Gifted story teller

And the Mountains Echoed once again proves Khaled Hosseini is a master story teller. This one is intriguing due to the set up, intertwining tales, whose characters revolve around each other, impacting some directly and others indirectly. It is not done in the fashion of Crash, or other such stories, rather it is done in a much more developed manner in my opinion.

At times we do wonder how a particular story or narrator is connected, and the years their stories are taking place make you wonder how as well, but the nuances are so subtle as to be extraordinary. This novel clearly shows how connected the world itself is, whether one is in a village in Afghanistan, Paris or LA. Wars' devastating impact is also clearly developed.

I loved all of the characters, but of course the two young children who start the story are the ones my heart longed for.

I took longer to finish this novel than most, simply because I had a variety of fears for the characters, wondering who would meet up, and when. I found the ending satisfying, very realistic, and well developed. Overall, this is somehow a charming novel, that demonstrates the craft of writing an excellent story.

My heart feels A Thousand Splendid Suns was his best, but all three of his novels are to be read and treasured.

Interesting ending

The Ophelia Cut by John Lescroart didn't quite have the energy that I have come to enjoy with the Dismas Hardy series. There were too few interactions between the main players, for my taste. I miss Glitsky's and Hardy's conversations...and though all of this is explained (Glitsky is pretty reticent to hang out with anyone that was involved in the shootout, depicted in an earlier book), I nevertheless miss that aspect of Lescroart's writing.

The plot of this story was somewhat predictable though it did have a very interesting legal dilemma, and court case. The resolutions were interesting...the court case decision and how that is resolved was thought provoking, what happens to a main character could be viewed as ironic, and some aspects the reader will have to infer, which in this case was okay. I tend to dislike some books that end in this manner, but it did truly work in Ophelia's Cut.

I will continue to read Lescroart, as I have truly enjoyed all of his books. This one, in my opinion, wasn't the best, but it was still definitely worth reading.