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State of Wonder

A Novel

by Ann Patchett

Narrator Hope Davis

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Length 12 hours 22 minutes

Language English

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Bookseller recommendation

“Women in science making a difference as main characters.”
— Corin • Carmichael's Bookstore

Bookseller recommendation

“Ann Patchett’s novel is so solely its own. Patchett (best-selling author of Bel Canto) has written a moral adventure story whose beauty lies in the description and well, oddity of its setting. In a narrative abound with deadly snakes, harrowing river rides, and malaria-induced nightmares; State of Wonder describes a world where breathtaking beauty stands side by side with wrenching loss. The story begins with Dr. Marina Singh, a research scientist working at a pharmaceutical company who is sent to Brazil to track down another elusive doctor who is using research with a tribe in the Amazon to create a valuable new drug. What happens upon Singh’s arrival is a tribute to Ann Patchett’s gift of storytelling. There are images in this book that you will never be able to forget; this is a complex tale of adventure, moral tug-of-wars, and incredible, distinctive beauty.”
— SMC • Bookshop Santa Cruz

Bookseller recommendation

“Ann Patchett's State of Wonder, read by Hope Davis was the book that made me fall in love with audio. A fascinating story is made absolutely hypnotic by Hope Davis's telling. This is the stuff all audio books should be made of!”
— Mary • Anderson's Bookshop

Summary
About the author
About the narrator

“A nail-biting narrative, setting stark human dilemmas against a lush, exotic backdrop.”— People

“Extraordinary. . . . Nothing is as it seems, and the ending is as shocking as it’s satisfying.” — Boston Globe

From award-winning, New York Times bestselling author Ann Patchett, a provocative and assured novel of morality and miracles, science and sacrifice set in the Amazon rainforest

In a narrative replete with poison arrows, devouring snakes, scientific miracles, and spiritual transformations, State of Wonder presents a world of stunning surprise and danger, rich in emotional resonance and moral complexity.

As Dr. Marina Singh embarks upon an uncertain odyssey into the insect-infested Amazon, she's forced to surrender herself to the lush but forbidding world that awaits within the jungle. Charged with finding her former mentor Dr. Annick Swenson, a researcher who has disappeared while working on a valuable new drug, she will have to confront her own memories of tragedy and sacrifice as she journeys into the unforgiving heart of darkness.

Stirring and luminous, State of Wonder is a world unto itself, where unlikely beauty stands beside unimaginable loss beneath the rain forest's jeweled canopy. Patchett delivers a gripping adventure story and a profound look at the difficult choices we make in the name of discovery and love.

Fiction Fiction - Literary

Ann Patchett is the author of novels, most recently the #1 New York Times bestselling Tom Lake, works of nonfiction, and children's books. She has been the recipient of numerous awards, including the PEN/Faulkner, the Women's Prize for Fiction in the UK, and the Book Sense Book of the Year. Her novel The Dutch House was a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize. Her work has been translated into more than thirty languages, and Time magazine named her one of the 100 Most Influential People in the World. President Biden awarded her the National Humanities Medal in recognition of her contributions to American culture. She lives in Nashville, Tennessee, where she is the owner of Parnassus Books.

Hope Davis' films include The Weather Man, Proof, Dumas, American Splendor (Golden Globe Nomination), The Secret Lives of Dentists (2003 Best Actress, New York Film Critics), About Schmidt, Hearts of Atlantis, Mumford, Arlington Road, Next Stop Wonderland, and Daytrippers. Her stage credits include A Midsummer Night's Dream, Spinning Into Butter, Ivanov, and Two Shakespearean Actors.