But what begins as a panicked, life-threatening scenario slowly evolves into something quite different, a moment of great beauty, as terrorists and hostages forge unexpected bonds and people from different continents become compatriots, intimate friends, and lovers. It is a perfect evening-until a band of gun-wielding terrorists takes the entire party hostage. Roxanne Coss, opera's most revered soprano, has mesmerized the international guests with her singing. Somewhere in South America, at the home of the country's vice president, a lavish birthday party is being held in honor of the powerful businessman Mr.
A marvel of a book." - Washington Post Book WorldĪ beautifully designed Harper Perennial Deluxe Edition of Ann Patchett’s spellbinding novel about love and opera, and the unifying ways people learn to communicate across cultural barriers in times of crisis. National Book Critics Circle Award Finalist.
Ultimately, it is the terrorist strike that does more to promote foreign relations than anyone could have hoped to achieve with the party. The tycoon's engaging and sympathetic translator plays a vital role in the subsequent relationships between so many different nationalities closeted together, interpreting not only the terrorists' negotiations but also the language of love between lovers who cannot understand what the other is saying. Among the hostages are a world class opera singer and her biggest fan, a Japanese tycoon who has been persuaded to attend the party on the understanding that she will perform half a dozen arias after dinner. Latin terrorists storm an international gathering hosted by an underprivileged country to promote foreign interest and trade, only to find that their intended target, the President, has stayed home to watch his favourite soap opera on TV. The poignant - and at times very funny - new novel from the author of THE MAGICIAN'S ASSISTANT, shortlisted for the Orange Prize.
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