A Thousand Splendid Suns

You know you are in the hands of a masterful storyteller when you put a book down only because you have no choice - life drags you away and it's a physical and emotional wrench to let it go, even for a moment. When all you can think as you go about compulsory tasks are the story and the characters. While you are away, you wonder what they are doing, where the narrator is going to take them and you care about their fates deeply. Such is the effect of A Thousand Splendid Suns. The characters live beyond the pages - not merely at the end, but throughout the reading experience, so realistically and gorgeously have they been drawn. Just as the sublime The Kite Runner told the tale of doomed male friendship, ATSS tells the story of two very different Afghani women: Mariam - shy, subservient, filled with self-doubt and yet, despite what life has meted out, is also honest and possessed of an innocence that is both her greatest strength and weakness. Then there is the beautiful, smart and kind Laila. Raised under very different roofs and with different expectations of their future, fate in the form of political and sectarian upheaval throws these women together and what happens before, during and after is heart-wrenchingly bitter-sweet. Hosseini knows not only how to capture the reader's imagination but our hearts as well. Told without sentimentality but nonetheless with an almost unbearable sweetness and pathos, ATSS unapologetically describes what the women of Afghanistan (and many men, children, families and thus communities) were forced to endure. The rampant misogyny, sexism and horrific abuses; terror, hope, the loss, the grind, the joy in the smallest and simplest of things; their constant sacrifices. Their resilience is formidable and humbling; their strength amazing - as is their capacity to forgive. By focussing primarily on Mariam and Laila (and those who play important roles in shaping who and what they become) Hosseini gives us a searing insight into not only the plight of those who are helpless pawns in a brutal battle for control of a weakened state, but Western prejudices, sense of entitlement and misunderstanding as well as revealing the ugliness and terrible beauty of a culture so few of us understand except through snatches from sensationalized news bulletins or from foreign correspondents with a brief to fill. That there are those resistant to as well as complicit in oppression, suffer because of wilful ignorance and the brutality of others; the way in which religion and culture can impose horrific restraints when reduced to power struggles while at the same time gesturing to a proud nobility is evident in the novel. Inevitably, as is the case when religion, sex and gender become politicized, there are scapegoats who pay for the hubris and cruelty of others - for more than a lifetime. The damage inflicted can last for generations. I didn't want this book to end. My heart soared, it plummeted; I gasped, cried, held my breath and as I read felt physically pummelled then embraced, experiencing the 30 years the tale covers as a visceral thing that left me psychologically and imaginatively battered but richer in ways that count. But, I also felt ashamed. Ashamed for thoughts I may have harboured deep down, for prejudices I may not have even realized I held until this novel exposed them to me, and for that, I am grateful. This is a beautiful, deeply moving book that I cannot recommend highly enough. It was a privilege to read and now to share.

I thought the book was well written. Although the book is fiction, it was interesting to find out actual things that were happening in Afghanistan during that time. It kept my interest all the way through and I couldn't put it down.

Gone are the days that would take me weeks to finish a 400 something page novel. I finished A Thousand Splendid Suns in 3 days. And there is nothing "splendid" in this agonizingly sad, depressing, horror-stricken story of women and children who are brutalized, beaten, and treated worse than animals, with a life that begins depressingly sad and gets progressively worse until you can't take it anymore, but you keep reading because the story telling is brilliant, and you - if not the characters - want some kind of revenge, but the author keeps you hungry, hungry for a simple taste of justice and a simple drop of satisfaction. He keeps driving his mad blood-thirsty wife-beating loathsome male characters - save for one - and you want to tear at them with a knife and finish them off yourself! Sooooooo, as you can see, it was not a happy book, and I'll not read the other stories by Hosseini at this time simply because, like Mariam, the truly sad character, said it so well, "what good does it do?" What good does it do knowing the heart-wrenching brutalities that go on still in the 21st centuries in countries like Afghanistan? What good does it do to know about it? What good is it to witness horribly wrong things from a distance but not be able to help? As for writing style, I loved Hosseini's story telling style. Being from Iran, the Farsi words that he throws at you are from my mother tongue so they had a particularly hard sting and their meaning went deep inside me, awakening distant memories of the horrific government of Iran that has more than its own shares of similar brutalities. Yes, indeed the human spirit does thrive and that is a beautiful thing to see, but oh goodness, if I had to go back, I am not sure I'd read this book to get an example of the human spirit thriving. I struggled between the 3 and 4 stars. Yes the book was GOOD, very good. The writing is exquisite. Sometimes he goes on and on about descriptions that I could care a little less about and I had far less interest in the politics of Afghanistan than I did in the characters in the story so those parts dragged on a bit but still, the story moved forward and kept me hoping against hope that there were be an ounce of happiness reserved for at least one character ..... If you want to enter the dark, depressing, and lonesome world of the women in the Islamic regimes such as Iran or Afghanistan, go on and read this .... it will give you more than you bargain for! And remember, this work of fiction might as well be fact. These things do happen to the women in that world all the time.

What a masterpiece! The story of Maryam and Laila will have a special place in my heart. It helped me build a deeper appreciation and understanding of my mother who delivered me when there were rockets flying in the skies of Kabul. She took lots of whips from the Taliban for me and my siblings - something I will never forgive the Taliban for. Like most Afghan women, she has always had very little demands, for all the sacrifices she endured. I'm grateful she's safe now in the USA. I pray for all the Maryams and Lailas who live under the current regime of Taliban, whom the world has forgotten about. Great job, Khaled jo. Proud to call you 'hamwatan'.

J’ai adoré ce livre, très émotionnel

I read this book years ago, and wanted to read it again, it is still as heart-wrenching and sad now as it was back then. I will read this again. It is written so well and gives a great insight into the lives of women in Afghanistan, especially now, with the Taliban rearing their ugly heads again.

6⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ What an absolute gut-wrenching page-turner!! I'm still reeling from its emotional impact. This book is a rollercoaster of emotions, taking you from heart-wrenching sorrow to hopeful resilience. It’s heartbreaking, infuriating, and hopeful all at the same time. He gave such a vivid portrayal of Afghanistan’s tumultuous history and provided a stark backdrop for these womens stories, so raw and real, it’s hard not to feel their pain.The strength and courage they exhibit in the face of adversity is truly awe-inspiring. If you're looking for a book that will make you feel a whole range of emotions, this is it.

I read The kite Runner and then thought to buy this book...it's very well written,the depiction of historical and story to keep reader occupied...... I am not much of reader but at one point I felt like details became vague and story started to feel like one sided,specially when Laila gets introduced in story......overall good read....

It was for an English assignment gurl when I tell you this was the first school book I read in less than a week. It was that good like so entertaining since something was always occurring. So beautifully written and made. The storyline the characters all amazing