A review by crankylibrarian
Bel Canto by Ann Patchett

5.0

A poignant, achingly beautiful portrait of a community that forms under the bleakest of circumstances: a band of mostly teenage Peruvian revolutionaries take hostage the wealthy, cosmopolitan guests of their hated president. As the hostage crisis drags on, unlooked for friendships and love affairs develop between kidnappers and victims. Patchett masterfully brings to life a multinational cast of characters: a Japanese businessman, an American opera diva, an embittered revolutionary, a French diplomat, a peasant girl determined to educate herself. Bit by bit these isolated castaways create a fragile, beauty-loving utopia, but reality will soon intrude, with tragic results.