Bel Canto: The Annotated Edition is the ideal gift for fans of Ann Patchett and her fourth novel (published in 2001). This insightful, often humorous volume also serves as a master class in fiction writing.
Patchett reveals in her introduction the outcome of the guerrilla invasion of the vice president's home in an unnamed South American country; it took place during a birthday party for a powerful Japanese businessman (and passionate opera fan), with a goal of convincing him to build factories there. The lure: Roxanne Coss, the preeminent U.S. soprano. With full transparency, Patchett marks in brackets the phrases or words she'd remove if she were writing the book today. A favorite: "Some words are repeated pages apart. Fingers should only be allowed to flutter once per novel"; then she flags the two instances (on pages 34 and 68). For diehard fans, she points out a paragraph in Bel Canto that served as the seeds for State of Wonder (10 years later). There is much to savor here, for fiction writers and Patchett aficionados alike. --Jennifer M. Brown, reviewer