionalized, was based on an actual hostage situation in Peru in 1996. Where 72 people men were held up in the Japanese Ambassador’s home for 126 days. I must have been living under a rock, because I do not remember this… you think that something like this would have stuck, you know? I’m sure I was too wrapped up in my glee that Judge Judy was now being syndicated. Whoo.
Can you imagine living with terrorists for 4 and ½ months? My god, I can’t imagine that the same level of fear is maintained. I would think that you would start to develop a relationship with these kids (yes, they were basically children) and start to feel that this is what your life has become. And so it goes in Bel Canto , these characters, hostages and terrorists are introduced systematically throughout the beginning of the ordeal and Patchett does a good job of fleshing them out and getting us attached. To a point. I think that this is one of those books where your opinion of it will vary depending on where you are in your life. I can see this book leaving different impressions on someone who maybe has just found new love and someone who is jaded by relationships. Moreover, I think that this could determine just how much you liked this book. I’ve teetered between 2, 3 and 4 starts in just the few days since I’ve finished it.
This is most definitely a chick lit book. You’ve got the Soprano who has men falling at her feet (almost literally) every time she belts one out, you’ve got the young idealists who, of course, are beautiful and destined for a tragic outcome… and you’ve got the older, more elegant group of men, pining for love lost and all that. Something for every taste, I suppose.
The appeal of a good book is how long and hard it stays with you. When I finished this, I was eager to share the story with my friends and family but as the days wore on, the shine was lost and I started to see the faults and the hackneyed plot. I miss the first day when I was caught up in the story and lamenting the outcome.
Why can’t it always be like that?
So, what does that have to do with this? Well, I guess you could say that I was intrigued with the whole idea of Stockholm Syndrome way before I knew it had a name. Just imagine becoming emotionally attached to people that held you hostage. Isn’t that a bit fucked up? Duh. (As my 4 year old would say)
So, Bel Canto, while the characters and events are mostly fictionalized, was based on an actual hostage situation in Peru in 1996. Where 72 people men were held up in the Japanese Ambassador’s home for 126 days. I must have been living under a rock, because I do not remember this… you think that something like this would have stuck, you know? I’m sure I was too wrapped up in my glee that Judge Judy was now being syndicated. Whoo.
Can you imagine living with terrorists for 4 and ½ months? My god, I can’t imagine that the same level of fear is maintained. I would think that you would start to develop a relationship with these kids (yes, they were basically children) and start to feel that this is what your life has become. And so it goes in Bel Canto , these characters, hostages and terrorists are introduced systematically throughout the beginning of the ordeal and Patchett does a good job of fleshing them out and getting us attached. To a point. I think that this is one of those books where your opinion of it will vary depending on where you are in your life. I can see this book leaving different impressions on someone who maybe has just found new love and someone who is jaded by relationships. Moreover, I think that this could determine just how much you liked this book. I’ve teetered between 2, 3 and 4 starts in just the few days since I’ve finished it.
This is most definitely a chick lit book. You’ve got the Soprano who has men falling at her feet (almost literally) every time she belts one out, you’ve got the young idealists who, of course, are beautiful and destined for a tragic outcome… and you’ve got the older, more elegant group of men, pining for love lost and all that. Something for every taste, I suppose.
The appeal of a good book is how long and hard it stays with you. When I finished this, I was eager to share the story with my friends and family but as the days wore on, the shine was lost and I started to see the faults and the hackneyed plot. I miss the first day when I was caught up in the story and lamenting the outcome.
Why can’t it always be like that?
August 7, 2007
A novel about a hostage crisis that goes wrong -- with very sexy results, Bel Canto might have been a better read if at some point Patchett did anything to acknowledge the plot's ridiculousness. Instead, she treats the readers to vague social commentary about South America, multiple nobel savage tropes, and a crisis situation where people do have sex, but only after first taking the time to fall in love. It's also somewhat about opera, so allow me the metaphor that Bel Canto hits all the obvious notes with competence but without ever risking enough to engage the audience.
Not to be a pure hater, I did love the hell out of the cover art.
Not to be a pure hater, I did love the hell out of the cover art.
August 6, 2024
What an absolute marvelous novel! The story, the people, the exceptional setting just blew me away. I could go into detail, but everyone should just read this book! Ann Patchett’s sentences flow with beauty and wit.
Want to Read
December 26, 2025sometimes you can be so convinced you'll love a book that you can buy the special anniversary author-annotated edition before you've even read it
June 26, 2007
Stay With This One. It's Worth It.
Bel Canto is one of those novels that is good on so many levels, it's taken me days after finishing it to put my thoughts about the story and the characters into words. This work is as lyrical and dramatic as any opera, and the word "brilliant" isn't excessive to describe the talent of author, Ann Patchett. I wondered how she came up with such a remarkable and unique story, but then learned she'd been influenced by actual events involving a hostage situation in Peru. Patchett goes far beyond the headlines and enters the minds of the players on both sides. It's a fascinating story and a rewarding and entertaining character study.
The first 100+ pages were slow going as the stage is set; however, the ennui I experienced while reading helped me relate to the monotony of daily life experienced by the guests of a party, who'd been taken hostage in a failed attempt to kidnap the President of a South American country. The country, unnamed in the story, is a developing, Spanish-speaking nation. The party, hosted by the Vice President, is a birthday party for a Japanese businessman. It is filled with an International guest list, including the famous and enormously talented opera soprano, Roxanne Coss. Virtually everyone in the room, both hostage and captor, falls in love with her during the four-month siege. The story picks up speed when two distinct love stories begin, one between Roxanne and one of her admirers, and another, which focuses on the second-most sought-after talent possessed by a multi-lingual interpreter, a Japanese named Gen. Each, along with several intriguing subplots, led to the building of a unique story and ultimately satisfying climax.
The ending comes quickly and shook me to my core. It was not unexpected and yet it still made me cry. And then there's a surprise, which after a lot of thought, made perfect sense. Brava Ms. Patchett. My highest recommendation.
Bel Canto is one of those novels that is good on so many levels, it's taken me days after finishing it to put my thoughts about the story and the characters into words. This work is as lyrical and dramatic as any opera, and the word "brilliant" isn't excessive to describe the talent of author, Ann Patchett. I wondered how she came up with such a remarkable and unique story, but then learned she'd been influenced by actual events involving a hostage situation in Peru. Patchett goes far beyond the headlines and enters the minds of the players on both sides. It's a fascinating story and a rewarding and entertaining character study.
The first 100+ pages were slow going as the stage is set; however, the ennui I experienced while reading helped me relate to the monotony of daily life experienced by the guests of a party, who'd been taken hostage in a failed attempt to kidnap the President of a South American country. The country, unnamed in the story, is a developing, Spanish-speaking nation. The party, hosted by the Vice President, is a birthday party for a Japanese businessman. It is filled with an International guest list, including the famous and enormously talented opera soprano, Roxanne Coss. Virtually everyone in the room, both hostage and captor, falls in love with her during the four-month siege. The story picks up speed when two distinct love stories begin, one between Roxanne and one of her admirers, and another, which focuses on the second-most sought-after talent possessed by a multi-lingual interpreter, a Japanese named Gen. Each, along with several intriguing subplots, led to the building of a unique story and ultimately satisfying climax.
The ending comes quickly and shook me to my core. It was not unexpected and yet it still made me cry. And then there's a surprise, which after a lot of thought, made perfect sense. Brava Ms. Patchett. My highest recommendation.
October 26, 2019
High 4*
I'm patting myself on the back for trying this audiobook again. The first time around, I just couldn't get into it - I put it down to not being in the right mood, although it was puzzling as I adore Opera and I'm keen on Latin anything and I had enjoyed Patchett's writing before.
For what it's worth, I wasn't as enchanted with Anna Fields' delivery. I hope this audiobook is reissued, with a better production - I mean you have opera, you have all kind of languages, bullets - it could be an enhanced experience. Whenever a certain aria was mentioned, I found myself singing it, although it hurt my own ears, it's torture for those who hear me. I did get used to the narrator, as one does. As the novel progressed and we got to know some of the characters, I was completely taken with the story. I could easily picture the location, the characters, their interactions. I know this has been made into a movie and I'm kind of desperate to get my hands on it, see what they've done with it.
So what is this about?
In an unidentified Latin American country, a group of insurgents assail the vice-president's house where a big party was taking place. They were hoping to kidnap the president, who was absent, therefore they find themselves in a situation they didn't prepare for. After releasing the women, the kids and the workers, the insurgents and the fifty-nine others are locked up inside a beautiful mansion while the police were waiting outside. The inhabitants are people from many parts of the world: Japanese, Italians, Germans, Russians, locals, and the renowned American soprano, Roxanne Coss.
My favourite characters were the Japanese men: a rich businessman, who's obsessed with opera, Katsumi Hosokawa, and his interpreter, Gen Watanabe. They were classy, dignified and very intelligent.
I appreciated that Patchett chose to portray most of the terrorists as more than just jungle rats.
To have even the most uneducated brought to their knees by the power of opera was music to my ears and heart.
As it's been established, Patchett writes characters incredibly well. She's at her best in this novel.
Bel Canto is probably my favourite of hers, so far anyway.
I'm patting myself on the back for trying this audiobook again. The first time around, I just couldn't get into it - I put it down to not being in the right mood, although it was puzzling as I adore Opera and I'm keen on Latin anything and I had enjoyed Patchett's writing before.
For what it's worth, I wasn't as enchanted with Anna Fields' delivery. I hope this audiobook is reissued, with a better production - I mean you have opera, you have all kind of languages, bullets - it could be an enhanced experience. Whenever a certain aria was mentioned, I found myself singing it, although it hurt my own ears, it's torture for those who hear me. I did get used to the narrator, as one does. As the novel progressed and we got to know some of the characters, I was completely taken with the story. I could easily picture the location, the characters, their interactions. I know this has been made into a movie and I'm kind of desperate to get my hands on it, see what they've done with it.
So what is this about?
In an unidentified Latin American country, a group of insurgents assail the vice-president's house where a big party was taking place. They were hoping to kidnap the president, who was absent, therefore they find themselves in a situation they didn't prepare for. After releasing the women, the kids and the workers, the insurgents and the fifty-nine others are locked up inside a beautiful mansion while the police were waiting outside. The inhabitants are people from many parts of the world: Japanese, Italians, Germans, Russians, locals, and the renowned American soprano, Roxanne Coss.
My favourite characters were the Japanese men: a rich businessman, who's obsessed with opera, Katsumi Hosokawa, and his interpreter, Gen Watanabe. They were classy, dignified and very intelligent.
I appreciated that Patchett chose to portray most of the terrorists as more than just jungle rats.
To have even the most uneducated brought to their knees by the power of opera was music to my ears and heart.
As it's been established, Patchett writes characters incredibly well. She's at her best in this novel.
Bel Canto is probably my favourite of hers, so far anyway.
June 18, 2008
This is a weird and beautiful book about machine guns, chopping onions, and opera singers. Check your disbelief at the door and enjoy the language. I don't care for the ending -- but it was worth it anyway. Lovely writing.
***wondering why all my reviews are five stars? Because I'm only reviewing my favorite books -- not every book I read. Consider a novel's presence on my Goodreads bookshelf as a hearty endorsement. I can't believe I just said "hearty." It sounds like a stew.****
***wondering why all my reviews are five stars? Because I'm only reviewing my favorite books -- not every book I read. Consider a novel's presence on my Goodreads bookshelf as a hearty endorsement. I can't believe I just said "hearty." It sounds like a stew.****
October 9, 2017
Bel Canto is the second book I've read by Ann Patchett. Commonwealth was the first and I loved it. I'd been wanting to read Bel Canto for a long time. I liked some of the book but there were parts of it that really seemed to drag on and I had no problem setting it aside at intervals. I felt like the action came very! late in the story. The ending was fine, however, I wasn't thrilled (or even kind of pleased) with the epilogue. For all the hype I'd hear about this book, it was somewhat of a letdown. That said, I liked the overall story enough to want to finish it.
February 26, 2025
Ann Patchett is such a skillful writer. This is, to date, the oldest book of hers that I've read and I can see how she's grown since this was released in 2001 and become more skilled at creating well-rounded, nuanced characters. This story which centers around an opera singer at times feels like a stage production itself, moving scene to scene between characters in an omniscient 3rd person POV.
And at times it does feel a bit gimmicky and flat, the Peruvian setting never being named specifically for some reason and a bit of tone-deafness regarding Western 'exceptionalism' when it comes to art and culture. I think Patchett of 2025 would likely write things differently here (in fact, last year she published an annotated version of this with margin notes I'd love to take a look at some day to see if she agrees with my assessment).
All in all, her sentence level writing is so strong; her ability to tie themes and characters into the plot which is perfectly paced, for me at least and didn't drag like it did for some. While it has its flaws and might be my least favorite of her novels I've read so far, despite being her most acclaimed, I still admire Patchett's vision even when her reach exceeds her grasp.
And at times it does feel a bit gimmicky and flat, the Peruvian setting never being named specifically for some reason and a bit of tone-deafness regarding Western 'exceptionalism' when it comes to art and culture. I think Patchett of 2025 would likely write things differently here (in fact, last year she published an annotated version of this with margin notes I'd love to take a look at some day to see if she agrees with my assessment).
All in all, her sentence level writing is so strong; her ability to tie themes and characters into the plot which is perfectly paced, for me at least and didn't drag like it did for some. While it has its flaws and might be my least favorite of her novels I've read so far, despite being her most acclaimed, I still admire Patchett's vision even when her reach exceeds her grasp.
April 15, 2008
I read this book because my girlfriend--who loved it--recommended it to me. She also implied that I could stand to girly up my reading list a little, which is probably fair. Man does not live by novelizations of '70s cop movies and '80s slasher movie tie-ins alone.
Anyway, I thought it was good. The characters were all likable and the story was engaging, if wholly improbable (Bel Canto could just as easily have been titled The Lighter Side of Stockholm Syndrome). My main problem with it was the writing style, which I really didn't care for. Each sentence is perfectly crafted, and would make any MFA writing professor thrilled, but therein lies the problem. The writing is so well-crafted sentence by sentence that it ends up being somewhat characterless and a little dull in large portions. The prose in Bel Canto almost seemed as if it was written to specifically defy any editorial criticisms. It does this with aplomb, but the problem is that it never takes any risks either.
Anyway, I thought it was good. The characters were all likable and the story was engaging, if wholly improbable (Bel Canto could just as easily have been titled The Lighter Side of Stockholm Syndrome). My main problem with it was the writing style, which I really didn't care for. Each sentence is perfectly crafted, and would make any MFA writing professor thrilled, but therein lies the problem. The writing is so well-crafted sentence by sentence that it ends up being somewhat characterless and a little dull in large portions. The prose in Bel Canto almost seemed as if it was written to specifically defy any editorial criticisms. It does this with aplomb, but the problem is that it never takes any risks either.
October 17, 2018
[[notes]] I just watched the movie and I was kind of shocked how it made me a whole lot more emotional than reading the book itself. Julianne Moore made this story feels believable for me. Splendid casting.
——————
This book was so weird.
Made even weirder by that epilogue.
This is the first book I read that I did not like the epilogue.
I just didn't feel 'danger' or 'passion' for that matter. It didn't jump off the page for me. I wouldn't have finished it at all if I wasn't ill with the flu. You know, lethargy and all. That was the only reason I didn't mark this as dnf.
The voices in this had this flat tone to them which was strange considering a large chunk of the book talked about singing and opera and passion. I think at times it veered into this sort of fatasy land. Maybe it's the author’s real intention to show us how Stockholm Syndrome felt? Possibly though I'm not sure. I just cannot really see how everyone could love opera that much. Because everyone in this LOVED opera THAT MUCH.
It felt like the author didn't follow through and just left a lot of things out. I mean a lot!. Disoriented was a fitting description of how i felt after turning the last page. I was actually laughing but then I have a tendency to laugh when things got too preposterous. I wouldn't say it was that in this case but it got pretty close.
Of course, since I already knew the outcome anyway, the author told us early on.
The end of the hostage situation and the epilogue have this gaping hole left open. And there's a disconnect between those two events that I wish we got to get a glimpse of, if not a chapter.
I still to this day, a week later, wonder why the author didn't just show us.
——————
This book was so weird.
Made even weirder by that epilogue.
This is the first book I read that I did not like the epilogue.
I just didn't feel 'danger' or 'passion' for that matter. It didn't jump off the page for me. I wouldn't have finished it at all if I wasn't ill with the flu. You know, lethargy and all. That was the only reason I didn't mark this as dnf.
The voices in this had this flat tone to them which was strange considering a large chunk of the book talked about singing and opera and passion. I think at times it veered into this sort of fatasy land. Maybe it's the author’s real intention to show us how Stockholm Syndrome felt? Possibly though I'm not sure. I just cannot really see how everyone could love opera that much. Because everyone in this LOVED opera THAT MUCH.
It felt like the author didn't follow through and just left a lot of things out. I mean a lot!. Disoriented was a fitting description of how i felt after turning the last page. I was actually laughing but then I have a tendency to laugh when things got too preposterous. I wouldn't say it was that in this case but it got pretty close.
Of course, since I already knew the outcome anyway, the author told us early on.
The end of the hostage situation and the epilogue have this gaping hole left open. And there's a disconnect between those two events that I wish we got to get a glimpse of, if not a chapter.
I still to this day, a week later, wonder why the author didn't just show us.
March 2, 2009
There is nothing I can say. I don't even know how.
Instead, I will veil my head, lament the deaths of each person loved since the beginning of time, and cry tears of unsurpassed desolation in the hopes that tomorrow, the sun will shine on my face and god will see me standing there.
Instead, I will veil my head, lament the deaths of each person loved since the beginning of time, and cry tears of unsurpassed desolation in the hopes that tomorrow, the sun will shine on my face and god will see me standing there.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 23,812 reviews