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 globeβfrom Kabul to Paris to San Francisco to the Greek island of Tinosβthe story expands gradually outward, becoming more emotionally complex and powerful with each turning page.
And The Mountains Echoed is a historical fiction work about family that surrounds the globe. The first third of this book was by far the best, sucking you into the story just like the fable that author Hosseini starts with. By the middle of the book, there are so many characters with different story lines that I became confused, yet I also knew they would somehow connect. Sadly the flow and commitment to these characters wasnβt there and I found myselfΒ hurrying to find out what happened to the original characters Abdullah and Pari from the first part of the book. Thankfully, he wraps up with that story but for me, this book didnβt have the heart that usually comes from thisΒ amazing author, known for his earlier work, The Kite Runner, which is one of my all time favorite books.
Quotes I liked:
I now know that some people feel unhappiness the way others love: privately, intensely, and without recourse.β
– βIt blistered the eyes, beauty like hers.β
– βAnd there wasnβt a toy on earth that could make up for his fatherβs absence.β
– βJβaurais du etre plus gentille-I should have been more kind. This is something a person will never regret. You will never say to yourself when you are old, Ah, I wish I was not good to that person. You will never think like that.β
– βBeauty is an enormous, unmerited gift given randomly, stupidly.β
-βIt’s a funny thing… but people mostly have it backward. They think they live by what they want. But really, what guides them is what they’re afraid of. What they don’t want.β
Too bad to hear that this one isn’t quite as powerful as his others. I am still interested in giving it a try, but on the whole I haven’t heard as many good things as I did with his other two.
I know… I think after a mega hit like the Kite Runner nothing he writes will compare! He’s still a poetic writer and you should still read his latest book.
goodbookfairy Happy PUB DAY!!! Here are a fewhighlights:π Real Americans by @rrrrrrrachelkhong @aaknopf π The Funeral Cryer by @wenyanwritesHanover Square Press π The Demon of Unrest by @erikxlarson #crownbooksπ Happy Medium by @sarahadlerwrites@berkleyromanceπ The Swans of Harlem by @kvalby @pantheonbooks π Miss Morgan's Book Brigade by @jskesliencharles@berkleypubπ Within Arms Reach by @annnapolitano@thedialpressπ Effie Olsen's Summer Special by @rochBerkley Romanceey Romance π: What book would you bring If you were stuck deserted #pubday#pubweeky#happybpubdayp#newbooks#goodbookfairydbookfairy ... See MoreSee Less
Too bad to hear that this one isn’t quite as powerful as his others. I am still interested in giving it a try, but on the whole I haven’t heard as many good things as I did with his other two.
I know… I think after a mega hit like the Kite Runner nothing he writes will compare! He’s still a poetic writer and you should still read his latest book.