Bel Canto (2018): Film vs Book

About the film

Hostages are held in a luxury house in South America, where an opera singer's voice brings strangers together.

How close is it to the book?

The film follows the story and keeps the music at its centre, though some of the book's many characters are merged or shortened.

Read or watch first?

The novel is lyrical and patient, and it is a story about art and humanity.

What the book gives you

Bel Canto by Ann Patchett

A beautiful, atmospheric story where music brings people together in extraordinary circumstances.

Who will like it: Readers who like lyrical stories about music and unlikely closeness.