Book Review: State of Wonder by Ann Patchett

State of Wonder by Ann Patchett
State of Wonder is very different from Bel Canto, the only other Ann Patchett novel I have read, but in some ways it is also very similar. It has the same subtle but hypnotic prose that draws you in. Every word written with purpose, every nuance of character important to the story. It was so hard to put down and so hard to stop thinking about when I did.
When I started reading I immediately started drawing parallels to Conrad's Heart of Darkness. Dr. Marina Singh is sent to the deep jungles of Brazil to try and find her former teacher, Dr. Annika Swenson, who has stopped communicating with the pharmaceutical company that is funding her research for a new fertility drug. She has ensconced herself in the village of the Lakashi, she rarely leaves and no one knows if any progress is being made. I kept expecting Marina to go down the river to Dr. Swenson's hidden lab in the jungle and find a Kurtz like character.
It wasn't quite that dark of an adventure into the jungle once Marina gets on the boat, but Dr. Swenson is definitely a different person from spending years away from civilization, immersed in her work in the jungle. You learn more and more about her and the others as you delve deeper into the jungle and into the story. 
I absolutely enjoyed reading State of Wonder. There is a bit of everything I like in my books- adventures in a foreign country, medical/science questions and ethics and a slightly mysterious death. 
5/5Source: pubisher for review
State of Wonder was released on June 7th in Hardback.
For more information about the book and author visit Ann Patchett's website.For other reviews, here is the list of others who participated in the book tour.

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Booking Through Thursday-03/12/09

What book do you think should be made into a movie? And do you have any suggestions for the producers?

I really think Bel Canto by Ann Patchett would make a wonderful movie. Don't think it would be a blockbuster, but done well, it could win a few Oscars. Unfortunately, the director, that I think should direct it, is no longer available. Robert Altman passed away three years ago. Did you ever see Gosford Park? Amazing! This style of movie is exactly what I see Bel Canto: The Movie being.

Bel Canto- Book Review

Bel Canto by Ann Patchett
A botched kidnapping attempt of a South American President, at a lavish birthday party for a Japanese business man, results in an unlikely hostage situation.

I really enjoyed soaking up every word of this book slowly and thoroughly. It is written so well and every part had some little detail I didn't want to miss.

I loved the relationship between the hostages and the terrorists and how it evolves over the months they are together in the grand house of the vice president. I loved how the music works as a way to communicate feelings and resolve tensions. Such a beautiful and tragic love story. How could anything good come out of a hostage situation? I imagined this as a movie directed as only Robert Altman could, in the manner of Gosford Park.

4/5

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