What do you think?
Rate this book
And the Mountains Echoed by Khaled Hosseini - Expert Book Review & Analysis
Expert Book Reviews presents a comprehensive review, analysis and plot summary of Khaled Hosseini's novel And the Mountains Echoed.
This is an epic tale set in the mold of Doctor Zhivago, in which the lives of the characters are determined, often tragically, by great historical circumstances and events that they are powerless to control. Khaled Hosseini’s story tells of a little Afghan girl’s unlikely journey with her family.
And the Mountains Echoed is a love story of a different kind. Pari, as she is named, is loved by her older brother beyond words. When she is torn from him and her family at the tender age of three, the stage is set for the suspense that will last as long as the story: will they ever meet again?
No amount of factual history can give as deep and vivid a sense of the reality of Afghanistan in the last seventy years as this story gives. Likewise, no mere reporting or film documentary can give as lucid an account of the cruel decisions forced on people living on the verge of destitution, of the nuances and characteristics of such an ancient, complex and reactionary, but proud country as Afghanistan. It’s no wonder that empires, past and present, floundered in their attempts to conquer her.
As it was for Hosseini’s The Kite Runner and A Thousand Splendid Suns, Afghanistan is just the setting, the background, for a profound exploration of the human soul, its capacity for good and evil, paradoxically often at the same time and by the same person.
How does Hosseini enlighten us in And the Mountains Echoed. Here are just a few of the many ways:
• The novel unblinkingly sheds light on the glory and the tawdriness that is human nature, dissecting it to show its varied shades of good and bad.
• It gives insight into the true nature of love and its nemesis, selfishness. Even then, love is not unsullied by selfishness, or selfishness necessarily condemned, but rather is sometimes portrayed as a legitimate struggle to fulfill one’s destiny.
• In that way, the story engenders humility when it comes to judging any person’s motives and actions, making it more difficult to condemn or exalt in a reflexive manner.
If you liked Hosseini's The Kite Runner and A Thousand Splendid Suns, you'll love And the Mountains Echoed.
Despite The Kite Runner being a debut novel for Hosseini, it achieved what only a handful of contemporary novels have been able to do.
This is an epic tale set in the mold of Doctor Zhivago, in which the lives of the characters are determined, often tragically, by great historical circumstances and events that they are powerless to control. Khaled Hosseini’s story tells of a little Afghan girl’s unlikely journey with her family.
And the Mountains Echoed is a love story of a different kind. Pari, as she is named, is loved by her older brother beyond words. When she is torn from him and her family at the tender age of three, the stage is set for the suspense that will last as long as the story: will they ever meet again?
No amount of factual history can give as deep and vivid a sense of the reality of Afghanistan in the last seventy years as this story gives. Likewise, no mere reporting or film documentary can give as lucid an account of the cruel decisions forced on people living on the verge of destitution, of the nuances and characteristics of such an ancient, complex and reactionary, but proud country as Afghanistan. It’s no wonder that empires, past and present, floundered in their attempts to conquer her.
As it was for Hosseini’s The Kite Runner and A Thousand Splendid Suns, Afghanistan is just the setting, the background, for a profound exploration of the human soul, its capacity for good and evil, paradoxically often at the same time and by the same person.
How does Hosseini enlighten us in And the Mountains Echoed. Here are just a few of the many ways:
• The novel unblinkingly sheds light on the glory and the tawdriness that is human nature, dissecting it to show its varied shades of good and bad.
• It gives insight into the true nature of love and its nemesis, selfishness. Even then, love is not unsullied by selfishness, or selfishness necessarily condemned, but rather is sometimes portrayed as a legitimate struggle to fulfill one’s destiny.
• In that way, the story engenders humility when it comes to judging any person’s motives and actions, making it more difficult to condemn or exalt in a reflexive manner.
If you liked Hosseini's The Kite Runner and A Thousand Splendid Suns, you'll love And the Mountains Echoed.
Despite The Kite Runner being a debut novel for Hosseini, it achieved what only a handful of contemporary novels have been able to do.
Kindle Edition
First published November 12, 2013
18 people are currently reading
59 people want to read
About the author
Expert Book Reviews
63 books126 followersExpert Book Reviews is an imprint of BookScribed, an independent digital learning company with a mission to bring the joy of reading and insightful discussion of great literature to readers everywhere. Expert Book Reviews provides reviews of today’s hottest novels.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews
September 21, 2013
I need not tell the story as so many reviewers have done so already. Abdullah and Pari and their Uncle and Father made for wonderful characters right from the start of the book and so as I turned each page I found myself attaching to them. (I was a bit disappointed early on that Hosseini resorted to a letter being written from the Uncle rather than finding another way to tell the story the Uncle told.) Then, the attachment faded as quickly as they all disappeared from the story. It was all downhill from there. I kept reading in order to find them again but didn't manage to do that until it was too late.
Perhaps I am an unsophisticated reader but I didn't appreciate having to read half a chapter before grasping as to who was narrating (this time)What may have been a sweeping saga turned to be a series of separate stories barely joined together. The running theme of the book seemed to be the absence of mothers in their children's lives. I wondered whether the author had personally experienced an absent (or dead) mother or a disabled one or an abusive, detached one from a young age because all of these characters appeared. There was not even one 'good' mother or 'good' woman for that matter in the whole story. Now I know that each person is not perfect and that perfect characters are not interesting but in this case the one-sided imperfect characters were equally not interesting.
I read both of Khaled Hosseini's previous books and loved them but this one just didn't make the cut. The first two were so well edited and spun such beauty even within dire circumstance but this one did not. I had offered it to a friend who eagerly wanted to borrow it the moment I was finished but by the time I completed the book she had read her own copy and concurred with my assessment. She left the last 40 pages unread. I now own the hard cover and can't in good conciousness recommend it or offer to loan it to my friends.
Better writing ahead for Mr. Hosseini, I hope.
Perhaps I am an unsophisticated reader but I didn't appreciate having to read half a chapter before grasping as to who was narrating (this time)What may have been a sweeping saga turned to be a series of separate stories barely joined together. The running theme of the book seemed to be the absence of mothers in their children's lives. I wondered whether the author had personally experienced an absent (or dead) mother or a disabled one or an abusive, detached one from a young age because all of these characters appeared. There was not even one 'good' mother or 'good' woman for that matter in the whole story. Now I know that each person is not perfect and that perfect characters are not interesting but in this case the one-sided imperfect characters were equally not interesting.
I read both of Khaled Hosseini's previous books and loved them but this one just didn't make the cut. The first two were so well edited and spun such beauty even within dire circumstance but this one did not. I had offered it to a friend who eagerly wanted to borrow it the moment I was finished but by the time I completed the book she had read her own copy and concurred with my assessment. She left the last 40 pages unread. I now own the hard cover and can't in good conciousness recommend it or offer to loan it to my friends.
Better writing ahead for Mr. Hosseini, I hope.
January 11, 2014
Well written, great character development, but for me the plot was lacking. The beginning held promise, and I liked how it ended but too much fluff in the middle. I kept waiting for some exciting twist or turn that I never felt happened. Did not come close to measuring up to Kite Runner and A Thousand Splendid Suns
September 25, 2013
Compelling stories about families living in an unpredictable world affected by events beyond their control. This is a masterful book that brings to mind other tales of families living with the consequences of large historical events.
September 11, 2013
Good story, but predictable ending. I'm not a fan of 'skipping' from one character to another and one time period to another and the author used it to extremes. Very well written.
September 21, 2013
I love his books. The culture gives us a perspective that is similar but different. I always look forward to his books.
August 26, 2013
Just like the previous two books, this too successfully compelled me to sit back for hours digging my nose in it and forgetting the regular chores of the mortal world. Listening to Abdullah's father's tale I did feel my heart trying to break open the rib cage as it sensed the up coming doom that would fall upon the innocent relationship of the sibblings. Very easy to relate, this novel is a must read.
September 4, 2013
I read Hosseini's three books and found this one to be somewhat predictable. The story was touching and he wove the stories of individuals together into a touching finale. I enjoyed Thousand Suns much more than his other two books. However, I would definitely recommend this book to individuals interested in learning more about the culture of Afghanistan.
October 10, 2013
Not as good as his other books but good still.
Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews