Thoughts on And the Mountains Echoed
921074
Well written, it was engaging and moved along well, interesting perspective gave insight to history of area and social norms
1587832
I'm Appalachian born and raised, but I approach "Appalachian lit" with a great deal of caution.  Most of the time what I read doesn't reflect life as I know it.  I'm not saying the authors are wrong, just that I don't equate their experience with mine.  Often the views are very bleak and depressing and frankly, there's enough depressing around already.  I also don't care for the opposite idea that everything was all peaches and cream back in the good ol' days. Truth lies in the middle.

That's what I find in Dog Days and Dragonflies. It was a pleasure to read.  Although it wasn't set exactly in "my neck of the woods," Peters evoked the sense I had of the place I was raised but she made her stories feel universal.  The stories about her grandparents made me think of my own and those of my friends.  One story in particular was chilling, in which she and a childhood friend talk about love.  It's hard to pick a single standout, but the piece in which she learns of the death of a friend was especially well done.  Peters handled the material exceptionally well, really expressing something most of us have experienced but doing so without becoming overly sentimental or maudlin.  Instead, it's a reflective piece that made me recall a favorite poem called "Certain Choices."

If I have a specific criticism, it would be more that I'd like to see the author take on longer pieces or else do connected stories featuring the same characters. While I the stories did as she intended, I'd just like to spend a little more time with those folks in that place.

As for my rating, I don't often give five stars for books, just because I feel that should be reserved for books that have an enormous impact on me. Some people always give five stars, which makes me vaguely suspicious because while I LIKE a lot of books I don't think I read more than one five star book in a year.
1798505
-I liked that the book was set in the Scottish Highlands

-I liked that the book was set in the Scottish Highlands. There were some wonderful descriptions of the location and lots of fact based history.

-I did not like how superstitious the characters were. I also didn't like many events at the Beltane festival, like the belief that the fire had protective powers and they had the animals walk though the smoke and put the ashes on each other. They also seemed to put their traditions and superstitions on the same level as God and following his Word.

"The combination of pagan customs and Christianity seemed at odd to some, but to her, it made perfect sense. The connection with the land and blessings from the heavens brought harmony to her world."

-I was surprised that Aileen didn't trust Conall with her secret, even when they were engaged.

-I liked the characters, especially Jamie and Conall. There were also some very strong and developed minor characters. I really hope the next story will be a continuation of Jamie's life as he gets older.

-Except for the things relating to the pagan traditions, I enjoyed the book.
4841072
I thoroughly enjoyed "And the Mountains Echoed" by Khaled Hosseini.  This is the first of his books I have read and now I want to read the others.  Not only is the story engrossing, but I learned a lot about the life of the very poor in Afghanistan and the effect of years of war on the people.  I was particularly interested in the part of the story about Afghanistan as it is today as a result of the ongoing American presence there.  This is an important book that, though fiction, contains a great deal of truth.  It made me realize how fortunate I am to live where I do and to understand a little more about a part of the world that is an unknown to most Americans.
1762678
Great book!  I have enjoyed reading it so much!  I didn't want it to end.  I thought it would be very hard to top "The Mountain Between Us", but I think it did.  If you are looking for a book, I strongly recommend you pick "Unwritten".
1651618
A trip to the John Muir Trail is not only historic but a pilgrimage for many.  Author Sonja Yoerg writes of Liz Krofts hike and journey within the trail for her second novel The Middle of Somewhere.  It is a story told piece by piece and may appear fragmented, and the readers responsibility to put each piece together in order to understand Lizs dilemmas.

Before one can understand Lizs story, consider the symbolic and historic relevance of the John Muir Trail that Yoerg uses as the physical backdrop to the story.  True, the novel may share comparisons to Wild, reaching out to nature and attempting to find solace relating to the challenges that they faced.  Indeed, lifes tribulations are at the center of each womans lives and the long path ahead.  Along the way, especially in Lizs case, she went on this trek with her friend Dante Espinoza from Santa Fe, and it would be a trip of highs and lows; Liz possessed a ton of emotional baggage that she unleashed during periods of long conversations with Dante and deep introspection.  As with novels and stories of fiction, the title of the book metaphorically presents much meaning and symbolism and likewise the names of the characters, Dante and Lizs former husband Gabriel Pemberton, and the elder couple that Dante and Liz meet on the trail Paul and Lind McCartney  no, they are not the one and only McCartneys, Beatle Paul and Photographer Linda but rather a research physician and gardener; indeed, an allegory to relationships, life, love, and happiness.  With that in mind, many other references in the book will arise as well as questions of subtle mystery or simply unspoken aspects of Lizs life that is left to the readers imagination.  And Yoerg presents an array of clues within the characters and their past, which are a whirlwind of events as a part of the baggage that Liz has had to carry ever since she met Gabriel in high school and later reunited in college at UCLA and married and followed him to New Mexico for his job and took classes at the University of New Mexico and the somewhat discovery of his dysfunctional family and self.  While taking the trip to Muir Trail, constant reminders loomed before her that she could not escape such as how she originally planned to go on a trek with Gabriel seven years before but it never came to fruition; their lives simply did not come together and they divorced.  With that revelation revealed and shared to Dante,  mid-way through the novel, Liz begins to see the shades of light entering her life.

The Middle of Somewhere is an enlightening story of one womans quest to come full circle with the ups and downs that she encounters within her life.  It is a revealing story that shows the human elements of each character she befriends in her past and present and how they embark on a trip surrounded by only the moon, sun, stars, and the great outdoors.
2107335
A Sudden Country is a mixed bag--I was both blown away by it and irritated by it.

It is extremely well-written. Fisher is adept at crafting poetic, dreamy descriptions of the land and the feelings it evokes as well as using language and narrative technique to tell a troubling story of troubling characters.

It's a good thing the writing is so good because the plot was melodramatic, sordid, and at times depressing. I found myself really disliking Lucy, one of the main characters, for much of the book.  I found her selfish and arrogant. She complains that her husband Israel is not the man her first husband was or that Maclaren (the other main character) is, but she married him for the simple reason that she wanted and needed a male protector and provider but then wasn't willing to uphold her end of the bargain.

A Sudden Country was inspired by a journal kept by the author's ancestor, Emma Ruth Ross, who was one of Lucy's older daughters. The letter itself is fascinating and Fisher incorporated the content of the journal into the novel.

A Sudden Country reminded me on more than one occasion of Charles Frazier's Cold Mountain. Both alternate between telling the female protagonist's story and the male protagonist's story, and the characters of Ada and Lucy and Inman and Maclaren are somewhat similar in their moral ambiguity and rootlessness. Both stories also often include their characters's dreams, and the prose itself has a hallucinatory, dreamlike quality.

I do like Western fiction, and I did enjoy reading about their journey along the Oregon Trail, checking the map at the front of the book frequently and remembering details from Lewis and Clark's journey as recounted in Undaunted Courage.

A Sudden Country is definitely worth reading. I'm not one who has to love or identify with the main characters in order to like a book, so don't take my grousing about Lucy as a slight to the book. It was thought-provoking, and that is definitely a good thing.

Ultimately, the novel is about telling our stories to each other. Emma Ruth's sparse journal of her journey west as a child was the creative impulse that Karen Fisher used to explore her view of our collective Western journey. As she writes near the end of the book:

"For every life we know, we are expanded. There is no forgiveness without stories. There is no dignity. There is no way to speak in other tongues but that.
3300600
Reading Johnnie Bernharts, The Good Girl, was like viewing my past in a foggy mirror, or a dream.  The similarities were close, but by no means exact; enough to shine a light on my own recollections  The images from her written words set me off to my own memories and woke me to some deeply buried past.  Its what we want from a good book, but some, such as this novel, can be cathartic.  Like Wolfes, Look Homeward Angel and Lawrences, Sons and Lovers, the woven images of life in a family seem to transcend time.  As the novel progressed, and the lineage of the families were detailed in the reflection to her dying Father, I was forced to ponder the history and lineage of my own family, their struggles, their personalities and how they lived their lives, questioning the similarities and commonalities, family to family  From the novel I came away with the reaffirmation that we are all imperfect, constructed from our moments to make days to make years.  The character of Gracey was weighted from generations of continued struggle, as if burdened from the past ghost of previous generations.  Her struggles felt real and familiar from a lifetime of tension and conflict - The Hundred Year War.  The novel comes to a positive outcome with an understanding of the continuation of family history that seems to purify itself with the lovely new life of Graceys daughter, reaffirming the value of family.  The Good Girl is an enjoyable read and flows from historical periods with ease.  For me, it took quite a bit of time to finish because so many of her memories ignited memories of my own.
2620390
I enjoyed reading this book so much when it was first published that I jumped at the chance of listenning to the audio tape. It didn't take long to again become totally awed by the experiences of the people on the  mountain that day. Having never experienced wind, snow, and temperatures  found at high altitude, it is very difficult to visualize through the  written ( and spoken ) word, what these men and women experienced. To help  me and to add to the awe and amazement I looked at the excellent National  Geographic published,  Everest: Mountain Without Mercy by Broughan Coburn  with pictures by David Breashears. There has been so much written since the  tragedy  I just hope the lessons to be learned have been and the families  of the victims have found acceptance and forgiveness.
4784229
This was a really great book.  I listened to the Audible audio version, and the narrator was really good - good pacing, good reading style, pleasant voice.  I would definitely listen to more books narrated by Adam Verner.  The book itself was really good.  It presented a different view of mountain climbing than I had heard before - putting faith and family first, appreciated God's creation, and that summitting isn't the most important thing.  The book kept me on the edge of my seat as the author described his trek up and down Mt. Everest.  It was really refreshing to hear such great things about the author's wife and kids, and to see such a supportive family.  If you love mountain climbing, adventure, or non-fiction/memoirs, I highly recommend this book.
4656596
I read the shack twice and have a feeling I will read Cross Roads a second time as well . They were both very thought provoking and hard to put down. Please keep writing ..
2722068
I thought this book was excellent!  It usage of multiple narrators and different times and places is extremely well thought out and truly grabs the reader's attention.  The descriptions literally make you feel like you are there beside Julia and Tin Win.  You empathize with every character and Sendker does a great job of creating an heir of mysticism around Kalaw and Burma.  In many ways this novel grabbed me like Cutting for Stone did in that it provided evocative descriptions of a place so unbelievably foreign to me, yet after reading that felt so familiar.

Some reviews criticize the ending and the later chapters of the book but I am not sure how else I would have wanted this book to end.  This is definitely a must read!
4675117
To the End of the Land is a devastating read that is also a beautiful work that has been translated movingly.  The novel focusses onon Ora, a, shall we say, middle-aged Israeli woman whose younger son has returned to the Israeli army to participate in just one more conflict.  They had planned a hiking trip when he had originally planned on finishing with the army, but he instead chose to go back.  Ora is distraught but goes on the hike and in her son's stead is and old friend and lover, Avram.  Most of the novel takes place on this multi-day hike, while the two discuss their past and her family.  Her family's history is recounted and slowly the pieces come together for the reader of the truth about Ora, Avram and others whom they love.  The writing here is truly beautiful, but my one minor quibble is that it could have used a little editing.  The story is quite slow-paced and at almost 600 pages is a bit daunting.  If you are prepared for a big, emotional read, this is a great choice.  Just be prepared to set aside enough time to read.  Enjoy!
3995439
Makes you feel as if you are wandering the Appalacjian Mountains along side the characters. I love books of by gone days and I enjoy this authors writings. Very easy comforting read
1995829
I LOVED this book.  I have been very interested in Afghanistan lately, after reading Khaled Hosseini's books, and this book was just as good.  It is a story told across the decades in Afghanistan, so it is interesting to see the different changes that have happened in the country under different rulers.  This is a heartbreaking story of love, loss, and forgiveness that really stays with you.  I listened to the Audible version, and the narrator was really good.  I'm really interested in checking out other books by this author, and I highly recommend it to anyone who has read and enjoyed books by Khaled Hosseini.
3010153
With  And the  Mountains Echoed Hosseini  has given us another gift - a beautifully written story that will break your heart and lift your soul  . It left me hoping that he has started a fourth !
A shift from a single narrative to individual chapters  on a variety of characters whose stories are interwoven in a magnificent way!
1458334
Interesting take. I was very much reminded of my own Camino in some ways. I also was interested in the Camino start from Montserrat.