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lalu's review against another edition
emotional
mysterious
tense
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
4.75
This book was rather outside my comfort zone. But I loved it.
It's one of those rare stories that take a long time to read without becoming boring or ending in a reading slump - it just felt right to read the 300-something pages over the course of a month instead of just a few days since the plot spans over several months. Which surprised me because hostage situations usually are a fast-paced thing that rarely take more than a few days. But this is not your typical hostage situation. This was the story of a bunch of people from all over the world with no common language building the most exceptional relationships.
The way the reader gets to effortlessly switch between different character's perspectives and thoughts was marvelous. I immensely enjoyed not having a protagonist and instead falling in love with and rooting for every character, regardless of whether they were a hostage or a captor, because they were all so human.
The only thing that bothered me was the ending. They didn't deserve to die. Also I don't get why Gen and Roxane got married. But I guess it makes sense to have that sudden awakening and the end of the kind of utopia that they were living in. Back to real life, where you have to make compromises. This simply isn't a fairy tale with a happy ending.
But I'm still bummed about it.
It's one of those rare stories that take a long time to read without becoming boring or ending in a reading slump - it just felt right to read the 300-something pages over the course of a month instead of just a few days since the plot spans over several months. Which surprised me because hostage situations usually are a fast-paced thing that rarely take more than a few days. But this is not your typical hostage situation. This was the story of a bunch of people from all over the world with no common language building the most exceptional relationships.
The way the reader gets to effortlessly switch between different character's perspectives and thoughts was marvelous. I immensely enjoyed not having a protagonist and instead falling in love with and rooting for every character, regardless of whether they were a hostage or a captor, because they were all so human.
But I'm still bummed about it.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Confinement, Gun violence, Medical content, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Death and Sexual content
caseythereader's review against another edition
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child death, Confinement, Cursing, Death, Gore, Gun violence, Infidelity, Blood, Medical content, Grief, Murder, Alcohol, and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Sexual content
aguattery's review against another edition
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
2.0
I think you need an incredibly strong attachment/understanding of opera to enjoy it.
Bel Canto has all the makings of a great book but the pacing is so slow that it's difficult to get through. There's almost no action - you could cut out half of this book and be left with the same story. I didn't even grow very attached to the characters. As a lot of other reviews mention, the epilogue really detracts from the whole story.
Probably the only redeeming part of this story was the last chapter. Almost DNF'd
Wouldn't read again.
Bel Canto has all the makings of a great book but the pacing is so slow that it's difficult to get through. There's almost no action - you could cut out half of this book and be left with the same story. I didn't even grow very attached to the characters. As a lot of other reviews mention, the epilogue really detracts from the whole story.
Probably the only redeeming part of this story was the last chapter. Almost DNF'd
Wouldn't read again.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Violence and Kidnapping
Moderate: Sexual content
Minor: Blood and Medical content
readingrainbill's review against another edition
emotional
reflective
sad
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
I'll be honest and say that Bel Canto isn't normally a book I read. While I read a wide variety of genres, this still wouldn't be one that I gravitated towards. But the Pop Sugar Reading Challenge had a prompt that required me to read a Women's Prize for Fiction winner and this was the one I chose.
What drew me to it was the fact that it was turned into a movie starring Julianne Moore and Ken Watanabe. What I didn't know was how much I was going to like it.
This whole book takes place during a hostage situation as it drags out longer than anyone expected and we see these characters who, in any other circumstance, would never have said more than hello to each other. What impressed me was that the terrorists weren't just evil incarnate, they were people too.
The characters' stories were beautifully interwoven by Ann Patchett and she made me care so much that when the ending came I was almost in denial. It couldn't be over, there had to be more.
I think this is a book that everyone should read no matter your genre preferences.
What drew me to it was the fact that it was turned into a movie starring Julianne Moore and Ken Watanabe. What I didn't know was how much I was going to like it.
This whole book takes place during a hostage situation as it drags out longer than anyone expected and we see these characters who, in any other circumstance, would never have said more than hello to each other. What impressed me was that the terrorists weren't just evil incarnate, they were people too.
The characters' stories were beautifully interwoven by Ann Patchett and she made me care so much that when the ending came I was almost in denial. It couldn't be over, there had to be more.
I think this is a book that everyone should read no matter your genre preferences.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Death, Sexual content, Police brutality, and Murder
Minor: War and Injury/Injury detail
trukkos_travisz's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
tense
medium-paced
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Gun violence
Moderate: Death, Sexual content, and Murder