This has been on my “To-Read” List for a long time now, and I thought that a fourteen hour drive would be a good time to listen to the audiobook. Bel Canto is a beautifully written tale about how a group of terrorists take control of a party in an opera house in South America. This party is stock full of ambassadors, diplomats, and other high political officials. Patchett does a superb job of describing the social changes that happen during the capture in every characters’ position from the rebels to the famous opera singer. The beginning and end were extremely captivating, yet the middle was a little draggy. This of course can be because I was listening to it in a drive through Missouri, so I’m giving Patchett the benefit of the doubt.
This would be an excellent book club selection because of its complex writing style, filled with metaphors, irony, and overall deeper meaning, and because if its interesting psychological development between the characters.
This is required reading for sophomores at my old high school, so anyone 15+ should be able to read it.
Annie and the Adventures 