A wonderful book with a very surprise ending

Released on Monday, March 03, 2003 at Caribou Coffee - Milwuakee Rd in Vernon Hills, Illinois USA.

I found this book today at Caribou Coffee. I've been trying to get there all week ... but the weather and midterms have kept me from it until today. I was also hunting for "The Hours" ... but couldn't find it ... so must have already been picked up. 2 weeks on the USA Today top-10 Bestseller list:
#8 on 1/19/03
#10 on 1/26/03

This was a good book to read ... I finished it Saturday night. The relationships that developed were quite interesting. "Bel Canto" means "fine singing." I didn't know it was based on a true story ... but found this on New York Times Bestseller website (http://www.nytimes.com/books/01/06/10/reviews/010610.10polklt.html).

"In December 1996, 14 members of the Tupac Amaru guerrilla group entered the Japanese ambassador's residence in Lima, Peru, seized nearly 600 hostages and demanded the release of a number of political prisoners. The resulting siege lasted four months, captured international headlines and ended in a bloody assault by the Peruvian military.

Loosely inspired by that event, Ann Patchett's fourth novel is set in the vice-presidential mansion of an unnamed South American capital, where some 200 foreign diplomats, government officials and businessmen have gathered to celebrate the birthday of a Japanese electronics mogul and opera buff named Katsumi Hosokawa."

Released on Monday, March 24, 2003 at Bestseller Book Ring/Ray in Bookworms Gathering Spot, anywhere USA.

I'm mailing this today as part of a Bestseller Book Ray on Bookworms Gathering Spot yahoo group site
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/bookwormsgatheringspot/

Hope it travels far!! First stop ... California

I loved this book! This was my first experience with a book ray and what a great experience this is. The book was perfect. I must send it on, to Florida for the next person on the list. But I think I will have to buy myself a copy to keep on my shelf. Katharinee

Received in bookray and can't wait to start reading it. Will pass it on as soon as I have read it!

I enjoyed reading Bel Canto. I had a hard time getting into it at first, but once I did I couldn't put it down. I thought the characterization was very good. And the author was able to make everyone sympathetic, even the terrorists. Definitely one of those books that you keep thinking about even when you've finished reading it. Using the translator, Gen, as what turned out to be the main character as well as the link between all the other characters was a very unique device. It's not a book I would usually pick up, but I'm very glad I read it.

Released on Monday, May 12, 2003 at fellow BookCrosser in USPS, postal release USA.

This bookray is over, so I am sending the book back to Katharine, who fell in love with it, so she can force everyone she knows to read it! ;) Have fun!!

Thanks for sending the book back to me, Katie. I'm going to lend it to my neighbor. I'll get her to journal some words, too. I expect her to like it a lot. Then I'll let you know whom we force it on next.

Katharine