State of Wonder

Patchett, Ann

3.89

188,321 ratings by Goodreads

ISBN 10: 0062072471 ISBN 13: 9780062072474

Publisher: Harperaudio, 2011

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Ann Patchett raises the bar with State of Wonder, a provocative and ambitious novel set deep in the Amazon jungle.

Research scientist Dr. Marina Singh is sent to Brazil to track down her former mentor, Dr. Annick Swenson, who seems to have disappeared in the Amazon while working on an extremely valuable new drug. The last person who was sent to find her died before he could complete his mission. Plagued by trepidation, Marina embarks on an odyssey into the insect-infested jungle in hopes of finding answers to the questions about her friend's death, her company's future, and her own past.

Once found, Dr. Swenson is as imperious and uncompromising as ever. 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.

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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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, author of Room

"A triumph and Patchett'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

"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

From the Author:

Amazon Exclusive: Elizabeth Gilbert Interviews Ann Patchett

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