Notes From a Twenty-Something

Since I started blogging I have been lucky enough to meet some of the smartest, loveliest women. At a blogger dinner one night Megan, Vanisha, Rachi, Gemma, Louise and I decided that it might be fun to start a book club, really just a nice excuse to catch-up on a regular basis, but it's also been a good opportunity to read some things that we might not have otherwise come across.

Our latest read, which was my choice, was And the Mountains Echoed by Khaled Hosseini who also wrote The Kite Runner and A Thousand Splendid Suns. The story follows various characters, most who are members of an extended family, over many generations. It was written almost as a collection of short stories that are connected by a character or an event. Some of the chapters were beautiful stories, and some of them were heart breaking. Each chapter seemed to focus on a relationship within the family setting, it followed a father-son relationship, a mother-daughter relationship and, one of the ones I found the most emotional, the relationship between sisters.

I have mixed feelings about the style, there were some stories that were so interesting and had me hooked from the beginning, others were a little slower to start and at some points I would find myself really invested in the characters and their stories, then the chapter would end and I would have to start again at the next chapter and work out who the new characters were and how they fit in.

What I loved was that the book spanned over a really long time period, I find myself drawn to stories that follow the lives of the characters in their entirety, it's just something I enjoy. 

At book club we were discussing the significance of the intertwined stories and discussing why he didn't just do a collection of short stories, Megan made a really interesting observation that it's almost as though he is highlighting to us that everyone has their own story and sometimes people that just come into our lives for a brief moment have their own lives and stories that we really know nothing about, it was definitely a book that sparked an interesting discussion.

I wouldn't recommend this if you are someone who enjoys light-hearted reads, but if you are looking for something a bit interesting and different, this might be one for you. If you do read it I recommend you give it to a friend too because there really is lots to talk about. 

What have you been reading lately? I'm always looking for thing to add to my 'to-read' list and some suggestions I can take to book club. 

I hope you are all having a lovely weekend. 

Zoe xx