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Loading... State of Wonder : a novel (edition 2011)by Ann Patchett
Work InformationState of Wonder by Ann Patchett
  
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 cbwalsh | Sep 13, 2023 |  Interesting story of a female scientist who is recruited by her work to go to the Amazon in search of answers about her colleague's death. There are some interesting characters in this story and I enjoyed the story overall. You definitely need to suspend belief in parts but that made for interesting reading. Thought the ending was sweet. (  ) tinkerbellkk | Jul 14, 2023 | State of Wonder is in many ways a modern day retelling of Joseph Conrad's "Heart of Darkness" . The books share many similarities but there are two big differences. Firstly,the two main characters are women and secondly,there is a surprising,and very touching happy ending. ( ) kevinkevbo | Jul 14, 2023 | I loved this and then was so disappointed by the last 30 pages. (  ) Andy5185 | Jul 9, 2023 | A very thoughtful and well-told story. Echoes of Abraham and Sarah, also of the Orpheus myth. Strong writing and story-telling, really good characters. I will be reading more of Patchett. ( ) brook11trout | May 6, 2023 |
In her latest novel, Ann Patchett, author of the beloved Bel Canto, takes her readers down the Amazon and deep into the rain forest in a book that is part adventure story, part morality tale...This book may be on a lot of book club lists already — but with good reason...  State of Wonder is heavy with literary parallels (to Henry James, to Greek myth), but in this respect the strongest links are to Heart of Darkness, a novel that Patchett substantially rewrites, with Conrad's male text repopulated with female characters (Swenson is this book's Kurtz). It lacks the developed emotional core of Patchett's earlier books, but it is her most mature work to date, a novel that tries to be more alive to the nerve ends of philosophical life than to the simpler machinery of character motivation. “State of Wonder” is an engaging, consummately told tale. Patchett’s deadpan narrative style showcases a dry humor that enables her to wed, with fine effect, the world of “Avatar” or the “Odyssey” with that of corporate board meetings, R&D reports and peer review... “State of Wonder” is an immensely touching novel, although as with much of Patchett’s work, its emotional impact is somewhat muted by her indefatigable niceness.  Nail-biting action scenes include a young boy’s near-mortal crushing by a 15-foot anaconda, whose head Marina lops off with a machete; they’re balanced by contemplative moments that give this gripping novel spiritual and metaphysical depth, right down to the final startling plot twist. AwardsDistinctions
A researcher at a pharmaceutical company, Marina Singh journeys into the heart of the Amazonian delta to check on a field team that has been silent for two years--a dangerous assignment that forces Marina to confront the ghosts of her past. No library descriptions found. |
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 Google Books — Loading...GenresMelvil Decimal System (DDC)813.54Literature English (North America) American fiction 20th Century 1945-1999LC ClassificationRatingAverage: (3.87)
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State of Wonder, Anne Patchett
Wikipedia in English (2)
25
From the beautiful, lush descriptions of the Amazon to the complex relationships between characters, I loved every single second of this book. I adored the ending (and was one of those girls who cry on public transit because of it) and really loved how there was an air of mystery that was subtly present throughout. I don't know about you, but there's something about a stunning work of literature with a scientific premise that just gets me every single time. (