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Review
The best book I have read all year. It made me laugh and weep and left me in a state of wonder: perfect from first page to last ... a masterpiece Emma Donoghue A triumph and Pachett's best book yet Guardian Written with a wry grace and irony that reminded me of The Poisonwood Bible (another favourite). I like Patchett's Bel Canto - but I loved this Joanna Trollope, Sunday Telegraph An absorbing novel, intelligent yet magical, that will keep you wondering until the very last page Sunday Telegraph It pulls you into the book, has you standing in the jungle in the heat and sweat, as realistic as any computer-generated trickery, genuinely wondering what might happen next ... Just read it and be happy that such a writer as Patchett exists The Times Something special and worth considering for all the literary prizes, festivals and reading groups going this year ... exhilarating Daily Telegraph
--This text refers to an alternate
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Book Description
Ann Patchett has dazzled readers with her award-winning books, including The Magician's Assistant and the New York Times bestselling Bel Canto. Now she raises the bar with State of Wonder, a provocative and ambitious novel set deep in the Amazon jungle. Dr. Marina Singh, a research scientist with a Minnesota pharmaceutical company, is sent to Brazil to track down her former mentor, Dr. Annick Swenson, who seems to have all but disappeared in the Amazon while working on what is destined to be an extremely valuable new drug, the development of which has already cost the company a fortune. Nothing about Marina's assignment is easy: not only does no one know where Dr. Swenson is, but the last person who was sent to find her, Marina's research partner Anders Eckman, died before he could complete his mission. Plagued by trepidation, Marina embarks on an odyssey into the insect-infested jungle in hopes of finding her former mentor as well as answers to several troubling questions about her friend's death, the state of her company's future, and her own past. Once found, Dr. Swenson, now in her seventies, is as ruthless and uncompromising as she ever was back in the days of Grand Rounds at Johns Hopkins. With a combination of science and subterfuge, she dominates her research team and the natives she is studying with the force of an imperial ruler. But while she is as threatening as anything the jungle has to offer, the greatest sacrifices to be made are the ones Dr. Swenson asks of herself, and will ultimately ask of Marina, who finds she may still be unable to live up to her teacher's expectations. In a narrative replete with poison arrows, devouring snakes, and a neighboring tribe of cannibals, State of Wonder is a world unto itself, where unlikely beauty stands beside unimaginable loss. It is a tale that leads the reader into the very heart of darkness, and then shows us what lies on the other side.
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Most helpful customer reviews
15 of 16 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars
A Wondeful Read,
By
This review is from: State Of Wonder: A Novel (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.
5.0 out of 5 stars
The Amazon,
By Novel Girl (Alberta,Canada) - See all my reviews
This review is from: State Of Wonder: A Novel (Hardcover)
I just finished this book and I really enjoyed it.From start to finish the reader is emersed in the Amazon. This book is so vividly well written you feel like you are there with the characters every time you pick it up. You feel the bugs, the heat, and moisture of all the foilage that make up the forest. You "are" gently floating in a boat with your hand dipping in the water as you look around you at all things beautiful and unknown in a state of wonder. The pharmaceutical company plot is very intriguing, and hooks you right from the start as you follow the characters from the city to the amazon. Also weaved around and inside this main story; Ann Patchett flawlessly writes about her characters loves & loss, emotions and mistakes; and the lives lived in between. This is a beautifully written book that leaves you thinking for a while after. This is one of Ann Patchetts Best!!
5.0 out of 5 stars
Her best yet!,
By
This review is from: State Of Wonder (Paperback)
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 wondering how they adjusted to life in the real world after their return from the Amazon. I felt like I was living in Marina's skin and experienced life in the Amazon without actually having to suffer its discomforts. I thought the characters were well developed and I could practically see them. It was excellent storytelling in my opinion, and would recommend it highly, especially for those with a scientific/medical bend. Looking forward to her next novel.
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