A Thousand Splendid Suns
Often recommended for:
made me cry emotionally devastating books sad books female friendship books about friendshipWhat do readers say about A Thousand Splendid Suns?
Synopsis:
THE RICHARD & JUDY NUMBER ONE BESTSELLER
'A suspenseful epic' Daily Telegraph
'A triumph' Financial Times
'Heartbreaking' Mail on Sunday
'Deeply moving' Sunday Times
Mariam is only fifteen when she is sent to Kabul to marry Rasheed. Nearly two decades later, a friendship grows between Mariam and a local teenager, Laila, as strong as the ties between mother and daughter. When the Taliban take over, life becomes a desperate struggle against starvation, brutality and fear. Yet love can move a person to act in unexpected ways, and lead them to overcome the most daunting obstacles with a startling heroism.
Excerpt:
It happened on a Thursday. It must have, because Mariam remembered that she had been restless and preoccupied that day, the way she was only on Thursdays, the day when Jalil visited her at the kolba. ...
About the Author:
Khaled Hosseini was born in Kabul, Afghanistan, and moved to the United States in 1980. His first novel, The Kite Runner, was an international bestseller, published in forty countries. In 2006 he was named a U.S. envoy to UNHCR, The United Nations Refugee Agency. He lives in northern California.
Ratings (18):
Incredible (6) | |
Loved It (8) | |
Liked It (3) | |
Did Not Like (1) |
Reader Stats (16):
Read It (9) | |
Want To Read (7) |
Reviews:
Samman Akbarzada I remember well, how the night I finished reading A Thousand Splendid Sun, I couldn't sleep so I stayed up till the morning, grieving. Not just for the characters in this one, but because I was remembering live versions of them. Our neighbour who I watched crying to my mother, and all I could do was watch her from the corner. The random screams I heard coming from a house every once in a while. Farkhunda, the woman who had her nose cut... These are just what I know and what is publicised, the problem is that there are millions of women perishing behind closed doors in my country and it's not like nobody knows. But nobody cares. We're only feminists on matters that are trending.
I felt like a coward writing my book which is inspired by this. It was a means to escape and try to cope with knowing about things I didn't want to know. But if I didn't write all that, I would've lost it.
At one point reading this book I despised the writer, and I'm being very honest. I felt hostility toward the author for all the pain and agony. And that itself is I think the last level of being a great author when your creation affects people so deeply...
In the wake of The Kite Runner, I've been eager to dive into the work that followed. The book is great. Hosseini writes about two Afghan women, Mariam and Laila, who were doomed to a life of brutal mistreatment because of their social status. A must-read for any reader looking for something to get their blood pumping.
I really must have more of this writer's work! He has an incredible capacity for storytelling.
The lives of two Afghan women are explored in this book. This is a difficult story. Most of the time, it made me uneasy.
For me, these characters stood out the most among Hosseini's cast. This book brought me to tears. I'd enjoy rereading it again and again.
A fantastic account of Afghanistan between the years 1959 and 1990, as seen by two generations of women. Outstanding!!
How the war affected Afghan women's daily lives. A fantastic story, once again from a talented author.
This story is both universally relatable and culturally informative.
A long yet fascinating account of a Muslim girl's experiences during and after a war. A coming-of-age story with religious and cultural undertones.
Fantastic book on the consequences of male dominance and the subjugation of women. A beautiful story of love and friendship.
Reading this has drained me completely. This is one of the few novels I've ever read that made me cry. Amazing.
