Wednesday, March 26, 2014

Sue's Pick: Final Round of the Dubuque Tournament of Books

It's the final round of the 2014 Dubuque Tournament of Books, and the judges are weighing in on the final match-up. Will it be And the Mountains Echoed by Khaled Hosseini or Eleanor & Park by Rainbow Rowell?
http://carnegiestout.blogspot.com/search/label/Tournament
Judge: Sue
Clarke University

Boy, I wrestled with my decision all weekend.  I liked both books for different reasons.  Eleanor & Park was not a struggle to read at all and I could identify with it.  It was well written and interesting.  And the Mountains Echoed was a good read but at times a struggle to follow all the different story lines.  But, it was also a captivating story.  I had never read either authors before so I cannot compare either book with previous works.

That said, I am picking And the Mountains Echoed not because it was easy to read or follow but because I was able to experience a very different world through this book.  I felt like I was “there” with them at times.  I did have trouble figuring out how all the characters were connected which would be the main issue I had with this book.

At the heart of this book is a story about loss, tragedy, healing, and reconciliation.  And, how good intentions sometimes have catastrophic results.  Afghanistan is a sad place and stories like this where someone is so desperate for money he would sell a child, is not uncommon.  I am sure other children sold suffered far worse fates.  The desperation of the story is what touched me about this book and why I chose this one as the winner.
http://carnegiestout.blogspot.com/search/label/Tournament

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