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slartibartfast2609 's review for:
And the Mountains Echoed
by Khaled Hosseini
I had avoided reading Hosseini's first book for a long time, despite (and probably because of) glowing recommendations from friends and pirated copies available at every traffic-light in Delhi (which is as good a sign as any that the book is a huge hit with the masses), assuming it would be an unrewarding foray into pop-emotionality. Superficial elements that garnish a hollow story meant to pull at your tear ducts, but eventually signify nothing, meant to be forgotten the next day.
When I finally did give in, largely because I wanted to read about Afghanistan, I was surprised how much I enjoyed it. Including those elements meant to pull at your tear ducts. It went a bit over the top on occasion in trying to stitch up a neat little tale, and I longed for more depth at times, but it was a beautiful story from a land with one of the most tragic pasts. It really was a very effective 'airport novel'.
Having experienced the same pleasure, if in a slightly diminished quantity, from his second book, I was quite eagerly awaiting this new offering.
It's a well-told story again, stretching across Afghanistan, France, US and Greece, spanning over sixty years, in Hosseini's typical style. It lags in places, where I got impatient with extended descriptions of people's lives I didn't care so much about. I can imagine falling asleep during some chapters if I did have to read this while traveling. The characters themselves also have begun to seem repetitive, moved here from the earlier two books with very slight changes in personalities. But, this story of relationships - parent-child, and brother-sister (either from same parents or brought together by fate) - with the backdrop of the tumultuous history of Afghanistan and Afghans, still hits the spot.
This also seemed written with a greater focus on a movie adaptation than the earlier two books. Wouldn't be surprised if a studio has already bought the rights to it.
When I finally did give in, largely because I wanted to read about Afghanistan, I was surprised how much I enjoyed it. Including those elements meant to pull at your tear ducts. It went a bit over the top on occasion in trying to stitch up a neat little tale, and I longed for more depth at times, but it was a beautiful story from a land with one of the most tragic pasts. It really was a very effective 'airport novel'.
Having experienced the same pleasure, if in a slightly diminished quantity, from his second book, I was quite eagerly awaiting this new offering.
It's a well-told story again, stretching across Afghanistan, France, US and Greece, spanning over sixty years, in Hosseini's typical style. It lags in places, where I got impatient with extended descriptions of people's lives I didn't care so much about. I can imagine falling asleep during some chapters if I did have to read this while traveling. The characters themselves also have begun to seem repetitive, moved here from the earlier two books with very slight changes in personalities. But, this story of relationships - parent-child, and brother-sister (either from same parents or brought together by fate) - with the backdrop of the tumultuous history of Afghanistan and Afghans, still hits the spot.
This also seemed written with a greater focus on a movie adaptation than the earlier two books. Wouldn't be surprised if a studio has already bought the rights to it.