Tag: A Thousand Splendid Suns

And the Mountains Echoed by Khaled Hosseini

Posted February 27, 2014 by Michael @ Knowledge Lost in Book of the Month, Historical Fiction / 0 Comments

And the Mountains Echoed by Khaled HosseiniTitle: And the Mountains Echoed (Goodreads)
Author: Khaled Hosseini
Published: Bloomsbury, 2013
Pages: 404
Genres: Historical Fiction
My Copy: ARC from Publisher

Buy: Amazon, Book Depository (or visit your local Indie bookstore)

Abdullah and Pari are close, very close; Pari idolises her older brother and there is nothing he wouldn’t do to keep he safe. But at the age of three Pari is sold to a glamorous young woman who couldn’t have children in Kabul. Without any form of goodbyes Abdullah never forgets his younger sister, but she has forgotten all about her previous life.

Khaled Hosseini sets out to explore the different ways in which families nurture; he begins this novel with a fable about a mythical creature known as the div who comes to the village and takes young children to his fort in the mountains. One day a farmer was so heartbroken of the loss of a child that he climbs the mountain to kill the div. After a brief battle with the creature the div shows him the most beautiful place the farmers ever seen and the children all happy. The div tells the farmer that he has come to test him and he has to choose what is best for his child.

I might lose some fans but I have to say it; people talk about Khaled Hosseini’s literary genius, with so much hype surrounding And the Mountains Echoed but I don’t see it. I will admit that I have not read The Kite Runner or A Thousand Splendid Suns so I’m only judging his literary merits by this alone and I might be wrong. Here is my thoughts based on only this book; he is a great storyteller but he is no writer of literary fiction, in fact I think he still has some work to do, before I would consider him a good writer and I don’t think I would even class this as literary fiction.

Don’t get me wrong, I did enjoy reading this novel but I was expecting literary fiction and I was disappointed I didn’t get it. I was also reading the most wonderful novel at the same time, which actually covers similar themes and plot points. So I continually compared this novel with the other and when you are facing off against A Constellation of Vital Phenomena by Anthony Marra, it really had no hope in winning. The story was nice and I found myself racing though the book but all the time I wanted to go back to A Constellation of Vital Phenomena.

Well well go and play till the light fades away
And then go home to bed
The little ones leaped and shouted and laugh’d
And all the hills ecchoed.

The title of the book comes from a William Blake poem called Nurse’s Song (I have no idea why Blake spells echoed with a double c but if you have any insights on that I would love to know) which feels fitting to the book. I think of Abdullah as the nurse who wants to protect but Pari is off having a good time (a far better life) and I’m not good at interpreting poetry but I think that’s where the analogy ends. There is the moral and ethical dilemma here about Pari, is she better off with the rich family or with her brother and family struggling.

As far as I can see this was a great story and I would read Khaled Hosseini again; I am curious to compare this to his other two books. I just think this is just great storytelling with a moral but there is nothing to make this stand out and think this is literature. In fact none of the characters or plot was so memorable, so when it came to talking about this book in book club I struggled to remember the plot and characters and I only finished it the day before.

At times I felt this book was a little staged and forced and I finished the book not learning anything about Afghanistan and the life of the people living there, so I felt disappointed. I know of offended people on the Khaled Hosseini bandwagon but sadly I just didn’t get into it. I liked the book but there is no lasting impression left on me and since I was reading a book that will easily be in my top five  books of 2013 at the same time, I think that really gave me a negative opinion towards And the Mountains Echoed. This is the type of book you take to the beach or on holidays for a mindless but enjoyable story, there is nothing really else there.

My Winter Reading List

Posted July 14, 2013 by Michael @ Knowledge Lost in What are you Reading / 0 Comments

There seems to be a lot of talk about summer reading lists lately, but its winter! I know, I know, it is summer over where the majority of book bloggers live so I thought I will join the discussion. This is the time of year where all the big blockbuster books are released and everyone is picking out what they plan to read while they have time off or go on vacation. This is the wrong time of year for this over in Australia but we sometimes plan to read books as well (I try not to but there are so many books I want to read). So I thought I might post some books that are waiting for me on my nightstand.

And the Mountains Echoed by Khaled Hosseini
Everyone is buzzing about this novel but I’ll admit I’ve never read The Kite Runner or A Thousand Splendid Suns. This book is the book chosen for my local book club so there is an excuse to read this. I’m not sure what to expect but judging by the hype I’m worried I’ll be hugely disappointed, I hope not.

Tampa by Alissa Nutting
Arguably one of the most talked about books at the moment; this is disturbing and uncomfortable and I can’t wait to read it. I know it will make me sick and the idea of sexual psychopath with a fetish for 14 year old boys is too disturbing to talk about, but these subjects often need addressing more than ever. The bonus is the cover of this book, it’s highly suggestive but turn the book over and you see the button.

A Constellation of Vital Phenomena by Anthony Marra
What can I say about this book? It’s set in Russia, so I’m sold. I’ve been hearing great things about this book and then the wonderful Anne at The Reading Room recommended and sent me a copy of this book, so I know it will be on the top of my reading list. There are other people out there raving about the book as well and for the most part they are people whose opinions I trust.

Constance by Patrick McGrath
From the acclaimed author of Asylum and Martha Peake, a masterful new novel of psychological suspense, the story of a marriage haunted by trauma and descending into crisis. This book has peaked my interest and I’m really looking forward to it, I’ve never read Patrick McGrath so I’m not sure what to expect, but it sounds intriguing.

The Shining Girls by Lauren Beukes
A time-traveling serial killer is impossible to trace – until one of his victims survives. I’m not sure if I need to say more to sell this book. This book has enough buzz to speak for itself, mainly because  Appian Way, Leonardo DiCaprio’s production company brought the television rights to this book before it was released in America.

I’m sure everyone has some books they are planning to read over the Winter/Summer so I’d love to hear what is currently on your list. I’m sure there are millions of books on your TBR’s, I know mine is growing faster than I can read and who knows if I’ll get to all these books in time for Spring, but I’ll have fun trying.