Reading Log as of September 18, 2025 - Bel Canto

 

Bel Canto by Ann Patchett is a closed room tale, a microcosm of what happens when a bunch of disparate people are thrown together.  It was interesting and engaging and so sad.   Bonds are formed, lessons are taught,  different languages learned. Some learn to be more self reliant, some grow a spine. But in the end, the guerillas who would never bend, want their demands to be met no matter what. 4 stars

"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. Roxane 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."