Play Book Tag discussion

In an unnamed South American country, a birthday party is being held in the home of the nation’s vice president. Mr. Hosokawa, the Japanese businessman who is being honored, would never have attended if not bribed with a private performance by his favorite opera singer, Roxane Coss. Immediately after the final notes are sung, they are all taken hostage by a terrorist group. The terrorists planned to kidnap the president and hold him for ransom in order to free their compatriots from prison. There’s one snag in this plan: the president isn’t in attendance. What ensues is an unusual hostage situation that goes on for several months.

Roxane Coss’s music becomes a shared language that dissolves the boundaries between captors and captives, transforming the tense atmosphere into something unexpectedly tender. Even the most hardened rebels are moved by her performances, finding themselves captivated, soothed, and changed in ways that seem to transcend politics.

Bel Canto is definitely a character driven novel. The story slowly develops the characters from both sides, as both hostages and kidnappers develop friendships, mutual respect, and fall into forbidden love with their supposed enemy. Days and then months go by with no ransom being met, leaving them to listen to operas and forge unlikely friendships amidst the tedious drudgery of waiting for something to happen. It's hard not to become emotionally invested in each character.

Some readers will be put off by the slow paced action of the book. It's almost excruciatingly slow at times. The ending came very quickly, and I felt like the epilogue was completely unnecessary.

This book isn’t for everyone, but if you enjoy slow paced books that are focused on characters and their emotional arcs, you will probably enjoy "Bel Canto".

I adore this book - it's the first Patchett I ever read -- and I measure all since to it - most don't quite meet that standard. One day I hope to see the opera adaptation of it - which Patchett colluded with soprano Renee Fleming to produce for Chicago Lyric. It's not yet come to the Met. I am not familiar with the composer - but here's a link to the Lyric's website about it from 2015 - https://www.lyricopera.org/shows/upco....

I actually like the epilogue - though I know many don't. To me it's a reminder (view spoiler)[that when someone has experienced such a traumatic event, are changed by it, you really can only be close to another who has gone through the same. No one else can share what it was like and how it left you. (hide spoiler)]

The epilogue also ruined a five-star rating from me. I really thought it was unnecessary

Joanne wrote: "The epilogue also ruined a five-star rating from me. I really though it was unnecessary"
I felt the same.

This is also the first Patchett I ever read, and I read it before 2007, but not before I was homeschooling (none of my kids were schooled at home the entire way through,) so sometime after 2003. I liked it quite a bit, as you can see; I liked the slow pacing. But it wasn't 5 stars; agreed about the epilogue not being needed.