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

So fascinating, yet hard to get

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

Fantastic emotional storytelling

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

All the authors other books.

What does the narrators bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?

Great emotional voices that makes the story get very much alive.

Did you have an extreme reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

Nor laugh nor cry, but it certainly has the potential to bring up emotions of many kinds. It touched me very much.

Any additional comments?

As with the authors other books, I had a hard time figuring out the identity of everybody, because the story jumps in time and place. I struggled a lot with who-is-who and what were their names. At these points I would have liked to page back in a physical book to brush up on names.

has soul

a great book with lovely stories that you cannot help diving into. Id consider turning it over and hearing it again.

Worth a listen, but not breathtaking

This was a little hard to follow at first because of the accents. After a bit it did become easier and I liked the story. It was sad, and it did portray things in what I imagine to be a realistic way. But this is not a feel good story.

Well. . . .

Sadly, this has not been my favorite of his books. Good but lacking in the urgency of his other books. Probably more of a literary splash though, due to all the unique voices telling the story.

Hosseini does it again

Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?

Absolutely, I would recommend this book. It is entertaining as a story (well, several stories), but really is so much more. I will probably buy the hardcopy and re-read it. There is much to think about here. Love. Loyalty. Family ties. Decisions. Interconnectedness. I could go on, but you get the picture.

What was one of the most memorable moments of And the Mountains Echoed?

Several. I'd have to go back and listen again to find them all. But the story told by the father to the two children at the very beginning is magical. And sets the stage for so much of what is to come.

Which character – as performed by the narrators – was your favorite?

I don't find the question applicable, nor the answer important.

If you could rename And the Mountains Echoed, what would you call it?

What a silly question.

Any additional comments?

Only that I was disappointed to have it end, but not disappointed in how it ended.

Brilliant!

Absolutely brilliant! A must read. Great narration. This author is worthy of reading all of his work.

Only really one thing to dislike.

I read both of the other Novels and love them. The story here is wonderful, Sad, but wonderful. The narration was so heavily accented that often I had to listen to parts twice just to understand it. This would not have bothered me if the accented characters would’ve fit with that accent, however, often the characters would’ve had no accent or in one main Character a French accent. I really just wish the author would have read this novel like he did the first.

Great character development

I love that his characters are so complex with deep flaws and yet remain sympathetic.

Deeply Moving & Rich

Artful, authentic sharing of the deepest of yearnings and the magic of connection. Wow simply Wow. Hauntingly poignant. The author does it again! Thank you for this rich and deeply moving accounting of the best and worst mankind can do.

A beautiful book

Masterful writing and narration, the stories flow through as paintings as the scenes are described with just enough detail to come alive but not enough to make them tedious. I could listen to this book again even as I now know the story.