Reviews with content warning for Gun violence - Bel Canto

There are aspects of this book I liked but I didn’t think they were fully realized. I did not feel like the characters were flushed out in their entirety and they seemed to all exist in a 2-dimensional vacuum. There was no sense of who they were before to compare to who they were in this situation which made it fall flat for me. As much as I like the ending pre-Epilogue (there truly was no other way to end it and I feel like if it got a happily ever after it would defeat the purpose of what it meant to be human and share this experience) I HATED the epilogue… that came out of left field and it was just so upsetting and out of character? It felt shock for the sake of shock. There was no time depth too between the end and epilogue making it seem like it was quite recent which further confused and upset me because of how absurd it was. As much as I like the premise it just wasn’t there.

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greatexpectations77's review

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emotional hopeful lighthearted reflective relaxing tense slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.75

This is one of those books that unfolds slowly, and you spend so much time with it that you feel a little loss after it's over. Like your mind keeps wandering back to these fully formed characters that you've grown to care about, just to arrive at the conclusion that they're gone from your life forever. I felt such tenderness toward almost every character. And I think it was intentional, but the only bit for me that kept me from a 5-star review

was that the ending was so abrupt that I thought I had missed pages.

But the whole playing with tragicomedy was incredible, and I really enjoyed the writing.

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c_dmckinney's review against another edition

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adventurous challenging dark emotional sad tense slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

2.75

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emmyjo85's review

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emotional sad 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? No

4.5

I absolutely loved this book for most of the way through. I'm rating it as 4.5 instead of 5 stars because I felt the ending was a little underdeveloped.

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asourceoffiction's review against another edition

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emotional reflective 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? Yes

4.0

This was a tricky book for me. At first I wasn't sure I was connecting with it the way I expected, which I think was because I was reading several other books at the same time. Once I gave it my full attention (and once I'd got to know the wonderful characters) I was much more engaged.

It's odd that there seems to be very little tension in the opening, despite what should be a harrowing story. But although it took some getting used to, I came to like the meandering pace that was set instead.

This book shines in the simple things the hostages learn about themselves, each other and their captors; and the way relationships are borne out of this entirely abnormal scenario. The writing is absolutely stunning, and deserves the patience to get lost in it.

In the end the story really grew on me, and I think I'll be processing the suddenness of the ending for a while to come.

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notjillsanders's review

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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? It's complicated

4.0

The epilogue bothered me so much, but overall I found this read enjoyable.

Was not loving that Gen and Carmen relationship, like if she was older/he was younger it would have been cute but the whole time I was reading I was giving it the side eye.

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helen's review against another edition

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4.0

Loosely based on events in Peru in 1996 when a guerrilla group entered the Japanese ambassador's residence and held people hostage for four months.

This book is set in an unspecified South American country and the hostages are from all over the world, including a famous American soprano, an opera-loving Japanese businessman, and his (very overworked!) translator.

The hostage-takers start off as a scary group with guns, but over the course of the book, via Patchett's excellent use of humour and pathos, they become individuals who are trapped by their circumstances. The author makes a bold decision to tell us their fate in chapter one. This has the effect of allowing us to slow down and sink into the unfurling story without the need to rush to the end to find out what happens.

Despite the violent beginning and ending, at its heart it's a kind story about trapped people finding a common language via music and love.

4 stars because I really disliked the epilogue.

Content notes:

Death of main characters, guns, gun violence, on page sex

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deebee223's review

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challenging emotional hopeful inspiring reflective tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.0

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