And the Mountains Echoed: Chapters 7-9

[Valerie]

Just started chapter nine and I have a strong feeling that I will want to go back and read it again immediately.

[Audrey]

Just started chapter 8 and can't decide if I am going to leave the tv off tonight and try to finish it or take a break from it. I have read 4 chapters today. So maybe I will finish it tomorrow if I can keep my hands off of it tonight.

Chapter 7 was wonderfully written but I hated that another family member had to die.

Now in Chapter 8 and wishing Pari could have met her half-brother while in Afghanistan. This chapter was okay but again a little disjointed in my opinion, spent to much time on Thalia and Markos and his mother. Wish it would have went more into the time Pari spent in Kabul with Markos. A couple paragraphs were just not enough for me.

Chapter nine is back to being hard to put down. I had to struggle with eating breakfast this morning instead of reading the last little bit. It is again very well written. The anticipation of Pari and Abdullah meeting is about to kill me.

[Claire]

I just finished this amazing book, and I have to say that it's been a long time since a story moved me like this one did.

I really wish that Abdullah and Pari could have reconnected while he was still able to be aware of her being there, but it does seem fitting that, at the end, she was caring for him, much like he had cared for her in the beginning.

I also like that the younger Pari will now have a real family, although it did seem a bit contrived that Thierry was going to attend the reunion, since he had been out of touch with his mother for so long.

And I completely lost it when I realized what Abdullah had set aside for Pari!

[Kathryn]

Claire wrote: "I really wish that Abdullah and Pari could have reconnected while he was still able to be aware of her being there, but it does seem fitting that, at the end, she was caring for him, much like he had cared for her in the beginning..."

That hadn't occurred to me, Claire - that they had swapped positions from when they were younger, but you're right.

I did notice that Hosseini had several similar situations between different characters throughout the story - like Parwana caring for her disabled sister and Nabi caring for his disabled employer (and in both situations the carer put the sufferer out of their misery) and I remember noticing other similarities between characters, but can't remember what they were now. If anyone else noticed this, do share!! I wondered whether Hosseini did that to encourage us to compare and contrast the different circumstances.

[Claire]

Odie took care of Thalia when her mother (Madeleine) left her behind, then Thalia took care of Odie when she got older.

[Kathryn]

Good point about Thalia and Odie, and not one I'd noticed.

Idris and Timur return to Afghanistan to reclaim their home and are successful. Iqbaq returns and his home is gone, but he can't even reclaim his land. Idris and Timur are returning from a wealthy nation (and therefore have the means to ease the bureaucratic red tape), Idris is returning from a refugee camp without money and because of that, even his legitimate claim is made invalid when his documentation "accidentally" gets burnt...

[Valerie]

Thalia was, I think, my favourite character.

[Valerie]

I respected the way Thalia accepted herself.

[Claire]

I agree about Thalia, Valerie. She seems to be almost an metaphor for the whole of Afghanistan. Both have been attacked, both are scarred, and yet both survived.

Given the current situation in the country, Thalia likely represents Hosseini's hope for his native country, to emerge stronger and proud.

[Claire]

For Kathryn, from a discussion in the 4-6 thread: at one point, Pari asks Nila about her scar from her "Caesarian delivery" because it's vertical, not horizontal like they usually are.

That would indicate a hysterectomy rather than an abortion, although it might have been needed because of a botched abortion.

[Kathryn]

Good point, Claire! I do remember that, but didn't think about it in conjunction with her time in India.

[Merja]

Finished reading the book few minutes ago. During the ninth chapter I had leaky eye syndrome pretty much whole time. Especially when Pari and Abdullah met and well, whole time!

Eight chapter was good but I hoped that it had focused more to Markos life in Kabul.

Seventh.. Well, it wasn't so special and I really had to re-check what happened during that chapter :D

But anyway, I'm glad that I read this book. It was good.

[Amanda]

I LOVED this book - read the majority of it in 2 days and have just finished. I'm glad that Pari was reunited with her brother, even if he wasn't aware of her, but at least she got to know her niece.

I will definitely read other books by this author.