Ann Patchett
Bel Canto
book | Fiction | 2001
Somewhere in South America, at the home of the country's vice president, a lavish birthday party is being held in honor of Mr. Hosokawa, a powerful Japanese businessman. 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 breaks in through the air-conditioning vents and takes the entire party hostage. But what begins as a panicked, life-threatening scenario slowly evolves into something quite different, as terrorists and hostages forge unexpected bonds and people from different countries and continents become compatriots.
Without the demands of the world to shape their days, life on the inside becomes more beautiful than anything they had ever known before.At once riveting and impassioned, the narrative becomes a moving exploration of how people communicate when music is the only common language.
Friendship, compassion, and the chance for great love lead the characters to forget the real danger that has been set in motion and cannot be stopped.
Audio Rights
AvailableThe audio rights are handled by Alice Lutyens.
Sophie Baker manages the translation rights for Bel Canto
Co-agents
Translation Rights Sold
One approaches the final pages with a heavy heart for several reasons, not the least of which being that this fine read has come to an end.
Entertainment Weekly Full Review
Patchett's ability to evoke sense of place. . .is near magical in itself.
Publishers Weekly Full Review