Reviews with content warning for Death - Bel Canto

this is the first book i've read by Ann Patchett and it makes me eager to read through everything she's written. i found this book by chance in my family's bookshelf — no one else had ever read it and the answer as to how we even got the book is still somewhat of a mystery. nonetheless, it also happened to be the only think from the bookshelf that sounded even remotely interesting, and it was worth it.

the adventure that this book takes you on is heart-wrenching and eye-opening. the way that Patchett approaches the relationships between characters and the internal (and external) conflicts that this insane situation puts them in. i want to do an entire analysis of every character, major and minor, and see how they changed throughout the book. i felt them come to life and completely occupy my mind. whenever i put the book away, the characters still followed me. i found the characters to be extremely likable, and i never grew to hate any of them. Bel Canto is by no means a perfect book — there are many racial/ethnic stereotypes, and the treatment of women is a bit questionable (but not as apparent as the stereotypes). the ending, as in the epilogue, is also somewhat disappointing - but if you think about it enough i'm sure you can justify it.

honestly, the characters and the plot were not what made me fall in love with the book. they helped, certainly, but it was the message. Patchett clearly wanted to show people how important and common human connection is, even when you are on rivaled sides and cannot speak the same language. it is about the language of music, the love that people have for it and the appreciation that leaps across any boundaries that may stand in its way. i am not a huge fan of opera at all, but i understand the feeling of falling absolutely in love with a band or a singer, to the point where it feels almost religious. these connections, these ways that humans communicate with each other when language fails them, are fascinating to me and Bel Canto does an amazing job of representing that. we all have needs, wants, and fears, and that is something all of us — no matter who we are or where we are from — can relate to.

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agnesg's review

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challenging dark emotional hopeful reflective sad 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? No

4.25

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lalu's review against another edition

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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.

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caseythereader's review

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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

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mblanke's review

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adventurous challenging dark emotional mysterious reflective sad tense fast-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

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zombiezami's review against another edition

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emotional funny mysterious sad tense slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.5

I went into this book not knowing anything about it or the author. I loved this book and the way it was written. I got very sucked in to the narrative and the characters,

which made the ending all the more heartbreaking

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readingrainbill's review against another edition

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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.

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cowstore_druggirl's review

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emotional hopeful reflective sad tense medium-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 love this book. Ann Patchett's writing always feels like a modern day fairytale. The characters are tangible and real and so, so loveable. It's the kind of book I could read again and again.

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