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    And the Mountains Echoed: a novel by the bestselling author of The Kite Runner and A Thousand Splendid Sun s
    Unavailable
    And the Mountains Echoed: a novel by the bestselling author of The Kite Runner and A Thousand Splendid Sun s
    Unavailable
    And the Mountains Echoed: a novel by the bestselling author of The Kite Runner and A Thousand Splendid Sun s
    Audiobook14 hours

    And the Mountains Echoed: a novel by the bestselling author of The Kite Runner and A Thousand Splendid Sun s

    Published by Penguin Random House Audio

    Narrated by Navid Negahban and Shohreh Aghdashloo

    4/5

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    Currently unavailable

    Currently unavailable

    About this audiobook

    An unforgettable novel about finding a lost piece of yourself in someone else.

    Khaled Hosseini, the #1 New York Times-bestselling 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 turning page.
    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherPenguin Random House Audio
    Release dateMay 21, 2013
    ISBN9781101627358
    Unavailable
    And the Mountains Echoed: a novel by the bestselling author of The Kite Runner and A Thousand Splendid Sun s

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    Reviews for And the Mountains Echoed

    4/5

    1,669 ratings170 reviews

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    • 2/5
      I enjoyed the start of this book as it focused on the close relationship between brother and sister, Pari and Abdullah, but after a while I lost interest in all the different, intertwining stories even though they came full-circle after a fifty-five year gap. For me, "And the Mountains Echoed" lacked the beauty and emotional appeal of the author's first two books. A disappointment!
    • 4/5
      Beautiful, simple storytelling. I love the imagery and the characters. I was hoping for a bit more complexity in the interrelationships, but a good book. I will read more of Husseini.
    • 4/5
      1952: 10-year-old Abdullah and his 3-year-old sister Pari live in a remote and impoverished village in rural Afghanistan. Abdullah has raised Pari since their mother died giving birth to her. The family is very poor, so much so that one of their stepmother’s babies died from the cold. Their father decides to sell Pari to a wealthy, childless couple in Kabul for whom their uncle works as a chauffeur. On the way to Kabul, their father tells the children a story about another poor farmer who was forced to give up a beloved child. The significance of the story doesn’t register with Abdullah, until he realises what his father has done. The following chapters are told from the perspective of different characters, similar to a collection of short stories, but with the various narratives woven together. The other characters include their uncle Nabi, stepmother Parwana (who caused her twin sisters paraplegia and became her caregiver), Pari’s adoptive mother Nila (narcissistic poet) and her husband Mr. Wahdati, neighbours and cousins Idris (Afghan-American doctor) and Timur, Roshi (suffered terrible injuries when an uncle murdered her family), Amra (Bosnian nurse looking after Roshi in an Afghan hospital), Markos (Greek plastic surgeon working in Afghanistan), Thalia (friend of Markos, attacked by a dog as a child and victim of botched surgery), Adel (son of a wealthy war criminal) and Pari (daughter of Abdullah). 58 years later, in 2010, Abdullah and Pari are reunited in California. It’s not the happy ending though, as Abdullah is suffering from Alzheimer's disease and is upset by her presence. These complex characters and their stories are set against Afghanistan’s tumultuous history; from the pre-Soviet era through the years of the mujahedeen’s fight against the Soviet Union, the rise of the Taliban and the American invasion after the terrorist attacks of 11 September 2001. The major theme is sibling relationships tied up with guilt and gratitude and affected by the past and present. A complex and well written novel by deeply insightful Afghan-American author Khaled Hosseini.
    • 4/5
      Hosseini writes with wonderful imagery. The relationships between siblings and those that feel like siblings is heartfelt. I got a little lost with the narration which I'm guessing others will find intriguing. For me, not as enjoyable at The Kite Runner or A Thousand Splendid Suns, but definitely a very good read.
    • 5/5
      After months of waiting for it, And the Mountains Echoed by Khaled Hosseini finally came in from the library! And it was worth the wait for sure!And the Mountains Echoed is a story about family and connections, about having and loss, about remembering and forgetting. . . It’s amazing.Khaled Hosseini really did it again with this one. I loved The Kite Runner, enjoyed A Thousand Splendid Suns, and I have to say that And the Mountains Echoed lived up to the author’s fabulous reputation as a writer.This book should be on your to-read list. And so should his other novels, especially The Kite Runner.One of my favorite things about this author is . . . For the full review, visit Love at First Book
    • 5/5
      In two previous books the author told the stories he had to tell, tales of his homeland, of war, of suffering. With this book it feels like he is finally free to tell stories he wants to tell. The novel opens with a father telling his children a sad and beautiful fable, and then it spins forward as we follow different characters and see how their lives overlap and intertwine. The overwhelming horror of his first novels has been toned down and the characters are more nuanced and carefully drawn. Hosseini"s first two books felt like novels I should read, this felt like a book I wanted to read, and that I was glad I had read.
    • 3/5
      This was an okay book for me. It almost kept my interest. It had good solid characters but not the ones I'm into as much.
    • 3/5
      I really enjoyed [A Thousand Splendid Suns], so I was looking forward to this book. [And The Mountains Echoed] is more of a collection of short stories than a fluid novel. The main story is the separation of Abdullah and his sister Pari when they are children and along the way you meet many other characters who are directly or indirectly impacted by this.I guess the idea was to show how this separation echoed out among all these other people, how one simple act can affect so many others and have both good and bad consequences. Thinking back on it now I can see that, but as I was listening to the book it just made the book choppy. It reminded me of [Mirror in the Mirror] by [[Michael Ende]]. That book IS a collection of short stories and one character or place from the last story connects to the next one. MitM was meant to be abstract, where I don't believe that was the author's intent with this book.
    • 3/5
      This is the third book by Khaled Hosseini and quality of writing continues to suffer. This book isn't really one story but rather a collection of many short stories, which just happen to share few characters among them. Each story tells life and circumstances of a character, and while stories are supposed to be poignant, they failed to bring out as much emotion in me as Kite Runner - his first book - had done. It could as well be that novelty of Afgan social setting has worn off with me or that I have become jaded. Primary story, of Abdullah and Pari, gets merely cursory details in novel, and not more than those of incidental and irrelevant characters like Timur, Adel, Markos and Thalia, etc. Another annoying format in this book was temporal and geographical jump in every chapter without even bothering to inform the reader. I had to read first few pages before I even figured who is talking and why, and then had to re-read to understand content again. I would close by saying that book isn't unreadable and Khaled's writing still manages to balance out describing the ambiance and moving the story forward without dwelling on either too much. However, there isn't much push to continue reading either nor if there any lingering emotion after completing it.
    • 4/5
      Really glad I read And the Mountains Echoed. Hosseini is a good writer, can go a bit overboard with events that are meant to tug at peoples heartstrings, but he greatly improved with this book. It all starts with 1 event, bother and sister are separated at a young age. The book deals with various characters who are effected by this and finally at the end they are reunited. I love the ending, not cheesy where Abdullah can tell who she is right away and not even after she is there a month can he due to his old age and alzheimers. It was a little confusing at times remembering who this person was that was getting chapter because sometimes they were just mentioned in 1 sentence chapters ago or you'l fnd out who they are/how they relate to the siblings being split up in the last chapter. Overall a really good book.
    • 5/5
      This man can spin a story!

      The narrative bounces between many different characters, all of them beautifully written, soulfully told. Their lives fit together like puzzle pieces.

      I am a Khaled Hosseini fan!!
    • 4/5
      And the Mountains Echoed by Khaled Hosseini; (3 1/2*)My third novel by Hosseini & the first one I haven't five starred. I was expecting to love this one as well, but it left me confused and ill prepared to keep my head in the book from about the final third of it. When the story came around to the latter part of our poet's life in France with her 'adoptive' daughter, Pari, I became almost disinterested. I continued the book because I am in love with this author's writing and I wanted to know what happened to all of the characters I fell in love with early on. I so wish I could have remained in love with this novel.
    • 3/5
      Tragic tale, great background on Afghan history. A shade less "wow" than previous stories by same author.
    • 4/5
      Khaled Hosseini knows how to tell a story. The way that he weaves a story is mesmerizing, and this book is no exception. The opening parable resonates throughout each of the interconnecting chapters that make up the novel.

      Not just a story about siblings (despite what the blurb says), it's the story of relationships. Between a brother and sister; a servant and his boss; a mother and a daughter. Like his other novels, Afghanistan serves as the over-arching backdrop, but it is not a novel about the wars.
    • 4/5
      Another really great book by Khaled Hosseini. I love how this author is able to make the reader connect with his characters. And not in a superficial way but in a way that makes you feel as if you know these people. The history of Afghanistan, and other parts of the world in this book, is well done and educating for me as someone who has never studied that part of the world.

      The only thing that is difficult for me reading his books is how depressing they can be at times. This is not a criticism as much as reality, but there were times when I finished a chapter and could not let go of how sad the story was. The author is true to the story, and I think he will continue to have success with his books moving forward.
    • 4/5
      In 1950's Afghanistan a young boy loses the sister he adores when their father gives her to a rich couple so she may escape the family poverty. The next chapter is from the point of view of the the uncle who has facilitated the adoption and is the servant of the couple.And so the novel progresses, with each long chapter from the POV of a different character, their relationship to the previous narrator slowly being revealed. And behind all this the upheavals of Afghanistan over the decades separating families, and bringing people together in unexpected ways.It was beautifully written and each story was interesting and added to the whole, but I did find the start of each chapter, beginning at a different time and with different characters jarring, having to try and piece together how they fitted into the jigsaw, I felt I needed to draw a venn diagram to keep tabs on the relationships and connections, and so was not swept away with the saga.
    • 5/5

      I enjoy each of Hosseini's books more than the last. While primarily set in Afghanistan, this book doesn't center on war or politics as did The Kite Runner and A Thousand Splendid Suns. And The Mountains Echo is a study of people, their relationships, and the impact their choices make on the individual and those whose lives they touch. The story begins when a poverty stricken father gives up his daughter Pari, who he can't afford to support, to a life he hopes will provide her what he can't. In the process, he breaks the heart of his son Abdullah who loves Pari like a father and will remember and search for her the rest of his life. That first decision ripples through families, time, and countries, covering three generations and sharing stories of love and betrayal between husbands and wives, sisters, employers and employees, doctors and patients. Hosseini has the ability to let us care about all his characters, even those whose selfish choices damages themselves and those around them. This was heartbreaking, and heartwarming, and completely engaging. He writes with complexity and ambiguity and beautiful language. I highly recommend this book.
    • 4/5
      And the Mountains Echoed opens in an Afghan village in 1952. Abdullah and Pari plead with their father to tell them the legendary story of a div (evil giant) who knocks on the door of a poor family's house and demands the man give him his favorite child. The child is thrown into a sack, taken away, and never seen again. Years later the father, still consumed by grief, goes in search of his child and finds him living in the lavish palace of the div. Given the choice, should he take his child back, returning to him to a life of hard toil and misery, or leave him in luxury? The next day Abdullah's father takes him and his sister to Kabul where he leaves one of them with a wealthy childless couple in the hope of helping his family make it through the harsh winter. The separation of the siblings leads to a novel built as a series of stories, each told in a different style and from different viewpoints. At first it's a bit confusing because it skips backward and forward in time, as well as with multiple characters. The author was skillful at turning this complex, multi-stranded plot into one long sweeping novel rather than a collection of short stories. I've owned this book since it's publication and for some reason have never picked it up. Maybe it's because A Thousand Splendid Suns was one of my very favorite books and I didn't want to be disappointed in a possibly over hyped book. I'm glad I finally took the opportunity to read and enjoy this beautifully written story.
    • 4/5
      Much as I enjoyed this book, I would not place it alongside Hosseini's earlier works, mainly because it is a little fragmented for my taste and not all of the fragments work within the context of the whole. While the Afghanistan elements combine well over the long period of the book, I found the later European sections less compelling.
      So, a slight disappointment, but still a book well worth reading and one which I will remember over the years to come.
    • 4/5
      AN "OK" book, but I liked his earlier books better. It might have been better-positioned as a collection of short stories which it essentially was!
    • 4/5
      4.5 stars

      Very much different from Hosseini's other novels but nonetheless an exquisitely crafted story with a host of fascinating, nuanced characters.

      And the Mountains Echoed was almost like a basket (this is why I'm not the author. Nonetheless, please indulge me whilst I attempt to be artistic). You have all these different strands that can stand on their own as wonderful stories but then you weave them all together and you've got this absolutely touching and all-embracing story that resonates so strongly with you.

      You will definitely find a piece of yourself in all these characters, no matter how small. I know I did.
    • 3/5
      I had been looking forward to reading this book and was expecting so much after his two previous books. Maybe I was expecting too much as I was a little disappointed. His writing was as beautiful as ever and his characters beautifully drawn as were their lives in Afghanistan which seemed to be not much better before the Taliban as they were after. I found the book rather disjointed. It began with the story of Abdullah and Pari and their family and the tragedy of the father being forced to sell his 4 year old daughter to save the rest of the children from starvation. After the description of this terrible event he branched out to the stories of many related and unrelated characters and we did not find out what had happened to the children until the last quarter of the book, when we were given a picture of Pari's life and that of her adoptive mother in Paris. Some sixty years after her adoption she learns of her past and that she has a brother (Abdullah) who lives in the USA and determines to go and see him. By this time he is suffering from dementia and does not remember having a sister. We never learned how he got to America and of his life in Afghanistan after losing his little sister. I think this could have been a very interesting story and why we had to be told about all the other characters I don't know. Avery sad ending to a very sad story.
    • 3/5
      The description above fits this book perfectly, it is indeed, a story about finding a lost piece of yourself in someone else.

      I was dreading this read. I didn't want another horrible story of oppression and cruelty, but the book didn't take quite that turn. I enjoyed it more for the way it linked atonement to the characters.
    • 5/5
      Hard for me to say how much I loved this book. Hosseini's books are always devastating, and this book is so different in tone from his other two, but it is devastating none-the-less. Devastatingly poignant, bitter-sweet, and poetic. His mountaintop perspective of life's fabric - the tangle of threads that seem to break, but come back together at the end is sheer poetry.
    • 3/5
      A book club read. Rather a complicated, contrived plot, sometimes very sad family relationships.
    • 5/5
      The author of The Kite Runner and A Thousand Splendid Suns has done it again! One family was forced to make a very difficult and painful decision - a decision that changed and shaped the lives of not just those directly involved but a wide circle of people around the globe.The novel is told from many different perspectives and reads like a series of interconnected short stories. At the centre of it all, however, is the story of Pari and her bother, Abdullah. It begins with their separation, when their father was forced to sell one of his children to keep the rest of the family fed and housed (not a spoiler - it happens almost on the first page). The book chronicles their lives and the lives of many others all somehow connected to one or the other of the siblings.Khaled Hosseini has once again proved himself to be a storyteller who truly understands the people he writes about and the culture they are from. While I didn't experience the exhaustion of reading a very emotionally charged book (like I did with the other two novels), this one has taken over as my favourite of the three books by the author.
    • 3/5
      As soon as this book was published, my book club decided this would be added to our reading list. So when we won a set of books this last year we figured it was meant to be. Hosseini crafted a creative tale for us once again, this time spanning several generations and from various points throughout the world.Each chapter of this novel is told from a different character of the book. I must admit that it was quite confusing at times, because when starting a new chapter it would sometimes go on for many pages until you realize the common thread it has with the rest of the book. Since we hear from so many different narrators, I don't even think I can give you a favorite character.The story opens with a young family in Kabul and how they are torn apart, being sent in different directions. For some children, they were so small that the rest of the family is so faint a memory they don't even know if it is true. As they grow and become wiser as they have continued on with their lives in various global destinations, they can't help but feel an emptiness within their hearts.As they struggle with the memories of their youth, they must admit their past in order to be a part of each other's futures. Like I said earlier, each character in the book had some connection to these children. Sometimes it may have been only a small connection, but still a very important one that was needed to help them find each other once again.Considering how much I loved Hosseini's other books, I wanted to enjoy this book much more than I did. I think because there were so many different narrators it did not allow me to get close to any individual character. But with themes of family, love, forgiveness, and sacrifice, you may enjoy this book too. It did make a great book club discussion and I recommend it for your reading group or for personal leisure.
    • 4/5
      What a wonderful writer. But don't get the audio version. The heavily accented readers are extremely difficult to understand.
    • 2/5
      I didn't even care enough about the characters to finish reading the story, a rarity for me. This book was quite a disappointment after Hosseini's first two searing books.
    • 4/5
      Unlike Hosseini's first two novels, this one is more a collection of related short stories rather than a novel. Much of the book involves a series of interspaced stories involving one or both of the story of Abdullah and Pari, two Afghani children of a poor laborer and his wife. Abdullah is more a parent figure to his three-year old sister than a brother. The father's brother-in-law facilitates a job offer from his wealthy employer, who is married to a young barren wife of Afghani-French descent. When the wife meets Pari, she falls in love with her. Her uncle arranges for the wife to adopt the child in exchange for an easier lifestyle for the remaining family. This particular story thread continues with other stories following Pari as she grows to old age told from differing characters perspectives.This novel is about what it means to be family, the loving relationships and the joy and pain that can arise from these relationships. Readers who were bothered by the graphic depictions displayed in the author's previous two books will be relieved with the lighter, although still touching, novel. Hosseini continues to impress me by his grasp of the English language and his ability to weave a beautiful tapestry of a story.