Ten of the best birthday parties in literature

At the Guardian, John Mullan named ten of the best birthday parties in literature.

One entry on the list:

Bel Canto, by Ann Patchett

In an unnamed Latin American country, diva Roxanne Coss has been hired to sing at the birthday party of Katsumi Hosokawa, the opera-loving head of a Japanese electronics company. The party takes place at the villa of the country's vice-president, but is interrupted by guerillas, who hold the guests to ransom. It cannot end well.

Read about another entry on the list.

Bel Canto is one of Joyce Hackett's top 10 musical novels.

Also see: Ten of the best birthday poems.

--Marshal Zeringue