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)

Half and half

I almost stopped listening to this halfway though because I didn't like a single character except the driver. He showed up just in time. Another problem was that Dr. Swenson reminds me of someone I'd rather not be reminded of. My conclusion is that perhaps the first half of the book drags on a bit. The exposition continues for a couple hours. I understand that the protagonist is also frustrated with how long her task is taking to develop, but I don't think the reader has to suffer the same in order to sympathize. The important information could have been shown in fewer pages without losing integrity. I'm not sure the dynamic between Mr. Fox and Marina serves enough purpose to deserve so many pages. I thought the visit to the opera was little contrived and had me close to actually hating Dr. Swenson. When Marina finally gets to meet the fabulous Dr. Swenson things start to pick up, though mostly because of the delightful Easter - an adolescent boy who lives in the village. Yes, the science is a little out there, but that didn't bother me. There is so much about the rainforest we don't know that I still found it entertaining. I thought the continual re-visit to the "visit to Hell" theme was overdone, more told than shown. In the end, I would say the descriptions of the rainforest and Marina's experience there make the book worth listening to. It did not leave me with the sense of hope that Bel Canto gave me years ago, which was what I was hoping for. It is quite possible I would have liked this better if I had not had that expectation.

A Surprising Gem

What did you love best about State of Wonder?

It was tragic, but really beautiful.

What other book might you compare State of Wonder to and why?

I can't think of any similar books...maybe this is a current Heart of Darkness? (Though I enjoyed this book considerably more than Joseph Conrad's.)

Have you listened to any of Hope Davis’s other performances before? How does this one compare?

This was my first Hope Davis narration.

Did you have an extreme reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

I cried several times while reading this book.

Any additional comments?

Honestly, I purchased this book because it was in one of Audible's sales. I'm so very glad I did. I was drawn in from the very beginning and found the story surprisingly captivating.

ok, not great but ok

This book is ok for a long car ride. There are interesting parts and there are dry spells and then it will pick up and get interesting again for a bit and then hit a dry spell and go back and forth like that. It's nothing I would highly recommend but I did finish it and that's saying something. The narrator is good; that helped.

Put reality aside and it is an interesting listen

It's an interesting tale, but I like books that are closer to reality. Well written and an excellent reader. I kept on listening as it had enough twists and turns to be interesting.

State of Wonder

Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?

I read this with my book club and it's the first book where we all agreed that we liked it. There were a few wobbly ideas but Patchett wove a grand novel.

Lisa

Is there anything you would change about this book?

I wish the author had gone deeper into the development of the characters. I was so looking forward to listening to this book but was a bit disappointed. I couldn't understand why the main character was willing to sacrifice her own safety and nearly her life for people she really didn't seem to have much of a relationship with.

What was your reaction to the ending? (No spoilers please!)

The ending was tragic and left me saying WTF??? Seriously need to have the characters check themselves.

What about Hope Davis’s performance did you like?

Hope Davis did a great job with the narration.

Could you see State of Wonder being made into a movie or a TV series? Who should the stars be?

Maybe. Maybe not. It was kind of un-relatable in it's fantasticness, if that's even a word, but also so disconnected in it's humanness. I mean really some of the things these characters held so close to them as a moral code in the beginning they just deserted too easily as the story unfolded.

Any additional comments?

I did enjoy listening to this book but not really recommending it to friends.

A great story

I was taken out of the country and into a mysterious world and it was an unpredictable journey.

An all time favorite story outside of any usual genre.

Ann Patchett has created characters so distinct in character they were recognizable for who they were. No blending into each other. I had a different sense & feelings for each of them. I appreciate how each one has their own morals, feelings and point of view shown without having to go into great detail. I love how Ann weaves her words as a story teller. And what a story she tells. Each time reading or listening to it I am curious enough to research something she mentions. A story filled with unusual circumstances and unlikely happenings yet it fits together and works. Just read it!

Best narration! Creative, beautiful story.

The narration of this book is superb. With such a variety of characters, it is still so easy to discern which character is speaking due to Hope Davis’ skill with acting out each voice.

The story takes a while to develop, but the character development and backstory is well worth it. I rarely predicted the next thing to happen which made this such an enjoyable read. I hated to see it end and I felt like I had been in the very locations the book describes.

Loved it

Excellent book although it took the first four chapters to get hooked when the story ended I wished it could have gone on longer.