Bel Canto (The Annotated Edition)

A beautifully designed edition of number-one New York Times bestselling author Ann Patchett’s prized classic, annotated and with an introduction by the author herself.

First published in 2001, Bel Canto 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.

Now, 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, Tom Lake.

Funny, 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.

About the Author

Ann Patchett is originally from Los Angeles and is a graduate of Sarah Lawrence College. Her novels include The Patron Saint of Liars, The Magician’s Assistant, Bel Canto, State of Wonder, Commonwealth and The Dutch House. She lives in Nashville, Tennessee.

Praise for Bel Canto

"A beguiling mix of thriller, romantic comedy, and novel of ideas… Crisply written, immaculately plotted, and often very funny, it is that rarity – a literary novel you simply can’t put down" —The Times

"Like the blueprint of operatic performance that she has imported, Patchett slides from strutting camp to high tragedy, minute social comedy to sublime romanticism" —Guardian

"Expect miracles when you read Ann Patchett’s fiction. Comparisons are tempting to the unabashed romanticism of Laurie Colwin, the eccentric characters of Anne Tyler, the enchantments of Alice Hoffman. But Patchett is unique; a generous, fearless and startlingly wise young writer" —New York Times Review of Books

"Patchett’s tragicomic novel―a fantasia of guns and Puccini and Red Cross negotiations―invokes the glorious, unreliable promises of art, politics and love" —The New Yorker

Dimensions: 19.3 x 2.5 x 24.1 cm