Rating: 
Summary: A study in minutiae
Review: I bought this book because I am a singer. I heard on NPR that it is being made into an opera. That sounded intriguing. I must preface my remarks by saying that the book I read before this was the autobiography of Maria von Trapp. Obviously, I had just come from a book that was full of twists and turns, close calls, movement from country to country, etc. What was SO FRUSTRATING about this book is its over-reliance on minutiae. The majority of the book takes place in one room. Toward the end, the characters start to travel to other rooms in the house. I became mildly interested when the plot began to turn on the eventual interaction between the characters. Perhaps I am just not a fan of this genre. Perhaps "magical realism", as this book has been labeled, is not for me. I have no problem with Patchett's writing ability. The writing is poetic and informed. I just feel that the plot was very flat until a spike at the end followed by an unusual epilogue.
Rating: 
Summary: Horrible Ending
Review: The only saving grace was the sentence structure and her writing style. The plot was long, drawn out and incredibly repetitive. And the ending was terrible... She summed it up in 2 pages. I continued to push through the book, hoping the ending would make it exciting...but alas, I was disappointed. I do not recommend this read.
Rating: 
Summary: A Beautiful Book!
Review: I just happened to pick this book up about a year ago and absolutely loved it. I read it slowly so I could linger over the characters. No one I knew had heard of it, but I kept seeing it on the best seller list...for months and months and months. I knew I had discovered a gem. I often daydream of a movie being made from the novel...who would play the different parts? What an international cast! What could it teach us about the futility of terrorism, but might it give us insight into why these things happen? This books shows that deep down we ARE all the same. Who among us remembers this happening in real life? I do, but vaguely.
The very end was a little strange, but then stranger things have happened!
This lovely, small book is a must to read.
Rating:
Summary: Bel Canto: Pratchett
Review: Very often, the world feels antagonism against the oppressor but in this book, where terrorists take people hostage at a party enjoying music in the evening, it soon become apparent that a greater need for understanding is required. The hostages empathise with the terrorists, feel their pain and suffering, fall in love with some of their terrorisers and to some extent, understand their needs. The hostages also analyse their own emotions, their own lives and its meaning.
Both the terrorists and the hostages find the new experiences frightening, thought provoking ....
Rating:
Summary: Beautiful!
Review: "Bel Canto" is a beautifully written story of unlikely love and secret desires. Do not be put off by the barebones plot--a group of people at a party taken hostage by South American terrorists. And do not think you are in for a routine "put a bunch of strangers in a room and then learn their life stories" sort of saga. Patchett gathers together a group that spans nationalities, professions and class and reveals the hidden depths, sometimes in a few short pages, through their interactions with each other.
Take the Russian minister of commerce--portrayed as something of a buffoon who has fallen in love with Roxane, the opera singer. He screws up his courage to declare himself--which must be done through Gen, the translator. What he says to her is completely unexpected--a wonderful story of his childhood and an art book. He declares himself a man who appreciates beauty and therefore worthy to love her, and asks nothing in return. Meanwhile we see into the heart of Gen the translator, as he awkwardly acts as intermediary he realizes he has never told anyone that he loves them, not a woman, not family, not his mother--he feels as if his life has been to act as a conduit for the thoughts and feelings of others, that he has never experienced a real life of his own. Then there is the relationship of Mr. Hosokawa and Roxane, who do not share a common language. Is it possible to love a person to whom you cannot speak?
I loved the transformation of the characters that occurs--the Vice President of the country dreams of adopting one of the young terrorists and becoming a gardener, another terrorist uncovers his great gift as a singer, a buttoned up Japanese businessman becomes Roxane's accompianist, the young priest becomes a gifted and courageous spiritual counselor. The Generals become human too, worrying about their young soldiers as a close relative might worry about a child, and regretting recruiting them for this operation that has gone terribly wrong.Like the hostages themselves, we get lulled by the harmony and unreality of life within the compound, yet as time passes Patchett delicately conveys a sense of impending doom through the Swiss Red Cross mediator, who himself longs to become a hostage after seeing the community that has been created within the walls of the Vice President's house. Patchett tells us at the beginning of the story what the end will be, and yet creates an aura of suspense as we realize that dreams of the future will never be fulfilled.
There is a surprise ending here that I wasn't sure rang true, but the book stands without it--a wonderful novel!
Rating: 
Summary: Beautiful Book
Review: This book entranced me from beginning to end. I thought the unlikely relationships that sprung up between hostages, and between hostages and their captors were wonderful. I loved the descriptions of the music, and liked how each of the characters had some unusual talent to offer to their living situation. I thought the only weak moment was the half-hearted ending which seemed like an attempt to tie everything up neatly and was not believable.
Rating: 
Summary: Music'an International Language
Review: You don't have to like opera to like this book'just like the characters who people the book didn't have to like opera to love Roxane Coss. The story takes you into a frightening situation'being a hostage'and begins to uncover the beauty found when tragedy or fear renders us all equals. Music, like love, is something that transcends cultures and borders and is a fit metaphor to build this story around. A Japanese gentleman finds himself soulmate to an American, more so than to his own Japanese people. A young terrorist begins to find she belongs in the land of the educated and cultured. This book shakes up the assumption that you are what you are born to and explores the process of change, growth and adaptation. Fairly good read, though a little slow at times.
Rating:
Summary: Except for the last few pages ...
Review: Ann Patchett released Bel Canto in 2001, but that doesn't make it any less appropriate of a summer read. In the novel, the slightly corrupt but well-meaning government of an unnamed South American country throws a birthday party for a wealthy Japanese industrialist who is considering a large investment in the impoverished country. However, the only way to ensure the attendance of Mr. Hosokawa is to hire Roxanne Coss, an American soprano and Hosokawa's private idol, to sing for the guests. Everything proceeds according to plan until 18 poor, would-be terrorists quietly crash the party. Their prey-the president-chose not to attend the party so he would not miss his favorite soap opera, so the hostages and the captors are thrown into a situation for which neither group planned. Time stands still, and victims and victors live together peacefully and almost happily until they realize that time never really does stand still and that change is inevitable. The hostages are an eclectic group at best; the Russian, Italian, French, American, and Japanese nationals have nothing in common except their peril, but Patchett weaves their personalities together so seamlessly it seems as if they are a large family, accustomed to living together and tolerating each other's quirks. Bel Canto is meant to be savored, and Patchett's word choice and sentence structure cater to those who enjoy words for the sake of words.
Rating:
Summary: bland and lacking metaphor
Review: i read this book for a bookclub. we split on how we liked it - as is normally the case. i dislike it. i think it is bland and lacks an external link that would have made the book so much more worthy to recommend. i appreciate the love stories, opera references and the author's deliberate rebuking of stereotypes relating to nationality and gender. there is a factual basis to this book and a little more political or socio-economic commentary however subtle would have been appreciated. There are reasons to like this book but there are so many better books than this to read. quite honestly i'm surprised this book has received as much fanfare as it has.
Rating:
Summary: What a read!
Review: Bel Canto was a selection by my book club in which I read many months ago. The author, Ann Patchett makes you love and hate the characters for their human behaviors. It is not a simple story of being held captive, but where due to the circumstances they are made to self reflect, learn love and hopefully to grow. This is one of those books that tears at your heart strings and makes your brain go into high gear. Enjoy!
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