Would have given this a higher rating, but was disappointed by the epilogue... ( )

2007 ( )

Absorbing description of a group of hostages and the developments of their relationships as their captivity continues. ( )

Good, but not as good as The Magician's assistant. It's a great love story, but I think it falls down at the end, laving me sad that the couples did not get closure. Well, some did in a terminal way. I don't think Gen should have married Roxanne. Carmel was too nice. ( )

Very good

More interesting once the book was finished; book club pick BTS ( )

Haven't read a novel for awhile and found this to be suprisingly good - almost a black comedy - you always know the outcome won't be good, but it was engaging enough to want to go to bed or sprawl on the couch to read how the hostages and terrorists were getting on together! ( )

Bel Canto is one of those books whose characters live with you while you read it and in the spaces between your reading. I finished it last night and woke up thinking about it, pondering the way the notes fell and accustoming myself to the story they told.

A third-world country in South America throws a birthday party for Mr. Hosokawa, a rich Japanese businessman. To lure him (and possibly his future business) there, the services of the world-famous opera singer Roxane Coss had been engaged for the evening. No one expected to end the party as a hostage of a terrorist organization bent on kidnapping the President. But the President wasn't there; he'd decided at the last minute not to attend, and the terrorists are left with nearly 200 hostages they didn't want and no backup plan. And so things drift on for weeks and months as the Generals try to figure out what they can get from the situation.

There are many wonderful character sketches in this story, but five in particular stand out to me. Mr. Hosokawa, his translator Gen Watanabe, Roxane Coss, the female terrorist Carmen, and the Vice President Ruben Iglesias. The relationships they build, stepping out on the tenuous threads of translated speech and interpreted expressions, are the magic from which the story is spun.

And running underneath everything, popping up in every scene and playing a part in almost every private motivation is the power of music. It is like a character in its own right against the backdrop of human violence and tragedy. The way it is handled reminds me so much of Steven Galloway's The Cellist of Sarajevo, another story in which music is a bold statement of beauty in the face of ugliness. Music redeems; music is a force no one was expecting to reckon with.

The tone and certain events in the story also reminded me of Michael Ondaatje's The English Patient. People trapped in a house together try to make sense of their colliding worlds through physical relations, and though it "works" for a time, it cannot last forever. It is also slightly jarring how almost every male in the house is in love with Roxane Coss, but I suppose, given the magic of her voice and the enforced boredom of their captivity, that this is not altogether unrealistic. I don't think I'll ever be comfortable with portrayals of men being unfaithful to their wives for any reason, especially when it is shown as natural and acceptable. Perhaps it is natural, but never acceptable!

Patchett has a very sensitive narrative voice and she probes her characters gently. The terrorists become people too under her hands as she teases out their nebulous hopes and the things that make them distinct (though I'm sure it helps that they are not the more violent faction of terrorists in the country who would have systematically shot their hostages to force the government to act). The reader feels a strong empathy with many of the characters, despite their flaws. I even ended up liking Fyodorov, whom I thought at first was just pushy and coarse.

I feel both unsatisfied and relieved with the ending; I can't quite decide if it feels contrived, or if it's the only possible finish for a story like this. It is not really a happy ending... as much as I love those, I realize that a perfect, bloodless denouément would mar the entire story.

If you are, like me, not overly familiar with opera, this is the kind of story that will make you want to listen to it, try to find the beauty that is so powerful in the novel. I enjoyed the book a great deal but I imagine opera-lovers would find even more to relish here, where opera becomes entwined with literature and human tragedy. We are all of us on the stage.

This isn't a book for younger people, but mature readers (and especially fans of opera) will find much to enjoy here. Recommended. ( )

An Opera singer and many politicians are held hostage in an unknown South American country. Good plot and enjoyable read. ( )

An un-named, poor South American country plots to improve their fortune by hosting a birthday party for a prominent Japanese businessman featuring a performance by his favorite soprano. The party is attended by diplomats, politicians, and even some curious representatives from Russia who wriggled an invite by suggesting they too might be interested in setting up manufacturing in this country. The president of the country is typically adamant about keeping his nights free...in reality, he is addicted to a soap opera and doesn't like anything to interfere with his TV viewing. He agrees to attend this gala, but then backs out at the last second.

The terrorists didn't get the memo.

The mansion where the party is taken place is overwhelmed with a paramilitary group pouring in through the windows and duct work, immediately seizing control. Their goal was to snatch the president and be gone within minutes, holding him ransom until political prisoners have been released. The search for El Presidente is fruitless, though, and the terrorists are unable to decide how they will make use of the altered circumstance. Soon, it becomes a moot point when the mansion is surrounded by police and a long siege ensues.

Bel Canto is the story of several principle characters caught in the nearly 5 month ordeal. Love stories break out not only among the captives, but between a captive and a young lady that is one of two women among the terrorists. Meanwhile, another of the young terrorists is discovered to have an incredible singing voice, and the soprano begins teaching him proper singing techniques. The translator, the only person able to communicate with everyone in the mansion, falls for one of the young women terrorists and endeavors to teach her reading and writing. It's a case of everyone making the best of a bad situation, there is very little malice between hostages and captors.

Patchett's prose is somewhat on the flowery side, her terrorists could never be convincingly terrifying. That's not to say it was lacking violence...it was hinted early that everything would end badly for many of the characters (and all of the terrorists). Pratchett then built them up so the reader felt somewhat sympathetic toward them, and then with relish, throws in an ending worthy of Korean cinema. ( )

I read this because my wife read it for her book club and had already read it once before, so that it became one of the very few books that she had ever read more than once, and I wanted to know whether this unusual fact could be justified by the book itself - and I can't say that I do really understand that now that I have read it myself.

There is a strange coda to 'Bel Canto' (the last two pages) that contains a twist, but apart from that it is a very simple uni-dimensional tale about a group of armed rebels who take a houseful of people hostage, and this action backfires because the intemded target, the President, wasn't at the gathering, having decided to stay away to watch his favourite soap. As a result of this, and the rebel commanders' decision not to negotiate, a standoff deveops that stretches into months. Inevitably (and predictably) the boundaries between the takers and the taken begin to blur as everybody comes to terms with what has happened.

The joker in the story (pack of characters) is the singer Roxanne Coss. She beguiles everybody with her presence and her singing. She eventually falls in love with the party host (Mr Hosokawa) and they start a clandestine relationship. As does the translator (Gen Watanabe) with one of the two rebel girls, Carmen, whose gender is not initially apparent because of their being dressed identically to all the men. Everybody learns about their true emotions in a less than satisfactory way (nothing negative ever happens); all is progress, all is development and everybody forgets about the actual, deadly situation in which they are really living. So love and education flourish: Gen teaches Carmen how to write: the priest teaches the other rebel girl, Beatriz, how to pray; Mr Hosokawa teaches Ishmael how to play chess; Roxanne teaches Cesar how to train nhis voice and becomes intoxictaed by the porpect that he is even beyttter than she is although throughout the book her singing has been the fluid that has kept the whole magical event suspened in a timelessness that we all know will come to its inevtitable end. In that respct, there is no suspense in this npovel because there are no realistic alternative outcomes.

When everybody is so far into their suspension of disbelief that they have come to believe, like a fact, that nothing will ever penetrate their fantasy island from outside, the military invade the dream, killing all the 'rebels' (by now we are not so sure, they are just some of the millions of 'under-privileged' who never have a chance to escape from their own 'reality'). Along with, and at the same time as the rebel Carmen is killed (murdered?) Mr Hosokawa takes the same bullet as he tries to protect her... maybe he knows that the translator Gen is in love with her, the translator without whom none of the events within the novel would have been possible. This device, the conduit through whom all parties can communicate, is essential to the very fabric of 'Bel Canto'.

The story would unquestionably have been much more clumsy in its construction, and perhaps impossible to construct at all without his enabling lingua franca - many different languages all able to communicate with barely a struggle. As a Japanese national working for Mr Hosokawa he naturally speaks his mother tongue, but miraculously also speaks (at least) English, Spanish, Russian, French, German, Greek and Portuguese. As he starts to waver with fatigue, the story starts to ready itself for it grisly penulimate act. He is worn doiwn by his duties (he always has to be there when the red cross intermediary from outside, Messner, arrives daily); he always has to be available for the 'generals' whenever they need him; he is always needed by the many suitors for Roxanne (the 'only' woman involved as it is reported by the media later); and latterly he finds even less energy for his group role because he is making love to Carmen in the china cupboard.

When the shooting is over and everyone who has to die is dead, the twist in the tale can be straightened out. Of the two couples who developed loving, sexual relationships, only one from each couple survives.. having both lost their hostage lover, and knowing that the other is the only person in the world who will ever understand what happened during that fhose fateful months, the story ends with their marriage and projected happy life together in Italy - Bel Canto indeed!

This book made me fall madly in love with Ann Patchett; after reading it I vowed to hunt down every thing she'd ever written and to buy anything else she ever writes. ( )

I struggled with the ending, but absolutely loved the intensity of the entire novel. Some of the most romantic (without being gratuitous) love scenes I've ever read. ( )

In an unnamed South American country, a birthday dinner party is being held in honour of a Japanese industrialist. Prominent political and industrial guers are in attendance, while Roxanne Coss, a famous opera singer, enthralls the crowd with her virtuoso performance.

Little do they know until the lights go out, that a rag-tag group of terrorists plan to use the President as a hostage. Unfortunately, the President stayed at home to watch his favourite soap opera, leaving the terrorists with a major flaw in their plans.

Patchett moves the focal point of the story between the hostages and the terrorists, revealing the good and bad in each. The 58 hostages have no common language, other than the glorious music provided by Roxanne and the pianist. As they spend many months together trapped in the Vice-Presidential house, the lines between hostages and terrorists becomes blurred. Patchett beautifully builds the tension and the eerie feeling of suspended reality within the palace.

Bel Canto is an elegantly written book which shows the noble side of human nature. Like other books set in South America, she captures a dreamy, escapist atmosphere most excellently. ( )

(Music themes, but may not be right for a musicology list) Recommended by Elizabeth Schwartz.

It was a hard book to get into. Overall I enjoyed the book, but it was not my favorite Patchett book. ( )

First I liked it, then I really liked it, then suddenly the epilogue killed it all. Well, not quite, but you get the idea. I would have torn out the last chapter if it was my copy, but its a bit out of order to do that to someone else's book so I decided to let it go.

Nonetheless, prior to the last chapter it is a moving and interesting look at people overcoming barriers of language, culture, and conflicting loyalties to build strong relationships and alliances. Perhaps a little overwritten with very rich language, but not distractingly so. The plot developments mean you have to stretch belief, but I enjoy that kind of heightened reality. ( )

Amazing poetic story! Rich characters, beautiful writing. Love this book! ( )

Opera has never been very appealing to me; however, after reading {Bel Canto} I feel the urge to swallow the history of opera whole and let it rage through my bones. The novel is an homage to art and beauty and a meditation on love and freedom . Patchett creates a paradoxical situation that explores the power of art and love juxtaposed with violence and fear. While both comical and tragic at times, it ultimately speaks to the strength of love and the power of music.

The conclusion of the novel and the epilogue to me seemed necessary. Regardless of how deeply the hostages and reader begin to care for the terrorists, the outcome is inevitable from the beginning. The epilogue, while rather depressing, is also a testament to the strength of art and love. Without spoiling the ending, I'll just say there were no other alternatives for these characters. ( )

Patchett did a wonderful job of fleshing out every character. They became real characters as the book evolved and I cared about the terrorists as well as the hostages. An interesting storyline, but disappointed slightly in the ending. I guess in reality those things end abruptly. ( )

What can I say about this book that hasn’t been said before? Ann Patchett’s Bel Canto is so unique that I would hardly have believed it was a book had I not read it myself. It’s a story about love in the most unlikely places. Heroism from the more unlikely of people. And culture when you expect nothing but the uncivilized.

My favorite moments were without a doubt any time Roxanne Cross sang. Despite the fact that she is a fictional soprano, by turning the pages it was as if I could hear her voice myself. Without sounding corny, the book was pure magic. I began it somewhat skeptical – how much could one gain from a book about a hostage situation? Needless to say, I was mistaken.

I was in love with the translator Gen, who became the accidental hero of the novel; the uniquely beautiful terrorist Carmen, who taught me how to walk without being heard; and, the unmistakable Soprano Roxanne Cross, whose voice inspires humanity from even the most inhuman of the group.

The plot is unique and not at all as you would expect. I was constantly surprised and enjoyed the book throughout. ( )

It took me a few chapters to really get into this one, but once I did, I was hooked. It's an unlikely story of a hostage situation at a dinner party in South America. During the months (!) of stalemate, the captors and captives find love and rediscover the beauty of life and the magic of music. I was expecting the ending to make the story, but it turned out to be rather different than I expected. I could have done without the epilogue, but it is an interesting twist. ( )

A beautifully written novel, loosely based on a true event.

Opening Sentence : '...When the lights went off the accompanist kissed her...'

Bel Canto was the winner of the Orange Prize for Fiction in 2002.

In an unnamed South American country, a world-renowned soprano, Roxanne Coss, sings at a birthday party in honor of a visiting Japanese industrial titan. His hosts hope that Mr. Hosokawa can be persuaded to build a factory in their Third World backwater. However, at the end of the concert, just as the accompanist kisses the soprano, a gang of armed men invade the vice-presidential mansion in order to capture their president. Unfortunately for the invaders, the President had stayed home to watch a favorite soap opera. So from the very beginning, things don't go according to plan.

Among the hostages are an assortment of Russian, Italian, and French diplomatic types as well as Reuben Iglesias, the vice president. A Swiss Red Cross negotiator named Joachim Messner is roped into service while vacationing. He comes and goes daily, wrangling over terms and demands, and the days stretch into weeks, the weeks into months.
Yes the characters remain captive for months. Ann Prachett says her inspiration came from the real-life taking of the Japanese Embassy in Peru by MRTA terrorists in December 1996 - the siege ended four months later. The 23 terrorists from the Tupac Amaru Revolutionary Movement (MRTA) held 340 men captive in the Japanese ambassador's residence - by the end of the siege there were 72 hostages left.

Despite the basis of the book - armed imprisonment - the pace is leisurely and the initial sense of menace soon disappears as some of the armed terrorist are revealed as nice people in the wrong place and the wrong time. The overall theme is the power of music in our lives - how glorious music can touch our very soul, and another them is the importance of seeking beauty and romance in our lives. Since the world we live in is often a cruel and barbaric place, it is not always possible for peace and love to flourish. Ann Patchett shows us it is possible in all circumstances to seize those rare moments in our lives when we can enjoy everything that is wonderful and amazing around us.

The conclusion was, for me, unsatisfying. But it is an entertaining and thought provoking novel with good character development and wonderful use of language. I can fully understand why it won an award. ( )

Wow, this was a great love story. It is a story about the elite of society who were taken hostage at a party by terrorists. It was really interesting to see how the relationships developed between the two groups. I really enjoyed it. ( )