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A review by lalu
Bel Canto by Ann Patchett
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, Injury/Injury detail, Medical content, and Gun violence
Moderate: Death and Sexual content