State of Wonder: A Novel

This is the second book I have read by Ann Patchett. (The first was "Commonwealth.") I sense a writer's "trick" in these two that she uses magnificently. In both books, we have perfectly ordinary people living perfectly ordinary lives. And then (insert the golden Plot Key and twist slightly) something happens that is not perfectly ordinary and changes their lives. This happens in the first few pages of the book. And then we share in the experience of these perfectly ordinary people as they deal with something they never imagined--and the implications and effects it has on those they love. And when I say "experience," I mean that. Ann Patchett fully draws the reader into the book. The stories are not scary or filled with terror (remember, the "perfectly ordinary" descriptions above), but the story will haunt you.The basic plot of "State of Wonder": In the first sentence we learn that Dr. Anders Eckman is dead. Anders had traveled deep into the Amazon at the behest of his employer, a Minneapolis-based pharmaceutical company that has a researcher working at a secret site on a secret drug that will revolutionize the world. But the researcher is incommunicado. Anders was sent to investigate. And then tragedy strikes. With few details about his death and no body (he was hastily buried in the jungle), Dr. Marina Singh, Anders's officemate, is sent to the Amazon to find out what happened to this married father of three young boys. And so begins a state of wonder in which the reader will be carried with descriptions so vivid that it's easy to envision the chaos and blistering heat of the jungle and almost hear the squawking birds and screeching creatures that inhabit it. Marina's perfectly ordinary life has been upended and will never be perfectly ordinary again.But the book is so much more than plot--no matter how riveting and engrossing. It is also about people, our connections, the choices we make and the effects those choices have on us and others.

Very well-written book. Both not what I was expecting, and far more than I was expecting.I expected a book about exploring the Amazon. The first half of the book was all about the main character, a doctor and scientist, and her work and personal relationships in Minnesota. By the time she flies to Manaus to look for a lost colleague, one is already half-way through the book.Eventually, the person she is waiting for in Manaus shows up, and she follows them into the jungle. From here, her experiences are so different from what I would have expected, yet interesting and profound. I really enjoyed stepping into this woman's shoes and experiencing everything she experienced. It's like adventure travel, combined with science and moral dilemmas, and calls for bravery in multiple situations. To my surprise, the book winds up with a very satisfying ending.

Ms. Patchett novel, "State of Wonder," is the second straight book I have read by her that I wish the book never ended. The other book, "The Magician's Assistant," was the first. But, unlike "The Magician's Assistant," this book had in common the one fault that I found in her previous four books I have read by this truly gifted and wonderful writer, and that fault lies in the ending. Maybe, it's just me? I don't know, but it won't stop me from reading more books by her.This book, like all her books, is driven by characters that are so interesting that even while they are sleeping it is as though they are on steroids. She is the type of writer that if I was a teacher teaching a class on writing I would dedicate the entire semester to reading her novels."State of Wonder," takes place for the most part in a section of the Amazon where a pharmaceutical company has invested a lot of money in a doctor who is working on a drug that will allow women to still get pregnant in their seventies or eighties...to stay fertile throughout their lives. When an assistant is reported dead, and the doctor in charge makes it very difficult to get in touch with her, the company sends down another assistant Marina, a doctor who works in lab, who at first might seem like the worse choice but, who later, matures into a heroic figure that helps deliver babies, fights off snakes, and who the natives fall in love with. What Marina discovers about herself is a great story in itself but what she discovers about the work, the magical mushrooms, and the dead assistant takes this story to new and higher level that can only be described as literary magic.If not for the ending, three pages out of 360 pages, this book was perfect!!!!!!!!!!

I could not put this book down. The recounting of the plot does not beginto explain the captivating nature of the writing. Reminiscent of Conrad’sHeart of Darkness, the power and the poetry of descriptions of the Amazonare palpable. What a great writer she is. Both the plot and the addedcharacter of the Amazon rain forest deal with themes of resilience, fortitude,the complexities and ambiguities of scientific research, and much more.A wonderful read.

It totally destroys a reader’s trust in an author when, in thefirst few pages, the plot is set in motion by people behaving in utterly stupid and un-believable ways. Okay, there’s a crazy scientist way up in the most remote jungle who has for YEARS refused to send any reports on her work or make any communication whatsoever to the international pharmaceutical company that’s funding her work, but they go on sending piles of dosh. No, they wouldn’t. When they finally decide to send someone to ask her what’s up, they send not a jungle-competent person but an oldish research scientist. And then they send another, to see what’s happened to the first. This kind of made sense for Conrad in Heart of Darkness- the person sent upriver was competent at least. But today there is no way in hell a huge corporation wouldn’t have sent a team, or at least two people, at least one of whom would be competent. It’s so insulting to be asked to suspend disbelief when the author does nothing to make her absurd plot, ripped off froma great classic, believable in its contemporary iteration.

Review from AntonySimpson.com:State of Wonder is a masterpiece novel, written by true wordsmith Ann Patchett. Patchett is unbelievably talented and this book left me with a feeling of Wow.State of Wonder starts with the death of Anders Eckman, a Research Doctor for pharmaceutical company Vogel. He was in the Amazon searching for Dr. Swenson, who had gone AWOL.Marina Singh, Anders’ colleague, goes on a journey to the Amazon to uncover the mystery surrounding his death. On this journey, Marina will have to confront her past, learn the progress of Dr. Swenson’s research in the present, with the hopes that the life-long fertility drug will save Vogel’s future.But what she finds is so much more than what she expected. Marina goes on a journey that transforms her from within.State of Wonder readers will forget to eat, go to bed later than normal and completely lose track of time. Purely because they are driven to read on by all aspects of this brilliant story: the plot, the description and the characters.The complexity of the plot is utterly captivating, completely compelling and has some great twists. Every aspect of this book’s plot is strong: the beginning, middle and end. Patchett’s superb description in State of Wonder sent my imagination into overdrive and immersed me fully into that beautiful but deadly part of the world.Patchett’s characters are brilliantly crafted. Patchett explores a range ethical issues through her characters perspectives and gives some interesting points of view. These points of view are consistent with her characters and leave the reader plenty to think over, long after they have finished reading the book. State of Wonder is one of those rare books that leaves the reader feeling somehow changed inside.State of Wonder is beyond marvellous. It is probably the best work of fiction that I’ve read in years. If I had to rate it out of 5 stars, I’d give it 6 stars.State of Wonder far exceeded any expectations I had for it. My copy of the book had the old book cover which was both fantastic and appealing. I don’t know what the publishers were thinking with the new book cover (pictured above). It looks cheap and does nothing to attract a potential reader. If you’re thinking about picking up this novel, ignore any feelings about the cover and do. It is an essential read for any lover of fiction.I cannot heap enough praise on Patchett for this novel. State of Wonder will leave readers in a State of Wonder. See what I did there? Despite this play on words, that is actually how a reader will feel when he or she finishes the book.State of Wonder is available to buy on Amazon and at all good bookshops.

Wow!! This story is a wonderful adventure of stunning scope and scenery. Marina Singh is sent into the isolated regions of the Rio Negro to investigate the death of one colleague and meet up with her former professor and team leader Dr Swenson. Dr Swenson has been pursuing a biologic drug candidate which could revolutionise treatment for women. The investors are keen to understand more but it is shrouded in secrecy. Will they ever get it out of the Amazon basin or will it remain another secret of the rainforest?The narrative keeps us balanced between the wonders of the remote rainforests and the dangers ready to jump at any moment. The writing allows us to step inside this world and see the expanse and allure of the rainforests, feel the humidity and atmosphere of the jungle, and get a sense of the hidden tribes that exist in these regions. Many tribes have never engaged with the outside world and some are still cannibalistic, while others have accepted strangers. Each tribe is very territorial with their own unique characteristics and secrets. The rituals and cultures dictate so much of the actions taken and many are just so alien to our experiences. The pace of the book is gentle but you just want to keep turning the pages. It is a brilliant engrossing story of exceptional insight.

Dr Annick Swenson had been financed by an American pharmaceutical society to go to remote part of the Amazon to do some research work on the drugs which could replicate the fertility of a local tribe, the Lakashi, whose women folk were able to have children even in their seventies. She was now 73, had been there for five years and had hated being distracted from her work by letters from the company asking about her progress, and had not replied to them. The company had then sent out Dr Anders Elkman to find her and bring her back. But after a time it received a brief letter from Swenson saying that Anders had died of a fever and had been buried locally.Now the company sent out 42 year old Dr Marina Singh, a former pupil of Swenson’s and friend of Anders to establish contact with Swenson and to find out more about Anders’ death. What happens during this mission makes up the bulk of the book, which is intricately plotted, wonderfully written, and in which dramatic incidents follow close on one another.There is first of all the compelling way in which Patchett describes the Amazon jungle and the innumerable dangers from insects, snakes, poisonous frogs etc.Then there is the description of Lakashi tribe, of their so unfamiliar behaviour and customs, and the habit of its women to go to a particular place in the jungle to chew the bark from the trees there, which was the cause of their prolonged fertility and which, incidentally but importantly, prevented them from catching malaria.Dr Swenson is the most impressive and fully realized character in the book. She was commanding personality whose gestures the Lakashi instantly obeyed. Although she initially resented the appearance of Marina, she was actually not as remote as one might have thought, told Marina at length about her experiences with the tribe, and in due course liked and respected her, and entrusted her with some quite remarkable responsibilities. Nor was she a solitary a worker: she was surrounded by a group of other doctors. But it also turns out that, on two important matters, she had deliberately lied, and these result in the dramatic ending of the book.She had also more or less adopted Easter a young deaf boy from another tribe. He was very agile and intelligent boy; he skilfully piloted the pontoon boat on which they travelled and memorized all the creeks and inlets of the river system. He also easily formed bonds: with Dr Swenson, with Marina, and he had formed one with Anders while Anders was with the Lakashi.It also turns out that, on two important matters, Dr Swenson had deliberately lied, and these result in the dramatic ending of the book.There are a few drawbacks: the novel ends without telling us what happened to Dr Swenson when Marina eventually returned to America; and I found one or two crucial events hard to explain – notably what had made Marina agree to go to the Amazon in the first place, and why she had agreed to the company’s request that she should stay when she had decided to leave. But these cavils do not stop me from giving this remarkably inventive and unputdownable novel a five star rating.

I loved the Dutch House and decided to read more by Ann Pachett.after reading half if State Of Wonder, I've changed my mind. What a boring , going no where book. I gave up after hoping page after page that the story, if there is one , would move along. It didn't.