Your Rating and Overall Opinion of And the Mountains Echoed

Discuss the June 2013 book of the month, "And the Mountains Echoed" by Khaled Hosseini.

How do you rate And the Mountains Echoed?

1 star - poor, recommend against reading it
0
No votes
2 stars - fair, okay
6
14%
3 stars - good, recommend it
13
31%
4 stars - excellent, amazing
23
55%
 
Total votes: 42

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DickDatchery
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Re: Your Rating and Overall Opinion of And the Mountains Ech

Post by DickDatchery »

hermione123 wrote:This was beautiful as expected of the author but it didn't really make me bawl like 'The Kite Runner' did. But I still loved it.
Alright, given all of the positive comments and the overall rating you all gave to this book, I may have to break down and read something by Hosseini. For some reason I have been resistant. I suppose I will start with the Kite Runner.
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Reshmi
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Post by Reshmi »

Just completed the book 'And the Mountains Echoed' by Khaled Hosseini during the weekend. A nice book though I must say after reading 'The Kite Runner', your expectations from the author are so high that no other book reaches quite up to the mark. That said, I must say that the book was quite good and a little different from his other books due to the fact that its not about a single person but a number of people and their lives connected by a single thread which is Afghanistan. The book starts with the story of Abdullah and his little sister Pari and from there moves on to the lives of Nabi, Suleiman, Nila, Markos and Thelia before completing a full circle back to Abdullah. Backdrop of each story changes from Kabul to Paris to Tinos (a small Greek island) and finally San Francisco. The writing style also changes from simple narration to letters which the characters have written.

A lot of emotions are evoked while reading this book and people and their changing perceptions are seen. For example, while initially you might feel sympathy for a character like Idris, later on you will probably feel regret and question yourself if all that sympathy was wasted. The details of the turmoil caused by the Soviet War and the Taliban are thankfully not mentioned much here, instead the story concentrates more on the people and their lives. Although you like all the characters, none of them are given too much importance and the story moves on to the others before we actually start to get a feel of each character. My favorite though is Thelia and specially Markos's mother. There are also some characters like Adel,Gholum,who raise your curiosity I was a little disappointed with the ending cause I am a sucker for happy endings but I guess that would have been too predictable. The story ends on a positive note though and you are left feeling hopeful for all the characters specially Pari :)
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Post by thsavage2 »

I really liked this one, but not as much as A Thousand Splendid Suns. The characters were as complex as usual, and I love how you can always really learn about another culture and way of thinking in his books. He sets scenes wonderfully, and some of the dialogue in this and his other books is just really superb. I'd probably give it a 3.4 or so out of 4 stars.
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Post by k-bish »

:D I have read The Kite Runner, A Thousand Splendid Suns, and And the Mountains Echoed and I have loved them all. This culture is difficult for a woman with my experiences to observe and to not judge, but I feel it is important for me to try to understand why things happen in that area of the world: what is the history behind it, what does it mean to them, how far back do these feelings/practices go,etc. News reports and non- fiction are sources I read to try to understand, but fiction is another excellent source of information. A culture's stories show me why, helps me understand more about them, and makes me less judgmental. I may not agree with all of the practices of a culture so radically different from my own, but I certainly can understand a little more about them. Check out Blood of Flowers by Anita Amirrezvani. This was a book club read and it was excellent.
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RebekaV
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Post by RebekaV »

I haven't read anything by the author, but based on all you wrote about this book it seems I'll just have to give it a go...
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Post by zoedecicco »

I've read the Kite Runner, but not this one quite yet... I look forward to getting into it soon.
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Post by Aspen_Reads »

I can't wait to read this!
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Post by ananya92 »

The best part about Hosseini's books are that they are so emotionally involving. Like his other books (Kite Runner and A Thousand Splendid Suns), this book also revolves around the similar themes of love, loss, guilt and hope set in the backdrop of Afghanistan. The characters in this book are well constructed and the book has the ability to emotionally drain the reader. Loved this book!
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Post by Bubamdk2 »

I loved this book. Words alone cannot describe how it made me feel. It was like entering a tornado and not knowing exactly whether you will live or die, but knowing that you had to ride it out and see what happens. It was gut wrenching. It showed me a side of life that exists but no one wants to discuss. I cried and I laughed throughout the entire book. I think this book should be required reading for every person so that they can appreciate what they have in this life.

I would definitely recommend this book to everyone.
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Post by aaa123 »

Superb book.
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Post by debo9967 »

Khaled Hosseini is one fo the authors whose books I always look out for. This book was no different. His characters are so well developed, and his expression of human emotions is so relatable. I like the manner in which he depicts the sorrow associated wit Afghanistan and plight of the people living there. This was another heart touching book by this author.
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Alexavier-Taiga
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Post by Alexavier-Taiga »

To be honest, this reminded be of a mixture of A tale of two cities and Annie Proulx's Wyoming Stories
So many books to read, so little time..
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Post by scquarantillo »

I really enjoyed this book! The writing was wonderful, and the characters really keep you invested in them. The author does an amazing job of keeping you interested! I agree with a lot of people saying it's like a Rollercoaster ride, because my emotions were so up and down I felt spent by the time the book was over. I rated this book 3 out of 4.
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Post by CzechTigg »

Alexavier-Taiga wrote:To be honest, this reminded be of a mixture of A tale of two cities and Annie Proulx's Wyoming Stories
Oh... My worry is that this does not live up to the Kite Runner, but then that is no easy feat.
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Post by pallavi garg »

Feelings interwoven...love, guilt, hopes ...beautiful story of siblings love and affection. ..the gift box for pari containing feathers was truly heart touching....took time to develop interest in beginning but couldn't put down once started. ...nicely written. ..
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