Bel Canto
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Bel Canto
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Narrated by:
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Anna Fields
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Written by:
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Ann Patchett
About this listen
Winner of the PEN/Faulkner Award • Winner of the Orange Prize • National Book Critics Circle Award Finalist • New York Times Readers’ Pick: Top 100 Books of the 21st Century
""Bel Canto is its own universe. A marvel of a book."" —Washington Post Book World
New York Times bestselling author Ann Patchett’s spellbinding novel about love and opera, and the unifying ways people learn to communicate across cultural barriers in times of crisis
Somewhere in South America, at the home of the country's vice president, a lavish birthday party is being held in honor of the powerful businessman Mr. Hosokawa. Roxanne Coss, opera's most revered soprano, has mesmerized the international guests with her singing. It is a perfect evening—until a band of gun-wielding terrorists takes the entire party hostage. But what begins as a panicked, life-threatening scenario slowly evolves into something quite different, a moment of great beauty, as terrorists and hostages forge unexpected bonds and people from different continents become compatriots, intimate friends, and lovers.
Patchett's lyrical prose and lucid imagination make Bel Canto a captivating story of strength and frailty, love and imprisonment, and an inspiring tale of transcendent romance.
©2001 Ann Patchett (P)2001 HarperCollins PublishersWhat the critics say
- 2002 Orange Prize for Fiction
- Book Sense Book of the Year Award Winner, Paperback, 2003
- PEN/Faulkner Award Winner, 2002
"Patchett can be counted on to deliver novels rich in imaginative bravado and psychological nuance. This fluid and assured narrative...demonstrates her growing maturity and mastery of form." (Publishers Weekly)
"Mixing art and politics can have unexpected results, but rarely are they so poignant....[Anna Fields'] performance is the essence of Bel Canto, easy, pure of tone, with an agile, precise vocal technique." (AudioFile)
What listeners say about Bel Canto
Average Customer RatingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- M. Mildon
- 2019-04-27
A brilliant vision
This novel provides a vision of humanity at its best and worst, and everything in between. Using a translator as the primary way to narrate the story of many people, all in extreme situations, Ann Patchett manages to look at love, hate,suffering, compassion... most emotions known to humankind. One heck of a great listen!
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- LK
- 2023-03-02
Bella Bella
What a magnificent read/listen this book prove to be. The author is ingenious in her character development and the plot line. She has a wonders vocabulary and uses it brilliantly. There are several surprise moments in the book, adding an entirely different elements to the experience of listening to it Intelligently thought out and written
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Overall3 out of 5 stars
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Performance3 out of 5 stars
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Story2 out of 5 stars
- Tracey Potter
- 2022-05-18
Mha
I was excited to read this book and had it at the top of my pile for several months, however three days before bookclub and the clock ticking,, I decide to try my first audiobook. I'll be listening to more audiobooks! Back to this reviewing this novel - sadly, this book missed the opportunity to interject more facts surrounding the actual history and characters of the real story. Not a book I'd read a second time.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Emily Jane
- 2023-02-08
A truly beautiful read
I have had this book on my shelf for 10 years and picked it up at least a dozen times to begin reading it. For some reason I could not get into it. I decided to listen to the audiobook instead and am so glad I did!
This is a beautiful story. Ann Patchett has a way of painting pictures in your mind that you will not soon forget, if ever. I can vividly picture the rooms of the mansion and the surrounding grounds with absolute clarity. This is no easy task as I really have a terrible memory these days. Her writing is masterful and you’ll not regret a single read.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Beeswax
- 2020-11-11
My favourite novel
A story that sinks it's claws into you and does not let you go till the last word.
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1 person found this helpful
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Overall4 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story4 out of 5 stars
- Dani
- 2018-04-07
Worth a listen but prepare for tears
This book came highly recommended by one of my best bookish friends, but I took a long time coming around to it. It began slow and I was initially unsure about it but the beautiful language captured me. I have to say that the ending left my very emotional which speaks to the quality of Patchett's writing. I was so connected to the characters that I felt as they felt: that their situation could continue, unchanged. Of course, things must change. I will not reveal how it does but it is worth a listen! Anna Fields' performance was admirable, especially as she had many accents to master. I did listen at 1.25 as I found her pace was a little deliberate at times.
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Overall1 out of 5 stars
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Performance1 out of 5 stars
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Story1 out of 5 stars
- Jbf
- 2018-01-10
Boring
I had to return this. Narrator dry and endless repetition of detail. Could not stand this book.
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