So, I come again to my ususal criticism-the crux of my on-going struggle with Patchett.if I am being asked to suspend belief (which you must do when everything defies facts, reason and logic), give me great and beautiful flights of fantasy or anarchy-toy with logic, but don't mistake my eagerness to share your wonderful writing with an open ticket to negate intelligence. The relationships could have been believable had I been able to imagine their progression instead of being jerkily forced into bed.the psychological build up is what creates atmosphere, intrigue, and logical involvement. The plot's integrity may have held together better had Patchett foregone the internal dialogues and psychological digressions, had she allowed the reader to ponder the inner machinations.

It soon becomes clear, as you try to understand the suddenly incongruous behaviors of the characters she first presesnted you with, that it's impossible to give the reader the necessary internal dialogues of these people which validates their behaviors their actions, even under the circumstances, do not follow from the personalities she invited to the party - the dilemma of the non-sequitor behavior. In attempting to relate the participants' individual reactions as they are forced to face their mortality, examine their mental constitutions, Patchett takes on a production that is just too grand for the time frame of the book she intends. Patchett is intent on proving music is the magical universal language, setting out to develop this construct into a novel by casting her stage with a diversity of characters from various origins. Roxanne's opera, and delicate bonds of humanity bloom in spite of the hostile environment. During the following 4 month siege, separated from the world with the heightened sense of the fragility of life, the captives overcome their language barriers through music, i.e.

The premise seemed compelling: terrorists guerillas storm the home of a Latin American vice president while he is entertaining international dignitaries, including the beautiful opera diva Roxanne Coss and Japanese businessman Katsumi Hosokawa. Bel Canto is a book that I volleyed in and out of my wish list for years.

Opera Has Charms to Soothe the Savage Guerillas

Bel canto book review