Ann Patchett's Bel Canto: beautiful, brilliant, I wish I hadn't read the last two chapters. Not because they were bad, but because they broke my heart.
The story: Some rebels break into a fabulous dinner party ("somewhere in South America" -- the country is never named) and take everybody hostage. The guest list includes many people from all over the world, and one very famous opera singer. Their captors are not especially brilliant at their jobs, and eventually the whole thing becomes like one big sleepover -- with guns. I loved the way the characters were written and described; sometimes it's hard for me to imagine the way characters look, but Patchett described them so well it was as if they were sitting next to me.
This is one of those books that I think would make an excellent movie, although the characters' inner dialogues might be lost a little too much in the translation.
I'm really looking forward to reading Patchett's other work now.
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