Book Review #39 - State of Wonder

Unlike Ann Patchett's Bel Canto, which felt tragically unrooted in reality, State of Wonder is worth its hype and then some.  Fascinating in its description of the Amazon, original in its mix of science and plausible fantasy, incredible in its characterization of both indigenous people and a colorful team of researchers, I was beguiled from the beginning of this entertaining tale.  Patchett does an incredible job of drifiting in and out of various settings, from a cold Minnesota spring, the dirt and chaos of urban Menaus, Brazil, and up the claustrophobic rainforest around the Rio Negra, so that I, the reader, never really noticed if time was passing.  While her technique does have the side effect of being occasionally slow, especially when filled with meticulous detail, it produces the very thing the title promises - a state of absolute wonder.   Smart, imaginative, ambitious and perfectly ended, I really enjoyed this.