Ann Patchett

Heart of Darkness meets The Poisonwood Bible in the most ambitious and mesmeric book yet from the Orange prize-winning author of Bel Canto.

State of Wonder

a novel

Mae Erceg

This novel was amazing ! I was expecting more of a wonderful, almost surreal fantasy like wprld but what I got was a raw and real life beautiful tale of our heroine, Dr. Singh being this strong, hardworking woman in a brutal world she needs to overcome not just for her own sake, but for her colleagues and adopted family she finds in her journey. The ending was just beautiful (even tho I do wish we found out what happened to a certain someone) but it’s implied they were fine in the end. I’m very happy with the story and the plot twist was wonderful for a book I wasn’t expecting a plot twist to come from. Very intriguing read, 5/5 stars ! Would highly recommend !

Rebecca Shaffer

This book certainly isn’t for everyone, but I found myself compelled to keep picking it up despite its uncanny ability to put me asleep after 10pm. Beautifully written, deeply felt, and worth it for the ending.

Fran Lewis

Interesting book. will beinterested to see what the other people at book club think.

“Expect miracleswhen you read Ann Patchett’s fiction.”—New YorkTimes Book Review Award-winning, New York Times bestsellingauthor Ann Patchett returns with a provocative andassured novel of morality and miracles, science and sacrifice set in the Amazonrainforest. Infusing the narrative with the same ingenuity and emotionalurgency that pervaded her acclaimed previous novels Bel Canto, Taft, Run, The Magician’s Assistant, and ThePatron Saint of Liars, Patchett delivers anenthrallingly innovative tale of aspiration, exploration, and attachment in State of Wonder—a gripping adventurestory and a profound look at the difficult choices we make in the name ofdiscovery and love.

A Novel

Sonja H

Ein wundervoller Abenteuerroman mit weiblichen Hauptfiguren, der mich tief in das Amazonasgebiet entführt hat. Ja, er ist ein wenig klischeehaft und ja, es gibt Teile, die der Geschichte eher schaden, als ihr zu helfen. Dennoch vermag die Autorin eine spannende und "dichte" Atmosphäre zu verschaffen.
Allein das Auflösen eines Handlungsstranges am Ende des Buches fand ich wenig überzeugend und auch etwas weit hergeholt, doch der Rest war durchaus nachvollziehbar und stimmig.
Eine tolle Lektüre für lange Sommerabende!

Morgan K

Couldn't make it through the book, but it was well written.

Melody Izard

This was sort of an Indiana Jones meets Avatar on the Lost island: a place where all issues can be met head-on and resolved. Had more of a fairy tale feel than other Ann Patchett books. Also left a couple of things unanswered that I thought were unnecessary to leave unanswered. I expected to muster up more hatred for the pharmaceutical companies - but I really didn't see them as the villain in the story. 

I loved the development of Dr. Anneck Swenson. (first a very unstable, unlikable, self-centered hateful sort of person to a pretty interesting, likable sort even if she was still a bit eccentric)

Tracey O’Rourke

It says a lot that I finished this book last week and have already put it out of my mind. This book was one where the reviews were fabulous, and the book did not thrill me. This seems to happen a lot - I must have very different tastes than the critics or else they are all on the same wavelength, and I am not. In any case, for this book, I was not the only one. I have a friend who posted her great hatred of this book to Facebook, and while I did not hate it, I did not much enjoy it either. And it never beckoned to me to keep reading. 

This is the story of a woman around 40 who gets sent to the jungle to investigate what happened to her colleague and must therefore address unspoken issues in her past. But much of the story is implausible at best and preposterous at worst. Decisions and behaviors make no sense for the characters, especially towards the end. Motivations are entirely unclear or unbelievable. And overall, unmemorable.

Amanda Wells

This book really snuck up on me. I thought "Ok I see where this is going" and then suddenly I was surprised and even more intrigued than I thought. I loved that Patchett didn't overtly force conclusions down my throat. The uncomfortable questions of ethics in medicine, and in cross-cultural studies are never answered, and different people in this book have different views. 

I feel like I might have more to say about this book once I've digested it a little bit. Suffice to say I thought it was very good. I can't quite put my finger on why it wasn't a five for me - perhaps just that the characters never had that huge emotional pull for me... even at a moment where there really should have been more conveyed trauma, I didn't quite feel it. 

Regardless, it was a really interesting read with some tricky questions and few answers.

SHORTLISTED FOR THE ORANGE PRIZE FOR FICTION 2012 There were people on the banks of the river. Among the tangled waterways and giant anacondas of the Brazilian Rio Negro, an enigmatic scientist is developing a drug that could alter the lives of women for ever. Dr Annick Swenson's work is shrouded in mystery; she refuses to report on her progress, especially to her investors, whose patience is fast running out. Anders Eckman, a mild-mannered lab researcher, is sent to investigate. A curt letter reporting his untimely death is all that returns. Now Marina Singh, Anders' colleague and once a student of the mighty Dr Swenson, is their last hope. Compelled by the pleas of Anders's wife, who refuses to accept that her husband is not coming home, Marina leaves the snowy plains of Minnesota and retraces her friend's steps into the heart of the South American darkness, determined to track down Dr. Swenson and uncover the secrets being jealously guarded among the remotest tribes of the rainforest. What Marina does not yet know is that, in this ancient corner of the jungle, where the muddy waters and susurrating grasses hide countless unknown perils and temptations, she will face challenges beyond her wildest imagination. Marina is no longer the student, but only time will tell if she has learnt enough.

Kiya Robinson

In a narrative replete with poison arrows, devouring snakes, scientific miracles, and spiritual transformations, State of Wonder presents a world of stunning surprise and danger, rich in emotional resonance and moral complexity. As Dr. Marina Singh embarks upon an uncertain odyssey into the insect-infested Amazon, she will be forced to surrender herself to the lush but forbidding world that awaits within the jungle. Charged with finding her former mentor Dr. Annick Swenson, a researcher who has disappeared while working on a valuable new drug, she will have to confront her own memories of tragedy and sacrifice as she journeys into the unforgiving heart of darkness. Stirring and luminous, State of Wonder is a world unto itself, where unlikely beauty stands beside unimaginable loss beneath the rain forest's jeweled canopy.

Bethany Phillips

This might be one of my favorite books to teach to AP Lit kids; they really get into it and are often surprised by how much they like it. 

The story follows Dr. Marina Singh, a pharmacology research scientist for a major corporation, as she travels to the Amazon Rainforest in Manaus, Brazil in search of answers when she receives a letter saying her colleague died of a fever and they buried his body in the Amazon. Her colleague was sent down to get information on Dr. Annick Swenson and the pivotal research she's been heading for a few years. Marina, upon entering the Amazon, encounters way more than she could've been prepared for. 

I love this book so much because the writing is gripping right from the beginning; Patchett's writing style is always so immersive. The characters are so complex and morally grey, and this often provides deep discussions. The plot seems a bit slow at first, but picks up quickly upon getting to Manaus. And the ending is just...shocking. 

Without spoiling anything for anybody who hasn't yet read State of Wonder, this is a book I recommend frequently to people who aren't necessarily perpetual readers. The issues it presents, the human truths Patchett forces readers to confront and sit with, and the characters that often mirror the parts of us we don't necessarily feel proud of are all so well done. I could talk about State of Wonder for a very long time.

State of Wonder

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