And the Mountains Echoed

And The Mountains Echoed is the third book by acclaimed author Khaled Hosseini, whose previous two books `The Kite Runner' and `The Thousand Splendid Suns' are bestsellers. `You want a story and I will tell you one,' - The story begins in Afaganistan 1952, where Saboor is travaling with his son Abdullah and his daughter `Pari' to Kabul through the MOUNTAINS. Saboor tells them a story, a story to prepare Pari and Abdullah, specially Abdullah who has unusually powerful bond to his sister `Pari'. Saboor narrates them a story which has a simple moral - `how at times of need, one has to sacrifice a finger to save a hand'. A mythical story of a div (or demon) and a father who will give away his most loved son to demon for a better life on a pact that he will never see him again. Saboor is telling this story to his son to prepare him for the coming disaster which will changes the lives of everyone, the one that will ECHO down the generations. The book compared to other Hosseini's book doesn't have single or two character narrative instead this book has the multi-layered narrative in which the different characters linked to same family in different timelines narrates the story. There are only few writers who can produce back-to-back masterpieces and Husseini is one of those writers.There is lot to learn in this book, Love, Friendship, political turmoil in Afghanistan. The portrayal of each character in this book excellent, you will feel the pain, sadness and happiness of each character in this book. Each character and each story in this book is crafted perfectly and the stories in this book though at beginning you won't find any relevance to actual story but at the end all threads will meet perfectly to make a perfect story. As I proceeded with the story, I realized that each character in this book is a hero, either it be Parawana step mother of Abdullah or Nabi uncle of Adbullah or Nila Wahdati - each and every character has a story to tell and each story will make that character a hero. Each character has a purpose in this book though a purpose he/she never had in her mind. At times I felt that narrative was disjointed and doesn't have a clear picture as to their relation to the story of Abdullah and Pari. Like the narrative of Markos - a Greek aid worker in Afghanistan and acquaintance of Nabi. But nevertheless - And The Mountains Echoed is an epic tale of heartbreak and hope, hope of meeting your loved ones, hope of reuniting with your family. And Indeed "This story is like a moving train: no matter where you hop on-board, you are bound to reach your destination sooner or later." I recommend this book for everyone. Go ahead and read it.

And the Mountains Echoed: A Novel Having read Khaled Hosseini's previous two novels: The Kite Runner and A Thousand Splendid Suns, which I found real page turners and very dramatic, I decided to read his latest novel. This novel was very different in style but also illustrated Hosseini's remarkable talent for writing interesting novels. This novel was slower moving with myriads of characters interconnecting with each other. They were either relatives, friends or neighbors spreading over two generations or even three in some cases. The novel begins with a folk tale about a div, a giant in Afghan folklore, who steals the youngest son of an impoverished family in a poverty stricken village. When the father sets out to find his son, the div shows him that the child is living happily in a palace, playing with other children. The father then has to decide whether to turn back and leave his son where he is or take him back to a difficult life in the village. This story is told to Abdullah and Pari, a day before they take a long and difficult journey from their village to Kabul, where the father leaves Pari, the sister of Abdullah, with a rich childless couple as it was difficult for the father to support both children. Abdullah was devastated by this for a long time as he and his sister were very close. The separation of the two siblings forms the basis of this incredible novel which at times seems rather long-winded as it is composed of a number of short stories, told from a number of different angles by the various characters in the book. The actual story begins in 1952 and meanders along with the various players relating their own experiences and their connections with the various characters in the book. Hosseini's medical knowledge in describing the illnesses and handicaps of some of the characters makes the novel even more realistic. The writer is a qualified physician and this blends very well in adding a lot of realism to the novel itself. The characters actually flip out of the pages making the reader empathize with their misfortunes, desires and the brilliance of this writer's portrayal of them makes the book really hard to lay aside. I would recommend that the reader not put the book aside but read it from beginning to end in as short a time as possible. If this is not possible the reader can lose the thread as there are so many characters involved who have much to say from their perspective that one can get confused. This is the reason why I feel that this novel is short of a 5-star rating. Despite this all the loose ends seem to tie up towards the end as the families had spread out over a number of countries. I found the book very readable even though I would have preferred less characters and more emphasis on the main players that make up the story.

Here is a book that will speak to you about the ties that bind and the fragility of familial relationships.In this stirring book we see the ways in which family members are capable of supporting each other,standing up for each other,respecting one another,and yet,are also capable of deceiving each other and disgracing one another.All things are possible,and we are witness to the complexities that weave this tale. This is a gripping story which holds many surprising turns. It will keep your interest from start to finish.Enjoy!

I always cry reading his books and finish them in 2 days! He always touches my soul with his stories

I love it

Sensacional. Profundamente humano, mas entendam-me, fugindo do clichê: o autor trabalha com personagens “estranhas” à nossa cultura, mas que em suas diferenças mostram como somos profundamente iguais – simplesmente humanos, com nossas virtudes e defeitos! Sem concessões ao pieguismo, o autor não propõe um final feliz, exceto se o leitor for capaz de mergulhar fundo na alma das personagens, especialmente das principais, Abdullah e sua irmã Pari. O tema central – as escolhas que cada um de nós faz ao longo da vida, não tendo outras bases senão nossa intuição e nossa cultura a nos orientar, e como tais escolhas afetam a todos os que nos rodeiam – nos faz refletir sobre o relativismo do que é certo e errado: afinal, o ditado “de boas intenções o inferno está cheio” é válido? Boa literatura é isto: está além do tempo e do espaço e nos atinge em cheio, fazendo-nos pensar e – por que não? – reformular nossos valores e nos fazer crescer como seres humanos. Ao acabar de ler o livro, as personagens continuam esvoaçando em torno de nós, como se reais fossem! É quando nos identificamos com um afegão ou um cazaque, ainda que tenhamos apenas uma vaga ideia do país onde nasceu... P.S.: Não deixem de tentar responder às perguntas do “Readers Guide – Discussion Questions”.

I enjoyed this book a lot. If in The Kite Runner and A Thousand Splendid Suns the plot was built around two characters, in And The Mountains Echoed it involves a lot of people, a lot of destinies, a lot of personalities. I truly enjoyed both the way the book is written. Now it's time to wait for the next one:)