{"product_id":"bel-canto-annotated-edition-a-novel-isbn-9780063419360","title":"Bel Canto Annotated Edition: A Novel","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e“A book that works both as a paean to art and beauty and a subtly sly comedy of manners.”—Janet Maslin, \u003cem\u003eNew York Times\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eA beautifully designed edition of number-one \u003cem\u003eNew York Times\u003c\/em\u003e bestselling author Ann Patchett’s prized classic, annotated and with an introduction by the author herself.\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e\"Tremendous fun... Rereading this terrific novel with [Patchett]... is a master class in fiction writing conveyed in marginalia that has the tone of an ideal dinner conversation.\" —Ron Charles, \u003cem\u003eThe Washington Post\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eFirst published in 2001, \u003cem\u003eBel Canto\u003c\/em\u003e is possibly Ann Patchett’s most beloved novel. Set in an unnamed South American country, at the home of the vice president, it is the story of a lavish birthday party honoring Mr. Hosokawa, a powerful Japanese businessman. Roxanne Coss, opera’s most revered soprano, has enthralled the international guests with a mesmerizing performance. The evening is perfect—until a band of gun-wielding terrorists takes the entire party hostage. But in Patchett’s skilled hands, 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. 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.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eNow, more than two decades after this bold and artistically daring novel’s debut, Patchett revisits her early work. In this special annotated edition, the acclaimed prize-winning author opens the story to readers, providing enlightening commentary on her original version, including reflections on her narrative choices and style. A mature writer looking back at her younger self, Patchett takes us deep into her creative process and considers her career and growth as an artist, from that novel to her most recent, \u003cem\u003eTom Lake.\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eFunny, full of insight, informal, and often unexpectedly moving, this annotated edition is an intimate encounter with a celebrated novelist, an opportunity to reconsider a great work through her eyes, and a guide for anyone who wants to understand how a novel takes form.\u003c\/p\u003e | \u003cp\u003e\"Ann Patchett can be counted on to deliver novels rich in imaginative bravado and psychological nuance.\" - \u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003ePublishers Weekly\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\"\u003cem\u003eBel Canto\u003c\/em\u003e invites readers to explore new and unfamiliar territory, to take some emotional risks rather than stand with Rolland among those 'already saved.'\" - \u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eChicago Tribune\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\"In more ways than one, \u003cem\u003eBel Canto\u003c\/em\u003e is about finding beauty in unexpected places.\" - \u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eNew York Magazine\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e“The author has taken what could have been a variation on the \u003cem\u003eLord of the Flies\u003c\/em\u003e scenario and fashions instead a ’Lord of the Butterflies,’ a dreamlike fable in which the impulses toward beauty and love are shown to be as irrepressible as the instincts for violence and destruction.” - \u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eNew York Magazine\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\"Patchett can be counted on to deliver novels rich in imaginative bravado and psychological nuance.\" - \u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003ePublishers Weekly\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\"You'll find a few hours of entertainment and maybe even a strange yearning to be kidnapped.\" - \u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eTime Out New York\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e“Handwritten notes in the margins reveal the kind of insider tidbits you didn’t even know you were dying to know….A conversation about a masterpiece…with the actual master.” - \u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eOprah Magazine\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\"A fascinating look into an author's mind [that] will make for such a unique reading experience.\" - \u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eThe Skimm\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e“Patchett’s tragicomic novel—a fantasia of guns and Puccini and Red Cross negotiations—invokes the glorious, unreliable promises of art, politics, and love.” - \u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eThe New Yorker\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e“\u003cem\u003eBel Canto\u003c\/em\u003e has all the qualities one has come to expect from a classic Ann Patchett novel: grace, beauty, elegance, and magic.” - \u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eMadison Smartt Bell\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e“Positively spellbinding.” - \u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eSeattle Times\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e“\u003cem\u003eBel Canto\u003c\/em\u003e is its own universe. A marvel of a book.” - \u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eWashington Post Book World\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e“Provocative and enchanting.” - \u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eDetroit Free Press\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\"Tremendous fun... Rereading this terrific novel with [Patchett]... is a master class in fiction writing conveyed in marginalia that has the tone of an ideal dinner conversation.\" - \u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eThe Washington Post\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\"Combining an unerring instinct for telling detail with the broader brushstrokes you need to tackle issues of culture and politics, Patchett creates a remarkably compelling chronicle of a multinational group of the rich and powerful held hostage for months.\" - \u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eKirkus Reviews\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e“A provocative and enchanting look at the power art has to suspend real life and to create a better world, one in which the differences between people can be erased and the barriers to our best selves can be hurdled.” - \u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eDetroit Free Press\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e“A novel that showcases Patchett's profound understanding of the heart.” - \u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eBookForum\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\"\u003cem\u003eBel Canto\u003c\/em\u003e by Ann Patchett should be on the list of every literate music lover. The story is riveting, the participants breathe and feel and are alive, and throughout this elegantly-told novel, music pours forth so splendidly that the reader hears it and is overwhelmed by its beauty. Ann Patchett is a special writer who has written a special book.\" - \u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eWXQR\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e“Patchett doing what she does best—what gives this novel its power is Patchett’s flair for sketching the subtleties of her characters’ behavior.” - \u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eNew York Times Book Review\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e“A strange, terrific, spellcasting story.” - \u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eSan Francisco Chronicle\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Harper","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":44890725384421,"sku":"NP9780063419360","price":40.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/1842\/7735\/files\/9780063419360.jpg?v=1730233939","url":"https:\/\/k12savings.com\/products\/bel-canto-annotated-edition-a-novel-isbn-9780063419360","provider":"K12savings","version":"1.0","type":"link"}