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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: Kidnapping and Violence
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, Murder, and Sexual content
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