Bel Canto is a 2001 novel by Ann Patchett based on the hostages of the Lma Crisis. During the birthday party for Katsumi Hosokawa in the vice presidential home in an unspecified country, terrorists break in and take the guests hostage. Over the course of the novel, two romances develop: one between the singer Roxanne Cross and Hosokawa, the other between Gen Watanabe and the terrorist Carmen. The government eventually takes action, the terrorists are killed along with Hosokawa and Gen and Roxanne get married.
Boasting the largest collection of book summaries, BookRags is the best option for titles you can't find elsewhere. They offer all of the basics (quotes, chapter summary, characters, historical context, literary criticism) but also walk through a few major topics that recur throughout the book, which can be particularly useful for essay writing.
The most popular website for book notes. SparkNotes was created by students for students, and their summaries are accessible and extremely well-written. Besides the usual plot overview, chapter summaries, and character analysis, SparkNotes differentiates itself with a section discussing themes, motifs, and symbols.