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  • Bel Canto

  • Written by: Ann Patchett
  • Narrated by: Anna Fields
  • Length: 11 hrs and 20 mins
  • 4.2 out of 5 stars (89 ratings)

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Bel Canto cover art

Bel Canto

Written by: Ann Patchett
Narrated by: Anna Fields
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Publisher's Summary

“Blissfully Romantic.... A strange, terrific, spellcasting story.” (San Francisco Chronicle)

Bel Canto...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.” (Lloyd Moss, WXQR)

“Glorious.” (The New Yorker)

Ann Patchett’s award winning, New York Times best-selling Bel Canto balances themes of love and crisis as disparate characters learn that music is their only common language. As in Pratchett’s other novels, including Truth & Beauty and The Magician’s Assistant, the author’s lyrical prose and lucid imagination make Bel Canto a captivating story of strength and frailty, love and imprisonment, and an inspiring tale of transcendent romance.

©2001 Ann Patchett (P)2001 HarperCollins Publishers

What the critics say

  • 2002 Orange Prize for Fiction
  • Book Sense Book of the Year Award Winner, Paperback, 2003
  • PEN/Faulkner Award Winner, 2002

"Patchett can be counted on to deliver novels rich in imaginative bravado and psychological nuance. This fluid and assured narrative...demonstrates her growing maturity and mastery of form." (Publishers Weekly)
"Mixing art and politics can have unexpected results, but rarely are they so poignant....[Anna Fields'] performance is the essence of Bel Canto, easy, pure of tone, with an agile, precise vocal technique." (AudioFile)

What listeners say about Bel Canto

Average Customer Ratings
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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

My favourite novel

A story that sinks it's claws into you and does not let you go till the last word.

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1 person found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars
  • LK
  • 2023-03-02

Bella Bella

What a magnificent read/listen this book prove to be. The author is ingenious in her character development and the plot line. She has a wonders vocabulary and uses it brilliantly. There are several surprise moments in the book, adding an entirely different elements to the experience of listening to it Intelligently thought out and written

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

A truly beautiful read

I have had this book on my shelf for 10 years and picked it up at least a dozen times to begin reading it. For some reason I could not get into it. I decided to listen to the audiobook instead and am so glad I did!

This is a beautiful story. Ann Patchett has a way of painting pictures in your mind that you will not soon forget, if ever. I can vividly picture the rooms of the mansion and the surrounding grounds with absolute clarity. This is no easy task as I really have a terrible memory these days. Her writing is masterful and you’ll not regret a single read.

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  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    2 out of 5 stars

Mha

I was excited to read this book and had it at the top of my pile for several months, however three days before bookclub and the clock ticking,, I decide to try my first audiobook. I'll be listening to more audiobooks! Back to this reviewing this novel - sadly, this book missed the opportunity to interject more facts surrounding the actual history and characters of the real story. Not a book I'd read a second time.

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

A brilliant vision

This novel provides a vision of humanity at its best and worst, and everything in between. Using a translator as the primary way to narrate the story of many people, all in extreme situations, Ann Patchett manages to look at love, hate,suffering, compassion... most emotions known to humankind. One heck of a great listen!

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  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars

Worth a listen but prepare for tears

This book came highly recommended by one of my best bookish friends, but I took a long time coming around to it. It began slow and I was initially unsure about it but the beautiful language captured me. I have to say that the ending left my very emotional which speaks to the quality of Patchett's writing. I was so connected to the characters that I felt as they felt: that their situation could continue, unchanged. Of course, things must change. I will not reveal how it does but it is worth a listen! Anna Fields' performance was admirable, especially as she had many accents to master. I did listen at 1.25 as I found her pace was a little deliberate at times.

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  • Overall
    1 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    1 out of 5 stars
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    1 out of 5 stars
  • Jbf
  • 2018-01-10

Boring

I had to return this. Narrator dry and endless repetition of detail. Could not stand this book.

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