State of Wonder

A Novel

By: Ann Patchett

Narrated by: Hope Davis

Length: 12 hrs and 22 mins

Publisher's summary

A New York Times best seller

Orange Prize nominee

A Time Magazine’s Best Books of the Year

A Publisher’s Weekly’s Best Top Ten Best Books

A Wellcome Trust Book Prize nominee.

“Expect miracles when you read Ann Patchett’s fiction.” (New York Times Book Review)

Award-winning, New York Times best-selling author Ann Patchett returns with a provocative and assured novel of morality and miracles, science and sacrifice set in the Amazon rainforest.

Marina Singh is a research scientist at Vogel, a pharmaceutical institute in Minnesota, and inconveniently in love with her boss, Mr. Fox. When one of her colleagues is reported to have died while following up on the progress of a field team based in Brazil, Marina is dispatched by Mr. Fox to the Amazon to uncover the truth of his death. And his widow wants his effects.

She travels to Manaus, then down into the Amazonian delta, deep into the dense, dark, insect-infested jungle. The research team is looking into the development of a new miracle drug that could revolutionize Western society. A local tribe has the bark of a certain tree, it yields a substance which allows them to conceive late into middle age: many of the women are getting pregnant into their 60s and 70s.

The problem is that the team is taking too long: they have been silent for two years, and Marina has been tasked to find out what is holding back their progress. The second problem is more serious: the team is being headed up by the daunting figure of Annick Swenson, an eminent and fiercely uncompromising scientist who was once Marina’s colleague, and towards whom Marina has very complicated feelings. What Marina learns will change her life. In a novel that is packed with amazing twists and surprises, Ann Patchett returns with immense confidence to a broad canvas, teeming with atmosphere and characters and rich with narrative.

Remarkable events - fights with anacondas; encounters with cannibals; deaths; re-births - and profound moral decisions come together in a novel that will enthrall her many listeners and fans and is guaranteed to be a major best seller.

Infusing the narrative with the same ingenuity and emotional urgency that pervaded her acclaimed previous novels Bel Canto, Taft, Run, The Magician’s Assistant, and The Patron Saint of Liars, Patchett delivers an enthralling, innovative tale of aspiration, exploration, and attachment in State of Wonder - a gripping adventure story and a profound look at the difficult choices we make in the name of discovery and love.

©2011 Ann Patchett (P)2011 HarperCollinsPublishers

Critic reviews

“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)

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

“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)

spectacular performance

I’m a fan of An Pachett, and while this is not my favorite story of hers I’ve read, it was fascinating, nonetheless. Where does she come up with these bizarre stories?! That being said, by the end I was engrossed. And the narrator! Wow, she deserves an award.

Enjoyed every minute

The narrator was wonderful. I was entranced and moved from start to finish. The characters will stay with me for a long time.

A magical and generous story

Ms. Patchett’s wondrous use of language to envelope the reader in the canopy of the forest lends itself to visual imagery that is unlike any others.

Outstanding Narration - Story Ending Disappointing

What did you love best about State of Wonder?

Hope Davis did an excellent job conveying the atmosphere of the book - I felt transported to the time and place, indeed to a "state of wonder."

Any additional comments?

I would have rated this as 5 stars overall, but the ending disappointed - it seemed as if the author was trying to hurry to a conclusion, which didn't capture the spirit of the rest of the novel.

Slow start but then interesting!

Took me awhile to figure out what was going on but I didn't know what the book was about and then when they left for brazil I was hooked

A WONDERful experience

One couldn't ask for more than Hope Davis narrating Ann Patchett's latest novel. Generally, I listen to non-fiction and read fiction, feeling that the voices of fiction are better left to my imagination. But this experience has changed my mind, and I just downloaded other novels narrated by Davis. She is supremely talented - the characterizations through voicealone are amazing. I would say she even gives voice to the Amazon. She and Patchett are a superb combination.

Wonderful listen!

The book kept me listening way into the night. A complex and rich story with interesting characters. I really enjoyed the narrator. She brought the book to life.

Beautifully written, beautifully read

This book was a pleasant surprise. I wasn't expecting to like it as much as Bel Canto and found I liked it more. The descriptions of the Amazon jungle and native people were fascinating as was the book's premise. Hope Davis is a great reader as well. Highly recommended

Review of State of Wonder

This was an excellent audiobook. It caught my attention from the very beginning! It was full of so interesting facts anf stories. I loved it.

I would recommend it to my friends!!

Oh No! It can't be over yet.

If you could sum up State of Wonder in three words, what would they be?

Wonderful and Entertaining!

If you could rename State of Wonder, what would you call it?

I wouldn't rename it.

Any additional comments?

This is such a wonderfully written and narrated story. I really hate that it is over and do hope that Ms. Patchett will continue in another book and that Hope Davis will perform it.