"And the Mountains Echoed" by Khaled Hoseini

Synopsis:  This is a dramatic story about a family in 1950's Afghanistan that is forced to make a terrible choice.  The book follows the lives of young Abdullah and his beloved sister Pari as they are faced with the ramifications of their family's heartbreaking decision.  Interwoven into the story of the siblings are people whose lives they've touched, if only briefly.             

Review:  This is such a well-written book and the first chapter is stunning.  Abdullah and Pari are wonderful characters and readers will be rapt at their story.  It's an excellent read and a touching story, but it doesn't pack the same emotional punch as Hosseini's previous books, The Kite Runner and A Thousand Splendid Suns.  The book's powerful story gets a bit muddied down with too many characters, all of which are connected, but some only very, very briefly.  There are several chapters dedicated to the backstories of different characters that, despite being compelling in their own regard, do not move the main story forward.  It reads like a collection of short stories and it ultimately takes away from the story of Abdullah and Pari, who I wanted to hear more about.

Spoilers:  I didn't immediately make the connection between Abdullah and Pari's story with the book's opening chapter, but once I did, I was excited by the thought that Abdullah or perhaps their father would rescue Pari.  How disappointing!  The ending was heartbreaking.  I wanted Pari and Abdullah to be reunited under happier circumstances but with Abdullah's illness, it felt almost as if they weren't reunited at all.  I could have done without Markos and Thalia's story as well as the Bashiri cousins.  I do enjoy books whose characters are intertwined in interesting ways, but I felt like these characters in particular had no value in the story.  Ultimately I liked this book and I will be anxious to read Hosseini's next book, but with the hope that it is reminiscent of his first two books.  

"The Silver Star" by Jeanette Walls

Synopsis:  Liz and "Bean" Holladay's mother has dreams of being a star; she's impetuous and irresponsible and disappears one day, leaving the girls on their own.  The sisters decide to take a bus across the country to Virginia in hopes that their Uncle Tinsley will take them in until their mother returns.  Uncle Tinsley is eccentric, but he is kind and loving and takes the girls in.  Liz and Bean help their uncle care for the house, make friends in town and at school, and learn a bit more about their mother's past.  The girls even get jobs working for Jerry Maddox, a local with a bad reputation.  Ultimately, Liz finds herself in trouble and the sisters are faced with adversity that truly tests them.  

Review:  This book is a quick and easy read (it could easily be classified as a "Young Adult" novel) and would make for a great beach read this summer.  I liked the the book, but did not love it.  Bean is a charming character, reminiscent of Scout from "To Kill a Mockingbird," but many of the other characters fall a bit flat.  The book reads more like a memoir, which Walls is well known for, than a fiction book and ends up a mile wide and an inch deep.  This is a book about mothers and daughters, mental illness, bullies, family secrets, abuse, and much more.  It has racial tension, courtroom drama, stories of military heroes, and so, so much more.  It's a sweet tale and I recommend it for mindless entertainment, but it doesn't hold a candle to Walls' previous work.

Spoilers:  I am left with the question of why Jeanette Walls picked the title that she did.  Bean finds out more about her dad from Aunt Al and it was great to learn that he had been such a wonderful man and had even earned the silver star.  I understand that the star became a symbol to Bean of her father, but I am not sure this had enough of an impact on the story to earn its place in the title.  On another note, I really enjoyed the book's ending.  It was predictable through and through and I expected the trial to end in Liz's favor so I was pleased when it did not and even more pleased with Bean's uncle finished Maddox off.