chapters.indigo.ca: Bel Canto: Ann Patchett: Books

About this Book

Format:Trade Paperback

Dimensions:352 Pages, 5.3 x 8.13 x 0.84 in

Published:July 28, 2005

Publisher:HARPERCOLLINS PUBLISHERS

The following ISBNs are associated with this title:
ISBN - 10:0060838728
ISBN - 13:9780060838720

From the Publisher

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. Roxanne Coss, opera's most revered soprano, has mesmerized the international guests with her singing. It is a perfect evening -- until a band of gunwielding terrorists takes the entire party hostage. But what begins as a panicked, life-threatening scenario slowly evolves into something quite different, a moment of great beauty, as terrorists and hostages forge unexpected bonds and people from different continents become compatriots, intimate friends, and lovers.

About the Author

Ann Patchett is the author of five novels, including Bel Canto (winner of the PEN/Faulkner Award and the Orange Prize), and the bestselling nonfiction book, Truth & Beauty. She has written for The Atlantic, Harper's, Gourmet, the New York Times Magazine, Vogue, and the Washington Post. She lives in Nashville, Tennessee.

Other Editions

Format	List Price	Online Price
Trade Paperback	$17.25	$13.11

From The Community

Who's Listing it as a Top Ten

This title has appeared in 19 Top Ten lists. See the most recent lists below:

The "I loved this book" list

Karen , 2 years ago
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# 21 was a real winner!

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Average Customer Rating:
Reviews from the Community9 Reviews

Write a Review

Monica Nitulescu
Just OK

9 days ago

did enjoy this book, however felt that certain things were left up in the air. Characters developed, that you never hear about again. Also the epilogue seemed unnecessary to me. It is very successful at creating a "cozy" atmosphere though. I enjoyed it, but can not say I LOVEd the book.
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Anya Rampersad
- 2 people found this helpful
Somewhere A Clock is Ticking...

12 months ago

A race against time, for life, desires and dreams. A clock is ticking for a group of cultured and influential people - people who would otherwise have nothing in common except, perhaps, money. In the midst of chaos, Ann Patchett beautifully illustrates our ability to show compassion, find meaning and beyond everything, love. It knows no boundaries, language and culture alike. She gives a voice to our silent hopes and dreams and exquisitely displays a reason for us to believe in the power life's… + read more
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ChrisM
- Top Book Reviewer
- 5 people found this helpful
You needn't love opera to appreciate this book...

2 years ago

I wasn't sure I was going to like Ann Patchett's novel Bel Canto when I started reading it. I mean - it didn't seem like a book that would either grab my interest or hold it. But a funny thing happened to me about 75 pages in...I started to care about these characters. Bel Canto is actually based loosely on something that happened in Lima, Peru. On December 17, 1996, the terrorist organization Tupac Amaru took over the Japanese embassy there. From this nugget of truth, Patchett unspools the… + read more
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Colleen Easter
- Indigo Employee
- Top Book Reviewer
- 6 people found this helpful
Very Compelling - Highly Recommend

2 years ago

This book grabbed me from the beginning. There is such a style to her writing that wouldn't let me put the book down. When you hear it is about a hostage situation in a South American country you might think a high action book. Nothing could be further from the truth. It is a quiet book but a powerful one and I think I'm going to be thinking back on it a lot. I really like her writing style. I just read Run by the same author and didn't like it but loved the writing. This one was the whole… + read more
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Paul Grandy
- 1 person found this helpful
Not So Hot

3 years ago

This book was recommended to me by several people, who said it was a riveting journey through the minds of people caught in a hostage situation. As someone who has literally been in a hostage situation myself for almost 20 hours, I can tell you that the reactions of there people over a given period of time seemed to me to be somewhat justifyable. That being said, Patchett never seems to feel the need to explain the HOW of their situations. For example, HOW is it that the government of the… + read more
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