And the Mountains Echoed

By: Khaled Hosseini

Narrated by: Khaled Hosseini, Navid Negahban, Shohreh Aghdashloo

Length: 14 hrs and 1 min

Publisher's summary

On May 21, 2013, the new novel from Khaled Hosseini: an unforgettable story about finding a lost piece of yourself in someone else.

Khaled Hosseini, the number-one New York Times best-selling author of The Kite Runner and A Thousand Splendid Suns, has written a new novel about how we love, how we take care of one another, and how the choices we make resonate through generations. In this tale revolving around not just parents and children but brothers and sisters, cousins and caretakers, Hosseini explores the many ways in which families nurture, wound, betray, honor, and sacrifice for one another; and how often we are surprised by the actions of those closest to us, at the times that matter most. Following its characters and the ramifications of their lives and choices and loves around the globe—from Kabul to Paris to San Francisco to the Greek island of Tinos—the story expands gradually outward, becoming more emotionally complex and powerful with each passing minute.

©2013 Khaled Hosseini (P)2013 Penguin Audio

What is up with the narration?

What did you like best about And the Mountains Echoed? What did you like least?

I really can't separate the book from the poor narration, but I will give the author the benefit of the doubt based on his previous books. I will probably go buy a copy to read on my own. This version is impossible to understand. It's very frustrating to try to listen to a non-native English speaker butcher the syntax of a beautifully written book. I GET that the author is a non-native English speaker. HOWEVER, when I buy an audiobook, I expect to be able to understand the narrator's rendition. This is ridiculous. I feel like I am translating as I'm listening. I don't buy audiobooks so that I have to work this hard to understand the text!

How did the narrator detract from the book?

I can't understand what the narrator is saying.

Was And the Mountains Echoed worth the listening time?

Maybe--I can't tell.

The first part is wonderful, then it bogs down.

While the narrators fit the story, it was hard to understand them at times, especially the woman. Was it "t-shirt" or "teacher, " for example. Usually the meaning is apparent, but sometimes there is confusion because you "hear" the wrong word.
The first part of the story was exquisite, but then too many characters were introduced making me wish for more about the original characters.

Hosseini's Mountains Echoed Total Disappointment!

After the power of Kite Runner and Thousand Splendid Suns this book
left me cold. It just jumps around with little or no depth. In spots there
are glimmers of what this author is capable of but they don't last. After
the long wait this book was a waste of my time and suffering through it
has left me resentful.

Don't Listen! Read This Great Story Yourself!

It is no doubt that Khaled Hosseini is a masterful storyteller. This book was no exception. However, I had much more difficulty really getting into the story, fully immersed in the characters' experiences and feelings, than I did with his previous two books. I imagine that part of the issue was that I struggled with the accents of the three readers. Still, there were several times the individual experiences and atrocities the characters experienced and the hardships they faced made me feel physically ill with sadness. So the entire review of this book boils down to two things for me: 1) Love Khaled Hosseini? Then read this book. 2) Planning on reading this book? Read it. Pick up the print or digital copy and actually READ it, don't listen to it. Then, it's probably worth 4 stars or more.

The book is great but the reading....

I’m really struggling to understand the words because of the accents of the readers. I’m really disappointed I was very excited for this book.

3 in a row!

When this book was first released, I was a little bit slow to download it. I wasn't sure that his third book would equal the others, but I was wrong. Yet another excellent, layered story from Khalid Hussaini. The people, politics and poverty of Afghanistan spring to life in the hands of this skillful writer.

Not sure what I think.

Any additional comments?

I didn't have any trouble with the accents and Im kind of surprised a lot of other people did. The story was good but there was too much jumping around between characters and between generations for me to keep up with. I have a hard time with any book that has a lot of characters. At the end when they focused only on the two main characters and only in one time frame I really started to get interested but then soon after it was the end.

Good storytelling, annoying reading

Would you try another book from Khaled Hosseini and/or the narrators?

Yes re Hosseini, no re the narrators

How would you have changed the story to make it more enjoyable?

First half was strong. Second half lost steam. No satisfying ending either -- which is ok since it was basically a set of independent stories.

How could the performance have been better?

Reading the stories in Afghan accents was annoying, but one of the narrators in particular made me want to turn off the book. It was a good book but I really disliked the reading.

Amazing story!

Loved listening to this beautiful story of lives woven through tragedy over generations. Hosseini is such a creative story teller.

Best Story Line with Intertwining Stories

Would you listen to And the Mountains Echoed again? Why?

One of the best books I've read in long time. The way the characters overlap and intertwine is a magical mystery and journey throughout the lifetime of one little girl and how one event can trigger a lifetime of consequences. The two narrators including the author and two well known Iranian actors living in the US makes this book come more to life than if had read it Although I did listen to it twice to connect all the dots so to speak.... and it connects well. They way each chapter sums up then has a musical interlude and a lesson is learned or the chapter summed up in a wonderful way. Don't miss this book if you like reading about families, feelings and consequences.

What other book might you compare And the Mountains Echoed to and why?

I know this may seem strange but the movie "Pulp Fiction" comes to mind only in the way that the characters overlap and you learn more about them in later chapters, making this book somewhat of a mystery.

Have you listened to any of the narrators’s other performances before? How does this one compare?

No, yet excellent performances. Love that the author is one of the narrators.

Was there a moment in the book that particularly moved you?

When Pari the long lost sister of Abdullah meets and visits with Pari the daughter of Abdullah, her niece yet more her sister..