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

Great book

I liked kite runner better but this was still a master class at story telling

Not what I expected but was pleasantly surprised!

Very fascinating story by Khaled Hosseini! So many lessons to be learned and applied from this novel. Certainly recommended.

As wonderful as the others

So wonderful, it helped me to reconcile gaps in my own life. Just absolutely wonderful.

Generational Reverberations

"A mountain keeps an echo deep inside. That's how I hold your voice." Rumi

You prepare your heart when reading Hosseini; you know you will feel the tug of those heart strings that bind us to humanity. He writes about universal themes - family, love, loss, betrayal, courage - with a sincerity that doesn't pander for emotions (his foundation and humanitarian work with the people of Afghanistan, from where he draws his characters, speaks to this sincerity and dedication) yet takes aim at our core. With the voice of a poet, Hosseini captivates his readers with characters facing challenges that test human limitations. Of course, it adds to the complex atmosphere and mystique of his story that he writes about a historically and mythologically rich country that is unfamiliar to most of us. It's clear from the very beginning of this new book -- when a father tucks his children into their beds around a desert campfire and conjures up a allegorical fable of a monster that steals children away in the night (a Jungian's delight, and magical beginning) -- that the author has written a beautiful story that will have us, once again, feeling that familiar tug. And the Mountains Echoed spares very few readers the pang of empathy, but unlike its predecessors, the approach is light handed and the violence is minimal.

I purposely am avoiding outlining the plot. This is one of the first times that I have read a review prior to listening to the book, that truly was a spoiler--going into this novel with so much information almost ruined the journey for me. The beginning fable does foreshadow the events to come, but I would like to have gotten to that destination with my own interpretations of the view along the way -- it's just that kind of story. Spanning several generations, the story tells how the choices made early in the genealogy dictated the course of latter family members. It's not the events themselves that construct the human drama over the years, but how the events are acted upon by the characters. Hosseini's characters come from a history of tumult; they internalize their emotions, because of personal reasons, political tensions, cultural upbringing--their harsh world doesn't allow the luxury of licking their wounds, processing or resolution. The resulting legacy they build is one of pain, regret, sorrow, and secrecy.

The beginning is powerful with the imagery and the foreshadowing. You'll read that some critics thought the middle section suffered from the addition of new characters, and I have to agree. Though good material, it just wasn't in the same rich vein as the wonderfully dimensioned beginning chapters, and only detracted from the emotional heart of the saga, slowing down a story that never seemed to regain the same momentum-- it just rolls to a good place to wrap up. My favorite -- the narration! (I can't wait to see the reviews on this subject!) From the rich, sexy foreign voice of Hosseini to the sultry smoky voice of Shohreh Aghdashloo...there were simply times I couldn't understand what the h3LL they were saying, but could've cared less because they sounded so great saying whatever it was! I adored the narration, with all the limitations of my white-bread ears. Their voices added great texture and authenticity--I can't imagine the story presented any other way, but doubt that will be the consensus.

Fans of Hosseini will feel rewarded for the wait. There was something about Kite Runner -- the innocence, the look into the social landscape and family structure -- that I liked better; but, the moments of beauty singular to this book: the children listening to the fable, the sound of a tinkling bell, the devoted Chauffer's and his letter, the scrappy eared dog...still give me that little stab in the heart and keep me in an emotional orbit.

ONE OF THE BEST AUDIO BOOKS AVAIALABLE

Any additional comments?

This book is SO good it reminds me of how crappy most of the other books I listen to really are. I listen to many audiobooks. I have 4 active audible accounts. Most of the books I listen to are, at best, casual entertainment while I work. They are not great. This book IS GREAT. It is a treasure! It makes me sad because I know that soon this book will come to an end, and when it ends, I will be back searching through all the mediocre books again. Always searching, always hoping that I will find a book like this one. Books like this are as rare as can be. If ONLY there were more like this …

Better narration please!

Hosseini has an amazingly intimate understanding of human relationships and invests it in his novel. However, the narration is one of the most difficult I have ever heard. Rather than relaxing and submerging myself in the literary art of the author, I am constantly struggling to understand what is narrated, frequently replaying sections. While meaning absolutely no disrespect for the individual narrators or for any ethnic accent, I can come up with no reason whatsoever why a book narrated in any given language shouldn't indeed be narrated in that natural language rather than heavily accented from another language. If I write a book in English but wish it to be narrated in Afghanistan, I would make a point of finding a narrator who spoke natural Pashto and/or Dari, not in a heavily accented foreign-language translation. Just writing this note leaves me frustrated since I doubt it will reach any ear that will have any constructive effect. I must assume that the author himself is involved in the choice of the narrators and I do wish he were able to see this comment in the respectful manner in which it is intended.

Hits the SPOT IN EVERY WAY!

This was a book that was done right.... this is an audiobook that was done right! This is undoubtedly the best audiobook and probably the best book I have gone through all year and without question will rank amongst one of the best books I have read/listened to in a long time! The storyline was simply honest, the wording itself seemed flawless, the pacing perfect and the narration was downright immaculate.

Clearly you can see from my review thus far that I am raving about this book and when I do people tend to ask me "Why? Why is this book so great to you?" When I answer this question I can't say anything like "There is an amazing twist" or "The action is awesome"... All I can say is that you should try thinking about the perfect day, sun shining, it not being too hot, a nice gentle breeze and you taking a long ride to the country with your favorite song playing and with perfect company to boot...

This book isn't so much about the ending because truth be told you could probably have predicted the ending after a few chapters.... But what you DO get to enjoy is the journey. It is honest, sobering, tragic, paced to perfection and beautifully woven. You find yourself enjoying the different storylines that pops up, the interesting quotes that you find along the way, the beautiful sceneries they describe and mostly the stirring emotions that are evoked. Love, lost, sacrifice, hope, truth, hate… life is described in this book.

The narration was superb. I could listen to Shohreh Aghdashloo all day I believe. She truly has a story teller's voice, a voice that in and of itself is seemed innately engrained with a story in and of itself. I've always thought that she would have been a great narrator and she did not disappoint, I truly could listen to her do anything probably. Navid Negahban another impressive narrator which did just an amazing job here as well. Khaled Hosseini the author as well as a narrator here did a surprisingly impressive job. I honestly did not expect him to do so well but he actually 'exceeded my expectations'. I felt like the pacing in this book was so perfectly done you could close your eyes, lay on your back and just visualize the amazing world being dictated to you.

All in all this is one of those books that has gotten a lot of hype and deserved every single one of them. Absolutely and positively done RIGHT!

Not my favorite Hosseini novel, but still good

If you could sum up And the Mountains Echoed in three words, what would they be?

As with his other novels, Hosseini does an amazing job telling stories that are warm, touching and incredibly sobering. A great exploration of human reality and a wonderful portrayal of Afghanistan. I did not love how this book is written, telling the story each time from the perspective of a different character (I am sure there is a literary name for it which the more educated readers probably know). It did not allow me to connect to the plot and characters as strongly and emotionally as I did in Hosseini's other novels.

Any additional comments?

I love the authentic narration and the fact that Hosseini does not allow his novels, in their recorded productions, to be watered down by bland American accents. Having authentic Afghan readers makes a huge different. I cannot understand how some other international writers do not see that and allow their writing to be butchered by Americans who do not speak the novel's native language.

Disappointing

How could the performance have been better?

The narration (except for the brief sections read by the author) really detracted from the story. Because of the strong accents, I found myself trying to concentrate on the words themselves and at times I had to go back and listen a second time to the sense of the story. Hosseini's beautiful prose was frequently lost in the harsh tones of the narrators.

Any additional comments?

I have always enjoyed Hosseini's previous books. This one would definitely be better in a non-audio version. He has tried to present a good overview of his native country and how the conflicts of many decades have affected the culture & the people. It is a complicated society.

Disappointed!!

I have read his previous books and I loved them, however I am so disappointed with this book!!

It has a very STRONG start and you get attached but as the story develops it gets weaker, boring and splashed all over the place!!

So to summarize I would say Beautiful beginning Boring ending.

I liked the parts where Khalid him self was narrating but was not a fan of the other two narrators! (Unclear and heavy accent) however i liked the parts where music was added between some emotional parts .....

I would not recommend this book but highly recommend the previous 2