Winner of the Orange Prize for Fiction 2002, this has something to do with a siege and an "unlikely assortment of hostages." I'll try anything once!

Really good - completely unbelievable plot but a great idea well written. The ending is a bit odd (there appears to be an epilogue tacked on which doesn't fit at all) but that's the only thing that spoils this book.

RELEASE NOTES:

Taking to the monthly meet.

Have heard of this - but know nothing about it. Like the sound of the title!

From the Amazon synopsis: In Ann Patchett's Bel Canto, an unnamed South American country, a world-renowned soprano sings at a birthday party in honour of a visiting Japanese industrial titan. Alas, in the opening sequence, just as the accompanist kisses the soprano, a ragtag band of 18 terrorists enters the vice-presidential mansion through the air-conditioning ducts. Their quarry is the president, who has unfortunately stayed home to watch a favourite soap opera--and thus, from the beginning, things go awry.

I loved this book - it was unusual and dealt beautifully with the development of the characters and their relationship over the surprisingly long siege, as well as capturing the effect of the music on them as something which cut across language. I agree that the very last chapter was unexpected and didn't quite seem to be true to the rest of the story, but perhaps it was a compromise which made sense to the characters, given that they couldn't have what they really wanted. It didn't ruin the book for me, though I would have preferred a different ending.

Picked up at Leeds Meetup. Will try to read it soonish.