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Like many on this thread, I had trouble with the character stories switching, at times. Since I've finished the story and had time to reflect, I think the author is showing that people from different cultures and geographies are first human and face similar struggles regardless of varying contexts. I think too that we see an inadvertant positive in post-war Afghanistan- it becomes a melting pot of sorts, a place where unlikely people become interconnected.

Lisa wrote: "I am so disappointed. I loved THE KITE RUNNER and A THOUSAND SPLENDID SUNS. This book was such a let down to me. JMO."

Exactly my thoughts!!

having read his other books, i'm disappointed in this one. so many characters that didn't seem to have a purpose to the story. i loved the first 100 pages , but really had difficulty getting through the rest of it

Syeda wrote: "I have a slightly different point of view. I loved the book and all the character portrayals as much as i loved his other two books (The Kite Runner and The Thousand Splendid Suns)This book, for me..."

I agree with what you have said. The only problem I have with this book is sometimes wanting more about the character. I have not quite finished so maybe the loose ends will tie up, but with Roshi, for example, I want to find out what ended up happening. That said, I think this book is excellent like all of Hosseini's books.

Chahrazad wrote: "I loved the book, very very much! At first I had the same impression many of you had when I was reading my way through the big number of characters... I felt confused. However, I learned to enjoy e..."

I agree with Dana. You show remarkable insight in your thoughts about this book.

Dinah wrote: "Nishat wrote: "I was lucky not to be disappointed as this was my first Hosseini's read. I rated it a 3 though I am moving to A thousand splendid sons now!!"

My favorite of the three! :)"

Mine too!

Chahrazad wrote: "I loved the book, very very much! At first I had the same impression many of you had when I was reading my way through the big number of characters... I felt confused. However, I learned to enjoy e..."



+1.
Well said.

Dana, Janet and Vinny... thank you :)

Aisling wrote: "Syeda wrote: "I have a slightly different point of view. I loved the book and all the character portrayals as much as i loved his other two books (The Kite Runner and The Thousand Splendid Suns)Thi..."

Syeda wrote: "I have a slightly different point of view. I loved the book and all the character portrayals as much as i loved his other two books (The Kite Runner and The Thousand Splendid Suns)This book, for me..."

YES! Thank you for putting words to my thoughts as well.

I loved the book. The stories, the characters. I love the way it was written. Each one of his books is unique and should not be compared. Thank you Khaled.

Emanuela wrote: "I loved the book. The stories, the characters. I love the way it was written. Each one of his books is unique and should not be compared. Thank you Khaled."

Indeed, thank you Khaled Hosseini.

I loved each track, but it did take way too long to get to the point. I love the idea of different characters being connected without realizing it, great plot(s), but a little too much detail in some of the side stories. I didnt always mind though, it was a journey.

splendid writing once again.... but hiiiiiighly disappointing !!!! many characters playing the "very important role" of increasing the no of pages in the book and nothing else!!....the previous books being absolutely to the point and amazing...this kind of a book was quite unexpected...!!! khalid hosseini hasnt met my expectations this time :(

Lisa wrote: "I am so disappointed. I loved THE KITE RUNNER and A THOUSAND SPLENDID SUNS. This book was such a let down to me. JMO."

Lisa wrote: "I am so disappointed. I loved THE KITE RUNNER and A THOUSAND SPLENDID SUNS. This book was such a let down to me. JMO."

i toootally agree...it is true that one of the best things about khalid hosseini's writing is that it makes the reader think and hence involves the reader... but with this book i think he has gone a bit tooo far with his"make the reader think" concept..if u have to like it...u have to put in quite some effort! :/

Loved Thousand Splendid Suns and did not like this one. Sad that no one is noticing the hidden sexism in this novel.

I loved the book!

Susan wrote: "I think many of you are missing the point. The book is not about Abdullah and Pari. They are one set of people connected to the original story told by their father. If you lose someone, is it b..."

i think you bring up a really good point and that's about theme vs. plot. and there is more than one theme in this book. i hadn't even thought about the theme of characters running away from caring for someone vs. staying to care (and sacrificing to do so).

however, i think the other reviewers were not missing the point, like you said, because they were discussing the flaw in the story line/plot. and that story line is set up to be how lives are intertwined and impacted by the act of separating abdullah and pari. and it is where we are left feeling a bit cheated because the author breezed thru alot of the story line of the adult lives of pari and especially of abdulla. and i think we would have been willing to forgive that, if we didn't get so bruised at the ending and feeling like so much was lost for those two people specifically. yes pari 2, gets uplifted and there is lots of hope for her and her future but it seems so cruel for abdullah to have suffered his entire life and not ever experience any joy when the family finds its way back to each other.

Mary wrote: "Susan wrote: "I think many of you are missing the point. The book is not about Abdullah and Pari. They are one set of people connected to the original story told by their father. If you lose so..."

I understand how you can feel that way. I, too, and disappointed that Peri and Abdullah are never able to fully reunite. But, the storyline the author want us to know about is how Peri & Abdullah were separated, but Pari returns to bring a sense of family to Abdullah's lonely daughter. I think that is a beautiful story line, and one that is realistic.

Rhea wrote: "Loved Thousand Splendid Suns and did not like this one. Sad that no one is noticing the hidden sexism in this novel."

Rhea: I'm curious to know what you mean! Do you think that the author is writing in a sexist way, or do you refer to sexist structures in Islamic and Christian society?

Susan wrote: "I think many of you are missing the point. The book is not about Abdullah and Pari. They are one set of people connected to the original story told by their father. If you lose someone, is it b..."

I loved this book as well as the previous two. It *is* a bit of a departure from the others, but I like to see an interesting departure, rather than a formulaic repeat which so many authors are guilty of these days. The only thing I wish we had seen more of is Abdullah's life between the selling of Pari and the return of Pari. Somehow he left Afghanistan and ended up in California, but if we saw how that happened, I missed it :) And if he got out, how did Iqbal and Parwana end up stuck in Pakistan?

Susan wrote: "I think many of you are missing the point. The book is not about Abdullah and Pari. They are one set of people connected to the original story told by their father. If you lose someone, is it b..."

Yes, Susan, there is a lot of irony with who ends up caring for the sick/old. **SPOILERS**

Don't forget also that Markos, who runs away from caring for Thalia, ends up dedicating his life to saving children with injuries very similar to Thalia's injuries.

Kristen wrote: "Susan wrote: "I think many of you are missing the point. The book is not about Abdullah and Pari. They are one set of people connected to the original story told by their father. If you lose so..."

I agree with your statement about Markos. The more I think about this book (and I think about it a lot), I think it is about caring for the sick or the emotionally needy. The story of how Abdullah took care of his little sister after his mother's death, and even though they are separated, Pari appears to help not him, but his daughter. Some people are better at caring for strangers than for family, and some better at doing the hand on. I was particularly taken by the story of the two brothers (sorry, I can't remember their names). One thought about helping the injured girl, the other actually did it. The one who thought about it was a doctor, and helped people strictly within the system. He was a faithful husband and family man. The brother was unfaithful and not a good person in his brother's eyes, but he was the one who actually helped the girl, getting glory and fame for it. It is all interesting to contemplate. It strikes home for me, because I moved away from a situation only to eventually find myself even deeper in a similar situation of caring.

Cecilia wrote: "Rhea wrote: "Loved Thousand Splendid Suns and did not like this one. Sad that no one is noticing the hidden sexism in this novel."

Rhea: I'm curious to know what you mean! Do you think that the au..."

I would also like to know what Rhea means.

There wasn't a main plot in this book, and neither were there any main characters. And that's exactly what Hosseini was trying to do. A book without a main plot, but lots of little stories which held their own main characters. I loved the idea and the book itself. Though I have to admit that I liked better his first two novels, but this was amazing as well.

The book starts with a parable about passing tests. After that no one passed the test(s). Mother abandoning dog bitten daughter, brother putting career ahead of paralyzed sister, sister leaving sister to freeze to death, doctor returning to normal life and not following up on his promise to help the axe victim.
Even the reunion was a big disappointment. Too late to be meaningful.

The author tried a new experiment with a bigger canvas with a variety of backdrops and too many characters , but I would say that he could score only 60% in this attempt.....A bit of laziness has crept in his style and he took it granted that the causal approach in narration would be hidden behind the large canvas and the number of characters�. Expect Nabi, Abdullah, Pari and Nila, others are so much blurred and fail to impress. I was expecting Bashiri cousins would be playing a pivotal role in reuniting brother and sisterr but they just waned off. Dr. Markos� story is total misfit. I could not digest Parwana leaving Masooma in the middle of nowhere…Does anyone remember Julien ? Still I liked it, but not as much as I liked Kite Runner and Thousand Splendid suns

For those who find"And the Mountains Echoed" vague. unclear. or disjointed: OhPleeze- this is a multi- generational novel of moral consequences and ambiguities that wind their way through real families over time. Check out your family history, moral challenges and ambiguities. Not all novels are an easy read, nor should they be. Only an accomplished writer could so adeptly handle this task. You are reading at a different level. Keep challenging your own abilities to think about the connections even tho' they aren't always obvious. Otherwise, check out Danielle Steele.

I loved this book...loved the way it zigzagged and meandered through the different lives of so many people and connected them. This was an incredible reading experience. I enjoyed it even more than Hosseini's other two books.

Dana wrote: "Susan wrote: "I think many of you are missing the point. The book is not about Abdullah and Pari. They are one set of people connected to the original story told by their father. If you lose so..."

Yes! This story was not meant to be about one small set of characters in a faraway land, but about interconnectedness, the consequences of our choices, and the general condition of humanity. The multiple characters were necessary to show the greater picture, and also to discourage hasty judgment of "minor" characters, in some cases.

Jessi wrote: "Dana wrote: "Susan wrote: "I think many of you are missing the point. The book is not about Abdullah and Pari. They are one set of people connected to the original story told by their father. I..."

Excellent comment. Great insight.

Thank you.

The opening chapter of the book was splendid.But as the story moved on I got a bit disappointed as the author tried to include many characters into a single book. To tell the truth i felt it as a collection of short stories and each story had a potential to be developed into a separate novel. I think he had to include lot of people because he was focusing on many relationships rather than a single relationship. Of course the relationship between Abdullah and Pari was the main story yet one ponders as to what might have happened to other characters.As a whole the book wasn't bad but not as good as his other books and i do not complain because i liked the different types of people described in this book though one might feel a sense of incompleteness.

Chahrazad wrote: "I loved the book, very very much! At first I had the same impression many of you had when I was reading my way through the big number of characters... I felt confused. However, I learned to enjoy e..."

Your thoughts may be right but one can't help feeling a hollowness after reading the book.The feeling of incompleteness is quite annoying but as you told the author might have purposefully withheld some information. However i liked the different perspective through which you viewed the book.

I know many were disappointed because this novel followed a differet course from the earlier ones. I think all the characters were necessary. It's like standing way back and seeing parts of a pattern merge and separate rather than, in microcosm, involving yourself with one or two protagonists. Think of the desert and grains of sand. Still fascinating to see the movement and ripples as the wind blows or the rain falls.

Rosalind wrote: "I know many were disappointed because this novel followed a differet course from the earlier ones. I think all the characters were necessary. It's like standing way back and seeing parts of a patte..."
I like your analogy of the desert and the grains of sand. Well put!

Ntombi wrote: "I anticipated it. I read it. I loved the writing but disappointed in the story. The book had too many characters that took away from the immediate story: the separation between Pari and her Aboolah..."

I don't really think there was an immediate story and that was the point Hosseini was making; that with one terrible action (the separation of Abdullah and Pari) the ripple effect is as vast as the ocean. It not only affected the immediate people like Nila and Parwana but touched upon Iqbal later in the story and his fight for the land that was his family's as well as Timur and his cousin which tied us to Roshi, Markos, and the rest in Kabul...and so on and so forth. It's a rather untraditional way to weave a story but I found it refreshing and absolutely compelling regardless.

I don't think I can even finish this...so bored, too many characters and I really have not bonded with any of them. I so loved The Kite Runner - this does not even compare.

Teesha wrote: "Masooma is left to die in the desert. That is how Parwana is able to marry Saboor.

The story of Adel and Baba Jan show us how Shadbagh is now, what happened to Parwana and Iqbal who were left beh..."

Teesha wrote: "Masooma is left to die in the desert. That is how Parwana is able to marry Saboor.

The story of Adel and Jan show us how Shadbagh is now, what happened to Parwana and Iqbal who were left beh..."

how is roshi the connect between them?

I enjoyed the various story lines in the book, mostly the parent-child relationships of Markos and his mother, Thalia and her mother, Pari and Nila, Pari and her kids (though very minute) and Adel and his parents.

I feel the book is portraying human relationship, more than any other factor. Hosseini portrays the same relationship over a period of time, in different levels of intensity.

I feel the story is more about human spirit than anything else, just like Hosseini's previous books.

But, personally, I feel the story of Adel and Roshi was an unnecessary deviation from the story.

Overall an enjoyable book, but not in the same league as the previous books of Hosseini.

I am happy to find out that i am not the only one who finds it hard to understand why the author had to explain all these life-long stories of each character - especially Markos part. He is not even one of the main characters, is he? I am almost done with the book and wish there was something at the end that lessons disappointment.

I liked the book but I was confused as to how everything was connected. If I'd gone in reading it as several short stories, I would have spent less time trying to understand how it all related.

Personally, i loved this book. Yes, it had an abundance of characters but i think that they were all relevant to the overall message that the author was trying to portray: the different ways in which people love, wound, betray and sacrifice for the people that they are inevitably bound to by blood.

Reshma wrote: "What happens of Masooma? Is one to think she dies in the desert with no one to take care of her?

How is the story of Baba jan and Adel relevant to that of Pari and Abdullah?

And Rushi? It almos..."

I totally agree.

I agree here. This book had lots of characters which didn't seem to fit like Markos and Thalia. Their life story was alright but just didn't have much relevance. Idris, Timur and Roshi. I was hoping everything might fit and have a connection towards the end in a better way than shown in the book. Adel, the rich kid totally not relevant apart from the land and the huge old tree.

Aisling wrote: "Syeda wrote: "I have a slightly different point of view. I loved the book and all the character portrayals as much as i loved his other two books (The Kite Runner and The Thousand Splendid Suns)Thi..."

AMEN. It even made me think of my own family and decisions that were made along the way and the ripple affect it had on everyone.

Priya wrote: "I liked the book. Abdullah, Saboor, Pari, Suleiman, Nabi, Nila all were fine, except Markos track. I found it okay to show him coming to Kabul and staying, but why so much of focus on him and Thali..."

Yes I did feel that marcus track was a drag. But thinking about why the author has to write a great deal about it I realized that may be the author's intention is to show the personality of Marcus's! He is so generous, righteous and empathetic to people around him that Nabi disclosed his darkest secrets to him. This shows enormous trust Nabi had with Marcus. The other intention of the author might be to show what circumstances in life of a person mould them to be compassionate volunteers in a war prone region like Afghanistan. The author might have options to choose Amra or Marcus. Amra's story (if any) could also makes a perfect fit if not Marcus.

I love this book. Each story is like a pearl in a pearl necklace. The theme of love is the string holding the pearls together. Each story was about different kinds of love (love of brother for sister, unrequited love, love that sacrifices all, selfish love and love of power etc.).
Another way to think of it is as a collage. Each story adds another image to a collage about love. I found it so interesting that my favorite "love" story was about the unrequited love of a gay master for his heterosexual servant. Although the servant does not feel the same passion for his master, he takes care of him and grows to love him through years of service.
There was so much lost love, false love, and unrequited love in this book that it was heartbreaking. And yet, there was also so much true love and unselfish love that it was inspiring too.

Nishat wrote: "I was lucky not to be disappointed as this was my first Hosseini's read. I rated it a 3 though I am moving to A thousand splendid sons now!!"

The Kite Runner is my favorite but 1000 Splendid Suns is great also.

I don't think these many characters were needed. I think the book would be better with less characters tbh

I've read my fair share of books but nothing quite compares to this book and how it annoys me. The summary of the book would have you believe that it is about Abdullah and Pari's story but in reality half of the book is about other people's stories that just so happens to include Abdullah and Pari.