bel canto book review guardian

Review: Bel Canto by Ann Patchett

Bel Canto is a story about love, mostly. Love, music, language, terrorism, friendship – the book definitely doesn’t fail to deliver on those themes.

Set in South America, the story (based on a true story) begins when a large roomful of mostly affluent bureaucrats and CEO’s are taken hostage by terrorists during a beautiful soprano opera performance by the book’s female lead, Roxanne Coss. From there, the story stays in that same setting. The hostages end up being held captive for over 4 months! During that time, relationships are formed between hostages and terrorists, friendships grow, romances flourish.

It’s going to be very difficult to review this book without giving away the ending, but I’m going to try valiantly!

I have to admit, I was a little disappointed by this book. I had read and heard a lot of good things about it, so my expectations were high. There were definitely good parts! I enjoyed many passages about love and language and music. Patchett really has a flourish for colorful language on those subjects! For instance, here’s a passage about music I particularly enjoyed:

How strange his fingers felt after two weeks of not playing, as if the skin he wore now was entirely new. He could hear the softest click of his fingernails, two weeks too long, as he touched the keys. The felt-covered hammers tapped the strings gently at first, and the music, even for those who had never heard the piece before, was like a memory. From all over the house, terrorist and hostage alike turned and listened and felt a great easing in their chests….Had the accompanist played so well? It would have been impossible to remember, his talent was to be invisible, to life the soprano up, but now the people in the living room of the vice-presidential mansion listened to Kato with hunger and nothing in their lives had ever fed them so well.

Isn’t that beautiful? It’s passages like that one that saved this book for me. Because of how well-written it is and how beautiful the language is, I have to give it 3 stars.

As for the story, though, that’s…another story. I felt like I was reading a bizarre psychological/sociological experiment. Living for so long in this house causes the hostages (all men except Roxanne and a couple of the terrorists) to basically choose how they’re going to live this “new” life. They discover hidden/closeted passions, they realize they maybe love their wives more or less than they thought, and they basically all fall in love with Roxanne Coss, the soprano. Her voice and her music touches them all in a way that makes them feel such passion, and of course they all think that passion is for her.

Thoughts I had while reading this book:

“Are they really never going to leave the house in this entire book???”

“Aw, love. Lovely love. OH, wow, that’s quite the description of an erection! Oh, there’s sex now? OK then, wham, bam, thank you ma’am!”

“I really wish something would happen besides these people just hanging out in this house…getting a little bored here”

“Um, I’m 5 pages from the end and there’s no ending yet. No resolution? I’m so confused.”

“WHAT?!? That’s really how this all ends? Yeesh.”

“I don’t understand the point of this epilogue at all…wow I’m confused.”

Yep, that about sums up how I felt about this book. The story was a bit odd for me – even boring at times. Also, I hated the ending! The resolution happens in 2 pages. I understand that this book was based off of a real event, so Patchett had to end the story in the way that she did. However, it felt really rushed and strange ending it in the last 2 pages of the book. There’s all this wonderful language and character development, and then it just…ends. At any rate, this book…it’s worth a read if you’re curious, but it definitely wasn’t a favorite of mine.

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I would love to read just a stream of consciousness review from you sometime, it would be hilarious.

[…] which so far is ok — I loved Commonwealth more, though. (Side note: Joli reviewed Bel Canto here.) I’ve also added Hillbilly Elegy, by J.D. Vance, and It’s Okay to Laugh, by Nora […]

I just finished this one, and I had the same thoughts you did! Lovely writing by an amazing author, but the story just didn’t do it for me. I didn’t find myself interested in the story or characters, despite the great writing. I also disliked the ending and how it switched perspective so much in the first half. Definitely didn’t love this one like I loved Commonwealth!

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Reading guide for Bel Canto by Ann Patchett

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• May 1, 2001, 336 pages
• Jun 2002, 336 pages
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Book Review: Bel Canto by Ann Patchett

by Barbara the Bibliophage | Mar 12, 2019 | RELAX: Other Relaxation | 6 comments

Bel Canto, published in 2001 by Ann Patchett, is a melodic story of an extreme case of Stockholm Syndrome . It’s an elegant and meaningful exposition of kidnapping, but also of love. 

A group of businessmen, diplomats, and important people gather in an unnamed Spanish-speaking country to hear a world-renowned opera singer perform. They’re celebrating the birthday of Japanese businessman, Mr. Hosakawa. It’s what you might call a motley crew, but in fact none of them are motley. Instead, it’s a sophisticated group. But they have virtually nothing in common except possibly the desire for a night away from the routine and some musical excellence.

And then the unthinkable happens. A group of rebels slips in through the heating ducts, and takes everyone in the party hostage. What they want is to kidnap the nation’s President. But sadly, he stayed home that evening, preferring television to opera. So instead, the rebels capture everyone else. What follows is a unique progression from aggression to near complacency. And maybe even love.

There’s a saying that music is the universal language. But in this case, communication depends on Mr. Hosakawa’s translator, Gen. He becomes a central character, since his translation services are needed in nearly every scene. But, truthfully, Patchett develops many of the characters. This is a true ensemble piece.

The rebel soldiers are diverse also. They’re young and inexperienced in the ways of the world, except for their generals. Living in a home with this much luxury is entirely foreign to them. But carrying guns everywhere they go is not. And it rattles the hostages. This is a story of contrasts.

My conclusions

Bel Canto is my first experience reading Ann Patchett’s work. And I adored it. She takes two groups of people and tosses them together like salad ingredients. The dressing is music, for it is the thread that winds its way through every page of the book.

The musical term bel canto is a style of multipart opera and Italian courtly solo singing. Patchett creates just such a novel, with a blend of character studies and story arcs. We follow the health of some people, while watching over the blossoming romances. Yes, romances in a hostage drama. Hence the feeling that these characters start to lose the defined line between aggressor and victim.

Through it all, Patchett weaves the melody of musical tastes and performance. The opera singer, Roxanne Coss, becomes both mother figure and object of desire. She draws her audience in, and uses music to create a kind of harmony unknown in diverse groups. This is a cultured version of the reality show, Big Brother.

If you like intense character studies and locked room mysteries, this might be the book for you. There’s not much mystery, except for the question of how it will end for the hostages and their captors. But every step of the way is intriguing. For me, it was well worth my time.

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I read this years ago and enjoyed it, but I have yet to read more of Ann Patchett, and now I’m wondering why. We used to enjoy visiting Parnassus Books in Nashville, which she co-founded, when we lived there.

Hi Stephanie! Wow, you’re right on top of reading my reviews. Thanks! <3

I have two more Patchett's on my shelf, and intend to read them soon. Hopefully ... as I have been enjoying my "mood reading" this year.

Great review of a truly wonderful novel. I have read Commonwealth by Ann Patchett and liked it, but I think Bel Canto was, for me, a better read.

Thanks so much, Sue. I appreciate your comment and also the assessment of Commonwealth. That’s one of the other Patchett books on my shelf. The second is her memoir about marriage, This is the Story of a Happy Marriage. Truthfully, I’m looking forward to both after reading Bel Canto.

I’ve read all of Ann Patchett’s books, and loved them. I think you’d really enjoy State of Wonder and The Patron Saint of Liars!

Thanks for commenting, Linda. And, you’ve reminded me. I have State Of Wonder on my shelves. More Patchett to enjoy!

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June 10, 2001 Captive Audience In Ann Patchett's novel, a lyric soprano is among those taken hostage in South America. By JAMES POLK BEL CANTO By Ann Patchett. 318 pp. New York: HarperCollins Publishers. $25. n December 1996, 14 members of the Tupac Amaru guerrilla group entered the Japanese ambassador's residence in Lima, Peru, seized nearly 600 hostages and demanded the release of a number of political prisoners. The resulting siege lasted four months, captured international headlines and ended in a bloody assault by the Peruvian military. Loosely inspired by that event, Ann Patchett's fourth novel is set in the vice-presidential mansion of an unnamed South American capital, where some 200 foreign diplomats, government officials and businessmen have gathered to celebrate the birthday of a Japanese electronics mogul and opera buff named Katsumi Hosokawa. The not-so-subtle intention is to charm the industrialist into investing in the host country, something he has no intention of doing. Even so, he has been unable to resist the bait that's been dangled before him: a recital by the lyric soprano Roxane Coss. Mr. Hosokawa has already attended 18 of her performances in concert halls around the world, often inventing business trips that will place him in the audience. But never before has he heard her in such a close, intimate setting. Although he feels twinges of guilt for accepting the invitation, the opportunity is too rare to be missed. One who does miss it is the country's president, unwilling to forgo a climactic moment in his favorite television program. To him, no number of glorious arias and no number of supposed commercial opportunities are worth missing the valiant attempts of a soap-opera heroine named Maria to free herself from captivity. His obsession with Maria's fate also causes President Masuda to miss experiencing captivity himself, when members of a rebel group called La Familia de Martin Suarez storm the vice-presidential mansion. At first, ''Bel Canto'' seems a departure for Patchett, whose previous novels have demonstrated her precise eye for the shadings of human interaction played out on small stages: a performer's widow trying to find an independent self in ''The Magician's Assistant,'' a runaway bringing meaning to her life at a home for unwed mothers in ''The Patron Saint of Liars,'' a former musician recovering his identity in ''Taft.'' But despite its larger frame, what gives this novel its power is Patchett's flair for sketching the subtleties of her characters' behavior. Barely has the occupation of the mansion gotten under way when the wider issues of international affairs recede and the intricacies of the relationships between (and among) captors and captives come to the fore. In this crisis, Mr. Hosokawa's translator, Gen Watanabe, who, despite an extraordinary bent for languages, ''was often at a loss for what to say when left with only his own words,'' discovers both his voice and his emotions. Vice President Iglesias assumes the dual roles of housekeeper and gracious host as the standoff stretches on. And Tetsuya Kato, a Nansei Electronics vice president with ''a reputation for being very good with numbers,'' lets his artistic soul take wing. Most interesting, Roxane, the lone woman remaining after many of the hostages are released, realizes the true power of the music that has been her life's work, causing her to sing ''as if she was saving the life of every person in the room.'' Unfortunately, Patchett strains a bit too hard to give the revolutionaries similar dimensions. Among the occupiers of the mansion are a young man who learns chess simply from observing a few games and another who reveals himself as a musical prodigy by mimicking Roxane. While these humanizing details bring poignant scope to the novel's early warning that the terrorists ''would not survive the ordeal,'' they also diminish the story's taut ambivalence, making some scenes near the end sound almost like accounts of a Boy Scout jamboree. Nevertheless, especially early on, ''Bel Canto'' often shows Patchett doing what she does best -- offering fine insights into the various ways in which human connections can be forged, whatever pressures the world may place upon them. James Polk teaches literature at Marist College in Poughkeepsie, N.Y. Return to the Books Home Page

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DISCUSSION QUESTIONS READER FAVORITES MYSTERIES & THRILLERS BEST SELLERS AWARD WINNING BOOKS CLASSIC BOOKS WEEKEND READING WHAT TO READ NEXT POPULAR BOOKS SIGN UP FOR OUR NEWSLETTER ‘Bel Canto’ Film Review: Julianne Moore Thriller Hits All the Wrong Notes Moore (as an opera diva) and Ken Watanabe are held captive in a flailing, pointless adaptation of Ann Patchett’s best-seller Paul Weitz’s “Bel Canto” is a film that’s astounding, but for all the wrong reasons. It’s based on a celebrated novel by Ann Patchett. It stars Julianne Moore and Ken Watanabe, two of the most magnetic actors working today. It’s a story that incorporates a hostage crisis, forbidden love, political revolution and all the glory of opera. And it makes almost no impression whatsoever. “Bel Canto” takes place in an unspecified South American country, where a Japanese businessman named Katsumi Hosokawa (Watanabe) is being wooed with a fancy party, in the hopes that he will build new factories and boost the economy. He has no interest in investing, but he’s lured to the event anyway, because his favorite opera singer Roxanne Cross (Moore, with Renee Fleming providing the vocals) has been hired as the evening’s entertainment. Roxanne doesn’t actually want to be there either, but before anyone can commiserate over how much they hate this unnamed place, the party is overrun by armed guerrillas who want to hold the president for ransom. When they discover that the president stayed home to watch telenovelas, they double down anyway, keeping all the male hostages and Roxanne as well, since she’s such a high-profile figure. It’s almost shocking how little immediacy there is to “Bel Canto,” a film which features theoretically intense moments but is disinterested in exploring them. The terrorists run drills in which they practice killing all of the hostages as quickly as possible, making “pew-pew” noises with their mouths for dramatic effect. But “Bel Canto” isn’t about rescuing the hostages, and it isn’t about laying siege to any bad guys. It’s a film about settling in, getting used to your surroundings, and making an unusual home with unusual bedfellows. Stockholm Syndrome goes both ways, and the captors and captives alike develop an uneasy connection. They get involved in each other’s love lives, they cook together, they form a bond. It’s a development that could be disturbing, but Paul Weitz (“Grandma”) seems to find it hopeful. There are only a few ways this story could possibly end, if you’ve seen how hostage crises play out in the news (or even in movies), and whichever direction it takes, “Bel Canto” considers that a tragic development. Unfortunately, the movie version of “Bel Canto” can’t quite back up its noble themes and competent performances. The opening to the hostage crisis is short, simple and mostly uncomplicated. The terrorists don’t inspire much terror, even at the start, so it doesn’t take long to bring us around to the possibility that they’re relatable human beings. But “Bel Canto” spends most of its time trying to convince us anyway, in extended, aimless moments of social interaction that serve little purpose other than to make repetitive arguments. There is a moment in “Bel Canto” which is almost surreal, in which captors and captives play sports together in the yard, teach each other about gardening and talk a shy terrorist out of a tree. The divide between them is visually obvious — the terrorists still have the guns — but for a moment everyone seems oblivious. Earlier on, one of the hostage takers seemed convinced that this crisis could go on forever, and that this was simply their home now. It’s nothing short of amazing how much people can get used to unthinkable situations, and how closely people can bond when they’re trapped in close proximity to one another. But Weitz cannot sustain that sense of amazement over an entire motion picture. The film’s failure to modulate its tone, its intensity and its messaging makes it a dreary, one-note production. Worse yet, it’s flat. Book Reviews Bel Canto by Ann Patchett: Book Review I have an affiliate relationship with  Bookshop.org  and  Malaprop's Bookstore  in beautiful Asheville, NC. I will earn a small commission at no additional cost to you if you purchase merchandise through links on my site. Read more on my  affiliate page . I liked this a lot more than I expected to. That description makes the book sound like something it isn’t. It isn’t about the politics of the country or anything like that; it’s about the people and the possibilities within them. There isn’t much action but there is a lot of character development and relationship building. The revolutionaries consist of three “generals” and a group of teenagers they’ve found and trained in the jungle. The teenagers are mostly uneducated and they’ve never been given a real chance at life. As time passes, it turns out that there are some amazingly talented youngsters in the group. Even the group of businessmen and politicians discover and nurture their hidden talents and passions now that they have time away from their everyday responsibilities. The relationships that grow among these groups who should be enemies are amazing. They all come from wildly different backgrounds but they come together and find their common ground. The elders, even among the hostages, come to view the young revolutionaries fondly, almost as younger family members or children. Among the adults, the timid priest, the opera singer, the translator, the businessmen, all bond in unforeseen ways. The narrator, Anna Fields, did an amazing job. She didn’t worry too much about different voices for different characters, but she did give the impossible accents a phenomenal try. She didn’t only have to tackle straightforward Spanish or Japanese accents, she tackled the accents of a Swiss man speaking Spanish or a Spanish-speaker attempting Japanese. I was hugely impressed. I highly recommend this if you enjoy character-driven books but don’t go into it expecting a lot of action. In an unnamed South American country, the government is hosting a birthday party for a powerful Japanese businessman, Mr. Hosokawa. Mr. Hosokawa has no intention of building a factory in the poor country, but when they told him that his favorite opera soprano, Roxanne Coss, would be performing for him, he had to accept the invitation. Just as Roxanne finishes her last song, armed revolutionaries take the entire party hostage. Similar Books: If you liked Bel Canto , you might also like my reviews of State of Wonder by Ann Patchett Cutting for Stone by Abraham Verghese Shotgun Lovesongs by Nickolas Butler, read by Ari Fliakos, Maggie Hoffman, Scott Shepherd, Scott Sowers, Gary Wilmes Buy Bel Canto from  Malaprop’s Bookstore  in beautiful Asheville, NC or Related Posts (Automatically Generated): Other Posts You May Enjoy: Persepolis 2 by Marjane Satrapi: Book Review Marbles by Ellen Forney: Book Review Persepolis by Marjane Satrapi: Book Review I read it when i really started getting into reading in English and found it mind-blowingly good. I'm now a bit afraid to go back to it and just finding it good 🙂 I love to hear from you! Please contact me (menu bar, above) if you're having trouble commenting. Cancel reply 231 IMAGES Bel canto book cover Bel Canto Review: Bel Canto by Ann Patchett Book review: Bel Canto Bel Canto (Paperback) Bel canto book cover COMMENTS The Guardian We would like to show you a description here but the site won't allow us. BEL CANTO While the love story is the book's focus, the subplot involving Maisie's illness is equally well-developed, and the link between Beckett and the twins is heartfelt and sincere. A thoughtful and pensive tale with intelligent characters and a satisfying romance. 590. Pub Date: Feb. 26, 2019. ISBN: 978-1-64063-533-3. Inside the List By the time "Bel Canto" started its 16-week run on the paperback list in 2002, however, readers might have had a different true-life incident in mind: in February of that year, the Colombian ... Bel Canto by Ann Patchett Ann Patchett. 3.93. 290,556 ratings19,284 reviews. Somewhere in South America, at the home of the country's vice president, a lavish birthday party is being held in honor of the powerful businessman Mr. Hosokawa. Roxane Coss, opera's most revered soprano, has mesmerized the international guests with her singing. Bel Canto by Ann Patchett: Summary and reviews Ann Patchett has written a novel that is as lyrical and profound as it is unforgettable. Bel Canto engenders in the reader the very passion for art and the language of music that its characters discover. As a reader, you find yourself fervently wanting this captivity to continue forever, even though you know that real life waits on the other ... Bel Canto Reviews, Discussion Questions and Links REVIEWS: Bel Canto : The Guardian Kirkus GoodReads Book Companion New York Times Bestseller. Ann Patchett's award winning, bestselling novel that balances themes of love and crisis as disparate characters learn that music is their only common language. Somewhere in South America, at the home of the country's vice president, a lavish birthday ... All Book Marks reviews for Bel Canto by Ann Patchett Ann Patchett's Bel Canto will defy every expectation you bring to this rich book ... Imagine Henry James tackling a Tom Clancy scenario, with a dose of Lost in Translation added in for good measure, and you will get some idea of the piquant flavor of this odd, but endearing, book ... Patchett daringly moves in the exact opposite direction. The pace becomes languorous and the intensity of ... What do readers think of Bel Canto? Fahd Imam, period 4 AP english. Book Review: Bel Canto by Ann Patchett. In Bel Canto, Patchett seamlessly combines action, romance and a high level of maturity to produce an amazing fictional novel that truly deserves winning the PEN/Faulkner award and Orange Prize for Fiction. It is Patchett's best work and one that will undoubtedly touch ... Review: Bel Canto by Ann Patchett Bel Canto is a story about love, mostly. Love, music, language, terrorism, friendship - the book definitely doesn't fail to deliver on those themes. Set in South America, the story (based on a true story) begins when a large roomful of mostly affluent bureaucrats and CEO's are taken hostage by terrorists during a beautiful soprano opera performance by Bel Canto Bel Canto. by Ann Patchett. The old adage "Wherever you go, there you are" is perhaps the most fully realized in Ann Patchett's latest novel, BEL CANTO. When a group of international business and political hotshots gather together to pay homage to a big cheese with serious money (which he may or may not offer to help the failing economy of the ... Bel Canto (novel) Bel Canto is the fourth novel by American author Ann Patchett, published in 2001 by Perennial, an imprint of HarperCollins Publishers. It was awarded both the Orange Prize for Fiction and PEN/Faulkner Award for Fiction. [1] It was placed on several top book lists, including Amazon's Best Books of the Year (2001). [2] It was also adapted into an opera in 2015. Bel Canto by Ann Patchett Alex Clark, Guardian 'Expect miracles when you read Ann Patchett's fiction. Comparisons are tempting to the unabashed romanticism of Laurie Colwin, the eccentric characters of Anne Tyler, the enchantments of Alice Hoffman. But Patchett is unique; a generous, fearless and startlingly wise young writer.' New York Times Review of Books Book Marks reviews of Bel Canto by Ann Patchett For in spite of the ripe emotionality of Bel Canto, Patchett proves herself from the start to be too unsentimental and honest to serve up a contrived ending. You can tell by the book's host of tart observations...that this is one writer who won't bullshit us. Bel Canto by Ann Patchett has an overall rating of Rave based on 7 book reviews. Book Review: Bel Canto by Ann Patchett This book is tender and heartbreaking and incredibly beautiful. I particularly loved how Patchett so obviously measured and crafted each sentence to create the literal rhythm of music. At one point I stopped comprehending the words entirely as I focused on the length of each sentence, how the cadence lulls you. Reading guide for Bel Canto by Ann Patchett An American opera singer is entertaining the guests, dignitaries and high-ranking officials from around the world, when suddenly the room is plunged into darkness. Terrorists invade the mansion and set in motion a series of events that irrevocably alters the life of every person involved. For Mr. Hosokawa, the Japanese businessman in whose ... Bel Canto by Ann Patchett Bel Canto. by Ann Patchett. Publication Date: April 1, 2002. Genres: Fiction. Paperback: 336 pages. Publisher: Harper Perennial. ISBN-10: 0060934417. ISBN-13: 9780060934415. A site dedicated to book lovers providing a forum to discover and share commentary about the books and authors they enjoy. Book Review: Bel Canto by Ann Patchett Bel Canto, published in 2001 by Ann Patchett, is a melodic story of an extreme case of Stockholm Syndrome. It's an elegant and meaningful exposition of kidnapping, but also of love. A group of businessmen, diplomats, and important people gather in an unnamed Spanish-speaking country to hear a world-renowned opera singer perform. Bel Canto by Ann Patchett Mesmerizing with its lyrical prose, Bel Canto builds to an unexpected and poignant crescendo that resonates with emotion. Bel Canto by Ann Patchett. Publication Date: April 1, 2002; Genres: Fiction; Paperback: 336 pages; Publisher: Harper Perennial; ISBN-10: 0060934417; ISBN-13: 9780060934415; Review; About the Book; Excerpt; Discussion ... Captive Audience At first, ''Bel Canto'' seems a departure for Patchett, whose previous novels have demonstrated her precise eye for the shadings of human interaction played out on small stages: a performer's widow trying to find an independent self in ''The Magician's Assistant,'' a runaway bringing meaning to her life at a home for unwed mothers in ''The ... Bel Canto By Ann Patchett Winner of the PEN/Faulkner Award - Winner of the Orange Prize - National Book Critics Circle Award Finalist "Bel Canto is its own universe. A marvel of a book." -Washington Post Book World Ann Patchett's spellbinding novel about love and opera, and the unifying ways people learn to communicate across cultural barriers in times of crisis. Review: In 'Bel Canto,' Music Is the Food of Love and Rebellion Bel Canto. Directed by Paul Weitz. Drama, Music, Romance, Thriller. 1h 42m. By Jeannette Catsoulis. Sept. 13, 2018. "Bel Canto" is a movie holding its breath. At least, that's how it feels ... 'Bel Canto' Film Review: Julianne Moore Thriller Hits All the Wrong Paul Weitz's "Bel Canto" is a film that's astounding, but for all the wrong reasons. It's based on a celebrated novel by Ann Patchett. It stars Julianne Moore and Ken Watanabe, two of ... Bel Canto by Ann Patchett: Book Review Among the adults, the timid priest, the opera singer, the translator, the businessmen, all bond in unforeseen ways. The narrator, Anna Fields, did an amazing job. She didn't worry too much about different voices for different characters, but she did give the impossible accents a phenomenal try. She didn't only have to tackle straightforward ... assignment essay homework phd report resume review speech thesis