Purchased for $1.49 at the Goodwill Store in San Mateo, CA on November 26th, 2005.

I already have a copy of this book, so I'm not quite sure what I'll do with this one yet.

RELEASE NOTES:

On its way to a new reader via bookrelay.com!

I got this book in the mail this weekend, and it looks great! I love relay! This is #1 on the TBR after owed books. Thanks!

Bel Canto by Ann Pratchett
What an interesting book! In an unnamed South American country (where cocaine and heroin are the main money sources) a terrorist group tries to kidnap the President at a birthday party being held for a wealthy Japanese businessman, in the hopes that the businessman will build a factory in the country. At the last minute, the President chooses not to attend the party to stay home and watch his favorite soap opera (?).
The terrorists get a huge croud of busnessmen, the Vice President that no one even knows his name, and an opera singer who was performing. After letting the women (minus the soprano) and children go, the rest of the group is held hostage for four and a half months. Most of the "terrorists" are very young- teenagers for the most part. The bond that forms between the hostages and the terrorists isn't really unexpected. These are little more than children, and the adults care for them and spend more time with them than their own parents. The ending is abrupt, but not totally unexpected. A very good read.

Off to KarinAlyssa in Ontario via VBB. Enjoy!

Received also today. I love receiving books from the VBB. I love that quote "Farewell ! Thou art too dear for my possessing." Who would have thought that Shakespeare had thought about BookCrossing when he was alive ?

Thanks LadyJanet, it's now going to my TBR shelf.

Wow !!! I finished the book and this was the only word that was coming to mind and even while I was reading, it was there. Primo, Ann Pratchett's style is fluent and yet, there's something that allows you to stop at certain points to fully absorb the story. Secundo, the plot was incredible and never seemed out of the ordinary. It could have happened exactly the way she wrote it. Tertio, the characters, almost all of them were breathing before our eyes and were expressing themselves in a way that made them understandable even if we don't speak the same language thanks to the translator. Quattro, the whole book was a gem from the title to the grand finale ! I've already added Ann Pratchett to the list of authors that I need to read more.

Thank you LadyJanet for introducing her to me !!!

RELEASE NOTES:

RWL Relay to Zugenia. Enjoy !

This book has arrived safely in Arkansas. Thanks for granting my wish!