And the Mountains Echoed

So, then. You want a story and I will tell you one... Afghanistan, 1952. Abdullah and his sister Pari live in the small village of Shadbagh. To Abdullah, Pari, as beautiful and sweet-natured as the fairy for which she was named, is everything. More like a parent than a brother, Abdullah will do anything for her, even trading his only pair of shoes for a feather for her treasured collection. Each night they sleep together in their cot, their skulls touching, their limbs tangled. One day the siblings journey across the desert to Kabul with their father. Pari and Abdullah have no sense of the fate that awaits them there, for the event which unfolds will tear their lives apart; sometimes a finger must be cut to save the hand. Crossing generations and continents, moving from Kabul, to Paris, to San Francisco, to the Greek island of Tinos, Khaled Hosseini writes about the bonds that define us and shape our lives, and how the choices we make resonate through history.

About the Author :
Khaled Hosseini is one of the most widely read and beloved novelists in the world, with over thirty eight million copies of his books sold in more than seventy countries. The Kite Runner was a major film and was a Book of the Decade, chosen by The Times, Daily Telegraph and Guardian. A Thousand Splendid Suns was the Richard & Judy Best Read of the Year in 2008. Hosseini is also a Goodwill Envoy to the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, the UN Refugee Agency and the founder of The Khaled Hosseini Foundation, a not-for-profit organisation which provides humanitarian assistance to the people of Afghanistan. He was born in Kabul, Afghanistan, and lives in northern California. www.khaledhosseini.com

Review :
A story of love, separation, friendship, compassion, exile, memory and the troubled history of Afghanistan, spanning three continents and 60 years... Hosseini is a master storyteller and his characters brim with life... This novel will not disappoint his many admirers Hosseini’s evocative tales don’t just capture hearts, they break them I defy any critics less high-minded than, say, F.R. Leavis not to enjoy the sheer zest with which Hosseini goes about his business here – or admire the unhurried confidence with which he sweeps through the years. And if they do admit that resistance is futile and allow their heartstrings to be shamelessly tugged, they might spot something else as well: in its admittedly unsubtle way, the novel gives a thorough airing to the central question of whether it’s better to stay true to your roots or rise above them ... Let’s face it, Hosseini is a master storyteller Fascinating and moving A profoundly moving story of how families love, betray, honour and make sacrifices for each other We defy you not to cry Yes, there will be tears Heart warming and beautiful Clever and moving Hosseini pulls off his usual – impressive – trick of breaking your heart and leaving you smiling Tremendously moving Touching and epic A worthy successor … Part of Hosseini’s effectiveness as a storyteller is the way he draws on universal signifiers of myth and symbol … In mining such truths about human experience, Hosseini digs deep and brings up diamonds A touching story of love across time and continents Takes you on an irresistible treasure trail of stories from Kabul to Paris, via San Francisco and the Greek island of Tinos … Hosseini’s characters are beautifully drawn … For a novel that will change how you judge yourself and others, it has to be Hosseini I was looking forward to sinking into the lush narrative of Khaled Hosseini’s And the Mountains Echoed … Hosseini’s book is an absorbing read. His characters are nuanced and their overlapping narratives stay with you. It’s a heartbreaking and beautifully told story of sibling love and loss The key to Hosseini’s story-telling is to keep us constantly guessing … Hosseini has a gift for lyrical description, but the chief merit of his style is a simplicity that allows him to go straight to the heart. He has written a magnificent, compassionate, life-affirming novel A beautifully narrated tale ... It is impossible to read Hosseini’s novels without feeling at times that your heart is being ripped out and yet somehow you finish the novel feeling as if you have been given a very special gift A heartbreaking story of enduring sibling love Hosseini goes straight to the heart of the matter in this magnificent, compassionate, life-affirming novel His third engrossing tale of life, love, hope, despair and redemption set against the backdrop of war-ravaged Afghanistan ... The novel’s poignant, bitter-sweet conclusion will almost certainly bring tears to your eyes — devotees of the emotionally charged Kite Runner would expect no less Emotionally wrenching He is a master of that principle: get your readers where they want to go, but not in the way they expect ... And the Mountains Echoed charges its readers for the emotional particles they are, giving them what they want with a narrative facility as great as any blockbusting author alive This is a shamelessly enjoyable book He brings a real, human Afghanistan to life in a way that endless news stories about bombs and the Taliban can’t ... The mountains echo with the voices and events from the past and the ripples extend outwards beyond the final page His most assured and emotionally gripping story yet ... Succeed[s] in spinning his characters’ lives into a deeply affecting choral work is a testament both to his intimate knowledge of their inner lives and to his power as an old-fashioned storyteller And the Mountains Echoed opens like a thunderclap...From this dramatic opening spins a constellation of star-crossed characters...Love, Hosseini seems to say, is the great leveller, cutting through language, class, and identity. No one in this gripping novel is immune to its impact Hosseini plants seeds and uncovers secrets with the sure hand of a master storyteller. His tales leave a lingering, haunting impression His best yet This universality and humanity may well be why millions of readers devour Hosseini’s books. I read And the Mountains Echoed in a single sitting — it is an absorbing read from a master storyteller An exquisitely rendered study of familial bonds ... And the Mountains Echoed moves deftly between generations and countries ... The novel is a dizzying array of voices and places that allows the reader to luxuriate in Hosseini’s rich, textured language. Hosseini is a masterful storyteller Heartbreaking A profoundly moving novel, undoubtedly one of the year’s highlights. It is also Mr Hosseini’s best and most ambitious work yet Another sweeping, breath-taking novel from the author of The Kite Runner