Bel Canto

"Bel Canto" was our book club pick for the month of June. A few months ago, Karen, a member of our book club, pitched the book to us as a suggestion for a future month. I immediately became interested in the book and happily, we voted on it for June.

The book is about a group of wealthy and prominent people from all over the world who are gathered in a South American country for an upscale event. The main attraction of the event is a performance by one of the world's most famous and talented opera singers. The event quickly takes a dramatic turn when a group of terrorists takes the entire group of guests hostage. Although what initially ensues is a tense, hostile situation, eventually Patchett begins to blur the lines between hostage and terrorist. As days turn to months in captivity, the way in which the characters view one another, as well as their situation, changes. The characters (as well as the reader) begins to forget that ultimately, something must happen-- that the characters can't live like this forever... 

This book definitely proved that Patchett is a skilled writer. Her writing style is fluid and beautiful. Although character development is slow going at first, by the end of the book the reader has a full appreciation and understanding of many of the characters in the book. Most impressive is Patchett's ability to bring together characters from many cultures and backgrounds and portray their interactions in a realistic way. She ties together the threads of culture, language, music, and love beautifully.

My only real criticism of of the book is that Patchett's use of foreshadowing is a little heavy-handed at times. She must assume that her readers can't draw the necessary conclusions on their own. I think that she could have done without much of that foreshadowing, and it would have actually made for a better book. My only other complaint was the epilogue. Without giving too much away, I thought that the epilogue was completely out of left field and didn't do justice to the rest of the book. I wish that she had just let the book end where it did and let the reader draw his or her own conclusions about what may have happened next.

Overall, this was a very good read that I would recommend to anyone, especially anyone who loves music or foreign languages, as both figure prominently in the book. I'm looking forward to discussing this book in book club!

---Emily