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

Delivers from start to finish

I was captured and carried through a story that spans generations and told from multiple perspectives. loved it

Collection of interrelated short stories!

This book feels more like an anthology of the Afghani and Afghani diaspora experience. While all of the characters share connections, very few of the chapters overlap directly with one another and virtually all of them are told from different perspectives. It can feel disjointed (and soap-opera esque at times), but overall it is intriguing and worth a listen!
Performances:
Mr. Hosseini: 3.5/5 - knows the material best since he wrote it, but delivery can feel flat at times
Ms. Ashdaghloo. 5/5 - she is phenomenal and it is a pleasure to listen to all of her chapters. You feel like you know the character well when she is speaking
Mr. Negahban: 4/5 - does accents authentically for the characters, but overacts at times.

Couldn't follow it

I made it to Chapter 6 which took several hours. I usually make myself finish books but I am quitting on this one. By Chapter 6, there are too many characters to follow. And the one I could remember seems to have died. It skips years so maybe it will provide what happened to her but by now I don't really care about any of the characters. Some others who have reviewed said that the male narrator's accent was hard to understand. I understood him just fine. The female narrator sounds like she is talking in a funeral home. Her tone is depressing. I just don't care what else happens. I am returning the book. I did love The Kite Runner which is so much better.

Great read!

I loved Khalid Hosseini’s books. They have intriguing parallels and authentic twists. I would have preferred if Mr. Hosseini read this entire book rather than the other two readers. Overall, I highly recommend this.

Educational & entertaining

Haven’t been disappointed by any of his books! Kite Runner is still my favorite but I enjoyed this one too.

Great book

I loved this book. The story and character development are awesome. A father tells a bedtime story to his child and sets the stage for the events that unfold over generations and around the globe. There are many characters with storylines that both run parallel and intersect. It explores the emotional resonance that permeates relationships between parents, children, siblings, and friends.

an afghan east of eden

a collection of stories that tie together in a less than predictable string of ties and events.

Prefer to read this book rather then listen

Where does And the Mountains Echoed rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?

It is an excellent book. I found when reading it for myself I was engrossed. When trying to listen I was unable to stay focused due to the accent of the narration. I know the author is an outstanding author I am a fan of his stories I just wasn't pleased with his narration.

Any additional comments?

Again this book is a must read. It's excellent. My problem was with the narrator not the story

Khaled Hosseini did it again--Wonderful!

I really liked Kite Runner, believed A Thousand Splendid Suns was heartbreaking but even better than Kite Runner, but And the Mountains Echoed is, I believe, the best of all three.

This is multiple stories interconnected by family members, friends, and acquaintences. While listening to the three different narrators, it made these stories more real and interesting. It takes a little getting used to the narrators' voices with accents. I considered purchasing the hardcover book to review for spellings of names and places. This is a book I can listen to over and over again.

I so believe this is a wonderful book and well worth reading or listening! Bravo!

What a Beautiful Book!!

I hate to bring up anything negative on such a wonderful novel, but it was a minor detraction for me (and I wanted to explain my less-than-five-star rating for the Story). It seemed, as the novel was moving along, to be several individual stories—sometimes tied to the initial characters by the thinnest of threads. In the end, however, it did mesh together better than I thought it would.

Despite the above, I really did love this book—it is a beautifully written novel without some of the very hard subjects that were found in Khaled Hosseini’s previous books. And I cried—a sure sign that I was totally engrossed and loving it! I would not hesitate to read anything he chooses to write.

The narration in this book was an adjustment for me—fairly strong accents on two of the three narrators (Mr. Hosseini narrates a few sections, but he is very easy to understand). But shortly into the novel, I no longer considered it awkward, and I felt it added to the realism of the story as it unfolded.

I hope to meet this author at the National Book Festival this year—I thoroughly enjoyed all three of his books, and would love to tell him so!!