I really wanted to like this more than I did. I feel like I should say, “It’s me not you”, I will admit that I did some skimming. I simply was not able to keep track of the characters. Was Guava the grandma or was Hoang all three? I am confused. That is part of MY problem with listening to audio books. I struggle to stay focused. There we have, "It's me not you".

The narration in the audio was great and I loved hearing the pronunciations of the Vietnamese names and words.

Many thanks to Netgalley and Dreamscape Media for this advanced readers copy. This audio version was released in March, 2020.

This was a beautifully written tale spanning generations of a Vietnamese family experiencing the heartbreak and tragedy that their country endured for decades.

There were so many noteworthy themes of this: family, poverty, the Vietnam War told from the point of Vietnamese. I loved most the descriptions of this family who struggled to survive and stay united under the most detrimental of circumstances. The narrator of this audio version did an excellent job and I was enthralled by her voice. The only parts I didn’t care for were the singing, but those were few and far between. I recommend this to fans of historical fiction and will using this title for my library book discussion.

The Mountains Sing is a sweeping tale of a family torn apart and a society ravaged by war. This work of historical fiction taught me about the horrors of the Vietnam War and how local families were forever changed. The audiobook narrator helped the unfamiliar phrases and names flow seamlessly with the story and I was glad to read the book in this format. I gained insight into Vietnamese culture and history. This book contained heartbreak at every turn. It was enjoyable overall and the ending pulled things together nicely.

Thank you NetGalley, author, publisher, and narrator for the chance to listen to this audiobook in exchange for my honest review.

Thank you so much to NetGalley and Dreamscape Media for my copy of The Mountains Sing by Nguyễn Phan Quế Mai in exchange for an honest review. It published March 17, 2020.
THIS book was so gorgeously, and heartbreakingly written and read, that I couldn't stop thinking about it or telling others about it. This book grew my empathy and respect for the Vietnamese people and what they have endured over the last century or so. What a strong and incredible people! What a beautiful culture! I felt like I learned quite a bit that I wasn't aware of regarding both history and culture and was on the edge of my seat the whole time!
There are trigger warnings including sexual assault, racism, violence, verbal and physical abuse, and strong language.

Quite possible the best book I’ve ever read (listened)I did not expect to have fallen in love with this book. It stole my heart. The narration was also excellent. Listened via Hoopla.

I've listened to books about WWI and WWII, Korean War, Afghanistan; but never Vietnam. I was apprehensive about listening; anticipating the likely brutality. Were there horrific events, definitely. But Nguyen Phan Que Mai wove stories from different eras together so intricately and I fell in love with the characters with a new understanding of the country and the challenges of the last several decades. Japanese invasion, fighting between north and south, social programs further impacting the country.

This book was beautifully written and one of my favorite books in 2020.

This book became available (again?) via NetGalley October 2020; I had originally listened to the book via Hoopla early August 2020 (my original review is the first four sentences). I requested (and was approved) a copy via NetGalley and the author in Oct 2020 in exchange for an honest review. I wasn't going to request an ARC, but decided to because I wanted the publisher and author to know how much I really loved this book. Thank you!

If I had to sum this book up in one word it would be transporting. And the audio experience only added to that. Hearing the names and places pronounced correctly and the inflection of feeling given to the descriptions, I could vividly picture this sweeping tale as it carried me across time and place. Reading the stories of a family through the timelines of a grandmother and granddaughter, you will suffer loss and grief, but also experience kindness and hope. Sometimes we act like the WWII stories we read have a monopoly on tales that contrast the worst and best of humanity, but this story shows us another facet of that human saga.