2025 & 2026 Reading Challenge discussion
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And the Mountains Echoed
ARCHIVE 2014
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And the Mountains Echoed: Chapters 1-3
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Sonia
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rated it 5 stars
Jan 01, 2014 12:54PM
I've just finish reading the first three chapters and cried in the first chapter. At ten years old Abdullah has experience the loss of having his three year old sister been given to another family. I cannot imagine the struggle he will face not knowing the whereabouts of her. Asking questions to himself of her well being and not getting answer and the memory of her popping up in his mind every time he see a feather.
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Three chapters in and I'm hooked. So much tragedy already.
This is my third attempt at this book. The previous two times I couldn't get past the first chapter. I guess 3rd time is a charm because I can't put it down!
I'm starting this book in a couple days. Can't wait!
Three chapters down. And all I can say in terms of a review is... wow. Simply wow...
I have now read first 3 chapters and I'm interested to find out what happens next. I'm not hooked. At least not yet. :D
I'm completely hooked!I loved the way Saboor told Abdullah and Pari the story of a father having to give up his favorite child, who happened to be Pari's age, the night before he was taking her to Kabul to give her away.....such sadness for any parent to have to endure, but the story held such promise for Pari in her new surroundings, and he was trying to offer them hope and understanding.
Chapter 5 and I am hooked. I want to READ but I can't right now :( At work
I am completely hooked on this book. I didn't want to start cooking dinner, I just wanted to keep reading!! The first three chapters were amazing, so much emotion! I am looking forward to seeing how this story turns out.
The first three chapters were great. I just started chapter 4 and it is even better than the first three. This is the first book that I have read that was written from a different POV in each chapter. Interesting way of writing but still captivating.
I was really drawn into the book in the first two chapters. I'm excited to read more!
I'm not really hooked to this book. Hopefully, I will get hooked as I continue to read. It was sad how the father told them a story about a father having to give away his favorite child and then Saboor giving Pari away. At first I was wondering why he would be taking the little girl with him to remodel a house instead go his son, but then I thought it was because the son would be better at helping the step-mother. I also found it interesting how Parwana envied her twin sister Masooma.
This isn't a book I would have typically picked up and read but its been a good book so far. I can't wait to see where the rest of the book goes!
Did I miss the reason they gave Pari away? Was it implied? Also when Parwana leaves her sister and heads back to Shadbagh alone, and hears a "muffled sound, like wailing", is it implied that it is her sister or something else?
I'm interested to see how this story unfolds. Looking forward to reading more :)
Kay wrote: "Did I miss the reason they gave Pari away? Was it implied? Also when Parwana leaves her sister and heads back to Shadbagh alone, and hears a "muffled sound, like wailing", is it implied that it is..."
Kay, I think the motivations behind giving Pari away were several - money was tight and her taking Pari would have meant one less mouth to feed, she may have even offered to PAY for Pari in the first place, which would have meant a lump sum that I'm sure they would have easily been able to use, and knowing that Nila was offering to give Pari a life with opportunities that he never could may have made her father feel selfish if he'd refused Nila's request (remember the father in the fable who tracked down the div and his child, who was living life very happily and in a manner which the father couldn't have provided?).
As for the wailing Parwana hears, I assumed it was the sister wailing after taking the massive opium overdose. I don't know much about how an opium overdose kills, but I assumed it must either have been painful, or maybe it just removed her inhibitions and she was wailing for lost possibilities and the years when maybe she didn't cry and bottled it all inside.
Any other ideas?
I agree with Kathryn on all of that about Pari. And Kay, there is much more detail to come about all that went into that situation, so don't worry about finding out.
Kathryn wrote: "Kay wrote: "Did I miss the reason they gave Pari away? Was it implied? Also when Parwana leaves her sister and heads back to Shadbagh alone, and hears a "muffled sound, like wailing", is it implie..."
This is more of a comment on Kathryn's reply to the quote above.
I think everything you said is pretty much correct. Also, I think they were definitely paid for giving up Pari, because I don't see how else they would have been able to afford the stove they had in the winter that Abdullah specifically mentioned an absence of while Pari was still around.
Thank you Kathryn, Claire and Gnomy :)
Gnomy wrote: "Kathryn wrote: "Kay wrote: "Did I miss the reason they gave Pari away? Was it implied? Also when Parwana leaves her sister and heads back to Shadbagh alone, and hears a "muffled sound, like wailin..."
Yes, I agree - I couldn't recall them having a stove and when I went looking, I found mention of Abdullah's new jacket, gloves and shoes (I think, or similar items of clothing) after Pari had gone - presumably the money also bought warmer clothes for the family. Still didn't find the reference to the stove though!
I'm at the verge of crying starting from chapter 1 :'(
Keep those tissues handy, Arra, you're going to need them!
Very sad so far... Has anyone else read The God of Small Things? I keep being reminded of this book.I look forward to reading more about the motivations behind and consequences that come from Abdullah and Pari's separation.
The first three chapters are so well-written, and every single character and story line has been fascinating.I stopped reading the book for a while because I had reading and a huge paper and exam for school this past week (and into next week :( ), so I had to stop reading around Chapter 2 but added a note that "Chapter Three: Spring 1949" was going to be a flashback from the previous two chapters (Fall 1952).
Not surprisingly, I was quite confused then coming into Ch. 3 with the P.O.V. change and thought "Okay, whoa whoa wait. Who on earth is Parwana?"
I LOVE novels written from several different points of view. Only authors of the highest caliber can pull off such complex narratives, and when they do, I think it's such a rich and rewarding reading experience when you get to the end and finally tie everything together.
So my confusion was totally a good thing for me, and I can only blame it on my poor memory :p
Anyway, I'm a bit of a stickler for clarity and accuracy, so I couldn't continue before rereading from the beginning because I hate missing out on any important detail, however small, and then of course, it all came together.
Beautifully written book so far, but I will say that I'm not hooked -- in fact quite the opposite (side note: I never put down a book just because it doesn't have me hooked - I only say this in response to many people in the thread who have posted they were hooked. I think many page turners are terribly written, while many books that require effort and commitment and the ability to face difficult subjects are quite often the best literature).
Every single scene is truly so tragic and each time I leave the book, I find myself quite depressed. That is not to say I think it will be a bad book at all, but it is one that I am going to have to force myself to continue reading because already I can tell this is one of those really important life-changing stories.
I often cry when reading a sad novel, but I have not cried yet reading this book, but I think it's probably because it is still so early in the book with characters only being introduced. Also, when the book fires sad stories at you in rapid succession, they start to somewhat lose their emotional impact on me (i.e., it gets a bit numbing).
Therefore, my only critique is maybe he could have placed Parwana and Masuma's background somewhere a bit later on? Right after reading about Abdullah losing his sister Pari for what could be forever, I was hoping for something a tad bit more uplifting or at least somewhere in the middle.
Of course, I haven't finished the book, so perhaps Chapter 3 was the only place that made sense to place that flashback. Anyway, I am definitely intrigued and want to know what's going to happen, but it may take me a while because I can only read very small sections at a time so far.
I am LOVING this book! I agree with you Brian, I love books written from different points of view it adds depth and different emotion. I also enjoy how the time period is jumping around, for example in the section about Parwana and Masooma - going back and forth and leading up to how she became disabled.The writing is just beautiful and so descriptive - I am very happy this book was chosen. Like others have said, I want to jump in right now but I am unfortunately also at work!
I'm really enjoying this book. I wouldn't have bought it if it wasn't picked on here. A sad but interesting story - I'm not sure where the story will go as I can see that it jumps around the years a bit..... It has me intrigued :0)
Love the writing in the book! The only slight issue I'm having is the non-chronological storytelling. I'm reading the book on kindle and cannot easily flip back to check on the time period between chapters. Other than that, the book has sucked me in just like Hosseini's other books.
I criiieeed at these chapters cause of too much feels and pain. Y'know that kind of feels that left a hole in heart. It's just too much
