Bel Canto by Ann Patchett

This month's reading group selection was Bel Canto.  Several of the woman have already read it, but loved it enough to want to read it again.  When I mentioned reading this book to other people, they too said they loved it.  I'm disappointed to say that I don't feel the same, so my experience reading it is a bit empty.

The novel is based on the Japanese embassy hostage crisis in Lima, Peru.  However, the book doesn't mention the exact location.  It takes place in a South American Vice President's home, where he is hosting the birthday party of a very powerful and influential Japanese business man (Mr. Hosokawa).  Many other powerful figures have been invited to include the world famous soprano, Roxanne Coss.

The one night festivity turns into a 4+ month hostage takeover.  It during this time the author focuses her audience to the development of her characters.  We learned about them intimately and see how Stockholm Syndrome changes their lives forever.

The bulk of the book was spent on the characters and the endless days of their captivity.  The pace is relatively slow, but the language wasn't too complex to keep the pages from turning.  I felt like the novel would have made a nice short story, but then perhaps, the characters would have been underdeveloped.

Perhaps, I would have enjoyed reading this if I had read it at a different time.  I have been caught up in the Millennium trilogy and waiting to get my hands on the last book.  The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet's Nest is what I would have rather been reading.