Winner of the 2002 Orange Prize for Fiction, this is a literary
novel that grips as firmly as any thriller. In Latin America a
group of terrorists take over an international gathering, only to
discover their intended target, the president, is at home watching
a soap opera. With their plan in ruins General Alfredo assaults the
Vice President and allows a sick hostage to die. But these are
unusual terrorists, described by the Red Cross negotiator as
unprofessional. They feel grief at the death and are as trapped as
their hostages as the inevitable end draws near. The siege leads to
the formation of surprising liaisons between captives and
terrorists. Roxanne Coss, an American diva, meets her biggest fan,
Japanese industrialist Mr Hosokawa, and the two fall in love. His
translator, Gen, starts to teach one of the terrorists, the gentle
and beautiful Carmen, and they begin a passionate relationship.
This very disparate group are forced into constructing their own,
new society and for all concerned the experience becomes one of
personal discovery. It is in the everyday details of their lives
that the book excels. With the deftest of touches Patchett brings
her characters to such convincing life that the reader follows
their actions with rapt attention. At the heart of the book is the
belief in the inherent goodness of mankind; of the desire to be
one's best self. This is represented by the beautiful singing - bel
canto - of Roxanne, who entertains them throughout their captivity.
When removed from their everyday lives people have the ability to
respond to art and be transformed by it. Gen translates languages
for captors and hostages but ultimately it is Roxanne who shows us
how to let go of the literal meaning of words and rely on the truth
of our emotions. (Kirkus UK)
From the bestselling author of The Magician's Assistant, a novel of love, opera, and terrorism, set in South America.
Latin terrorists storm an international gathering hosted by an underprivileged country to promote foreign interest, only to find their intended target, the President, has stayed home to watch his favourite soap opera. The takeover brings together an unlikely assortment of hostages, among them Roxanne Coss, an America opera diva; Mr. Hosokawa, a Japanese CEO and her biggest fan; and his translator, Gen. Forced to reach out across the chasms of language, politics, and culture, the hostages, and their captors, must change their established beliefs, if they are to survive.
In a novel of daring and dramatic intensity, two couples, complete opposites, fall in love, and a horrific imprisonment is transformed into an unexpected heaven on earth. Exploring passion in all its guises, even as the violence of its setting threatens to intrude, this magical novel surprises and enchants.
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