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State Of Wonder: A Novel [Paperback]

Ann Patchett
3.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (17 customer reviews)
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Book Description

May 8 2012 P.S.

“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.


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Review

“An engaging, consummately told tale.” (New York Times )

“Emotionally lucid. . . . Patchett is at her lyrical best when she catalogues the jungle.” (The New Yorker )

“This is surely the smartest, most exciting novel of the summer.” (Washington Post )

“The Amazon setting is something Patchett does rather marvelously. . . . The book is serious, but also so pleasurable that you hope it won’t end.” (NPR )

“Outlandishly entertaining . . . [with] a brilliantly constructed plot.” (Elle )

“Packs a textbook’s worth of ethical conundrums into a smart and tidily delivered story. . . . Ms. Patchett presents an alluring interplay between civilization and wilderness, between aid and exploitation.” (Wall Street Journal )

“The large canvas of sweeping moral issues, both personal and global, comes to life through careful attention to details, however seemingly mundane—from ill-fitting shoes and mosquito bites to a woman tenderly braiding another woman’s hair.” (O, the Oprah Magazine )

“A spellbinder from bestselling author Patchett. . . . Thrilling, disturbing and moving in equal measures—even better than Patchett’s breakthrough Bel Canto.” (Kirkus Reviews (starred review) )

“An expansive page-turner . . . Patchett’s fluid prose dissolves in the suspense of this out-there adventure . . . that readers will hate to see end.” (Publishers Weekly (starred review) )

“A superbly rendered novel. . . . Patchett’s portrayal is as wonderful as it is frightening and foreign. Patchett exhibits an extraordinary ability to bring the horrors and the wonders of the Amazon jungle to life, and her singular characters are wonderfully drawn. . . . Powerful and captivating.” (Library Journal (starred review) )

“In fluid and remarkably atmospheric prose, Patchett captures not only the sights and sounds of the chaotic jungle environment but also the struggles and sacrifice of dedicated scientists.” (Booklist )

“A thrilling new novel. . . . The world imagined in this novel is unusually vivid. . . . Reading State of Wonder is a sensory experience, and even after it’s over you’ll keep hearing the sounds of insects, and your own head will still be hot.” (MORE Magazine )

“Patchett makes the jungle jump off the page…This is Patchett’s best effort since The Patron Saint of Liars and, yes, that includes Bel Canto” (Shelf Awareness )

Review

“In fluid and remarkably atmospheric prose, Patchett captures not only the sights and sounds of the chaotic jungle environment but also the struggles and sacrifice of dedicated scientists.” (Booklist )

“Patchett is a master storyteller who has an entertaining habit of dropping ordinary people into extraordinary and exotic circumstances to see what they’re made of. [An] expansive page-turner…Patchett’s fluid prose dissolves in the suspense of this out-there adventure…that readers will hate to see end.” (Publishers Weekly (starred review) )

“[A] spellbinder from bestselling author Patchett[.][...] Thrilling, disturbing and moving in equal measures—even better than Patchett’s breakthrough Bel Canto (2001).” (Kirkus Reviews (starred review) )

“[A] superbly rendered novel[.][...]Patchett’s portrayal is as wonderful as it is frightening and foreign. Patchett exhibits an extraordinary ability to bring the horrors and the wonders of the Amazon jungle to life, and her singular characters are wonderfully drawn. [P]owerful and captivating.” (Library Journal (starred review) ) --This text refers to an alternate Paperback edition.

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Customer Reviews

Most helpful customer reviews
17 of 18 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars A Wondeful Read July 10 2011
Format:Hardcover
I didn't know anything about this novel before I bought it and was not familiar with Ann Patchett.

Set in the Amazon, Dr. Marina Singh, a research scientist with a Minnesota pharmaceutical company, finds herself on a remarkable quest. She is looking for Dr. Annick Swenson, who has been working in the Amazon on a valuable new drug for years. The company is unable to gauge her progress and so first sends Marina's colleague, Anders Eckman, to find Dr. Swenson. He dies under mysterious circumstances so Marina is sent to see what she can find out about Anders' death and Dr. Swenson's research.

From there the story takes many twists and turns. Marina gets sidetracked by a young Australian couple who is protecting Dr. Swenson, but eventually she does get to the research station in the jungle. Dr. Swenson, can be ruthless, but also strong and principled. While discovering a tree whose bark could lead to increased fertility in women, she stumbles upon another cure - one which she is protecting - even from the pharmaceutical company she works for because she fears they will not want to develop it.

I really felt like I was in the Amazon while reading this book. I loved all the characters, who are often drawn with great honesty and affection.

I thought the book was amazing and now I am going back and reading all of Patchett that I can get my hands on. I'm 70 pages into Bel Canto and loving it.
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1 of 1 people found the following review helpful
3.0 out of 5 stars Doesn't quite work for me Mar 29 2013
By Carol Read TOP 1000 REVIEWER
Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase
Ann Patchett is a gifted writer who's always interesting (for me) to read. Here her descriptions of American scientists and the Amazon jungle are wonderful. This book doesn't quite work, IMO. There are long draggy parts and I found myself skipping pages. Patchett's plot has a Heart of Darkness quality to it, though here it's more Heart of Primal Innocence Meets Self-Deluded North Americans. I finished reading this only because it was a book club requirement.
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6 of 8 people found the following review helpful
3.0 out of 5 stars State of Wonder July 28 2011
Format:Paperback
When I saw this book and heard the author interviewed on CBC it sounded intriguing but I didn't immediately realize she was also the author of 'Bel Canto'. Once I did, it was the reason I purchased 'State of Wonder'. However, this book proved a great disappointment.
Although the descriptions of the Amazon river, indigenous people and jungle were interesting, and Patchett is a skillful craftswoman, even though I read this book only a week ago, I've already forgetten the name of the protagonist. Unlike the characters in 'Bel Canto', those populating S of W, were in no way compelling- perhaps it was the portrayal of them as having 'clinically scientific personalities'(read bloodless) which I found off-putting- the love affair, could it be called that, with her boss; her search for her collegue which ended in a sexual encounter that given his background story seemed to me implausible and almost an afterthought and the brief and mild guilt at returning her young guide to his 'tribe' in a trade made me think this woman was as emotionless as the snake she described in great detail....and the Uber-scientist whose only comment after a caesarian was 'remember to save the specimen'.....chilling. On CBC Patchett spoke about her protagonist as someone shy and reserved and in no way adventurous and as if the book explored her transition beyond that but that just didn't happen in the reading, which I felt was a real error in character development - I you got no sense that her experiences in the jungle changed her in any way and that she'd go back to exactly the same life and relationships in spite of what had happened. How dismal!
However, after such widely divergent feelings over the two Ann Patchett novels I have read, I suppose now to be fair I'll have to read another to see whether she is someone I want to continue to read - as I devour the writings of Joyce Carol Oates and Sebastian Barry!
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Most recent customer reviews
3.0 out of 5 stars Not Much of a Wonder
If you already have an unfavorable view of pharmaceutical companies this book will do nothing to assuage that view. Read more
Published 12 months ago by little lady blue
5.0 out of 5 stars The Amazon
I just finished this book and I really enjoyed it.
From start to finish the reader is emersed in the Amazon. Read more
Published 12 months ago by Novel Girl
2.0 out of 5 stars Not very good
My mum recommended this book to me after she'd read it as I work in Fertility. I, however, found it very boring, slow and pointless. I would not recommend this book to anyone. Read more
Published 12 months ago by louise mcneill
5.0 out of 5 stars Her best yet!
Although I really enjoyed Bel Canto, this book definitely tops that one. I was drawn in right from the start, and now that I am finished it, I miss the characters, and find myself... Read more
Published 12 months ago by A. Houston
4.0 out of 5 stars Still wondering
State Of Wonder
This is definitely an interesting book. The title fits the story. This could be a real story and keeps you imagination going. Read more
Published 13 months ago by Glitterp
5.0 out of 5 stars State of Wonder
This marks the third time that I have dipped into the writing pool of Ann Patchett and let me tell you, she does not disappoint!
Dr. Read more
Published 16 months ago by Arah-Lynda Hay
3.0 out of 5 stars This book makes reference to Joseph Conrad's "Heart of Darkness"
This book makes reference to Joseph Conrad's "Heart of Darkness." According to Joseph Conrad, there are three levels of darkness: [1] the darkness of Congo Wilderness [2] the... Read more
Published 16 months ago by Annuska
4.0 out of 5 stars surprising
I booked this book up at a thrift store on one of my "grab a few books and see what happens" outings and I can't believe what a find! Read more
Published 17 months ago by herselftheelf
4.0 out of 5 stars Surprisingly smart
(...)I was disappointed by the beginning, all the books teaching you how to write mention how important the beginning is, how it can hang a novel or be the key to its success. Read more
Published 17 months ago by G. Petec
4.0 out of 5 stars Really enjoyed listening to this one
I've had numerous friends and patrons tell me that I must read Ann Patchett. There's been so much buzz around her latest book, State of Wonder, that I took advantage of an... Read more
Published 20 months ago by Luanne Ollivier
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