I'm so scared he's going to g August I was riding in a cab in Bombay recently, and a bookseller on foot approached me at a traffic light with a stack of books. I'm so scared he's going to get his foot runover so I grab whatever I could from my wallet and somehow get it into his hands. I look to see what I ended up with. The cab driver asked me how much I ended up giving the boy. The cab driver says in return, 'You paid a hundred rupees too much! Hardly, I thought to myself. That boy worked his butt off.
The best part is because the book is bootlegged it's full of typos and random fonts. Love it. In case I ever discuss the book with you and my recollection of the story is completely different from what you read, you'll know why. January Read the book on my way to Vietnam a few days ago. Loved it, although it was missing a few pages here and there :. Coincidentally, the friend I'm traveling with brought the same book on our trip so I had access to the missing pages.
And another coincidence - our Mekong Delta guide was carrying a copy of the Kite Runner. We were like some sort of Hosseini fanclub floating down the Mekong in our longboat I have a few thoughts on this book, I'll write them out in more detail soon. I'm heading back to Bombay in a few days View all 92 comments.
View all 21 comments. Even after a week, I still haven't fully recuperated from the emotional blow of A Thousand Splendid Suns Painful, heartbreaking, but quite beautiful in a very sad way. Hosseini has improved upon what he did with Kite Runner, if that's even possible, in every conceivable way imaginable to give the reade "A face of grievances unspoken, burdens gone unprotested, a destiny submitted to and endured. Hosseini has improved upon what he did with Kite Runner, if that's even possible, in every conceivable way imaginable to give the reader another masterpiece!
I loved every little thing about this book. I had thought I was prepared to pretty much anything the author could throw at me after that. But A Thousand Splendid Suns, for me, was a far more difficult read. Unlike in Kite Runner, Hosseini does not hold back when it comes to unfolding Mariam and Laila's story. Saying that reading through the abuse and other privations of the two protagonists was shocking would be a huge understatement. Everything felt too real to be consoled otherwise.
In the Afterwards section, I did come across about Hosseini's work in UNHCR, and maybe it's his firsthand experience that made the portrayal this authentic. Women like us. We endure.
It's all we have. But, even if one finds the writing style to be lacking in flavor, when the story telling is this good, most would never be bothered by anything else.
And when you add Hosseini's flawless character development, it's impossible not to fall in love with this book. But where I saw the most significant improvement is in the plot, which stole the spotlight away from character department. The life story of the two protagonists -Mariam and Laila- allows the reader to peak in to a couple of lives heavily affected not only by war, but their journey amidst various domestic difficulties, providing the reader with another unique opportunity to empathize with Afghan people, and specifically from a woman's point of view this time.
Instead of coming across hateful stories about Taliban and terrorism in general, it's enlightening to see the events from a perspective like this, which enables any reader to understand the bitter reality, along with the fact that countless thousands of people are experiencing worse circumstances in such countries.
Even though it is fiction, I think it's commendable, and remarkable, what Hosseini does with these stories, as they help shift any reader's opinion about the people who are affected by wars in such countries.
It wasn't fair. Oh, that ending! I rarely admire a sad ending, but Hosseini is definitely the exception. During the middle part of the book, even though I loved everything, I didn't see myself giving a rating higher than 4-stars, but the concluding chapters broke me down and changed everything. Now I feel like there aren't enough starts to do justice.
Honestly, I was not expecting this to be better than the first, and thought there might even be some repetitiveness. This is anything but that! However, be warned that the emotional impact this delivers is far more profound, leaving one with tears for quite a while. Unlike with Kite Runner, the luxury of hiding the despicable actions of villains, which left many horrific events to readers' imagination, is gone.
But at the end of the day, just like with Kite Runner, it's worth every second Another must-read-for-all from Hosseini.
She's humming something. Her face is smooth and youthful, her hair washed, combed back. She has all her teeth. Puts down the doll. Laila jo? View all 57 comments. Jul 17, Matthew rated it it was amazing Recommends it for: Anyone and everyone.
Shelves: , book-a-book-club , historical-fiction , favorites , own. In a world where people tend to make assumptions about people and places based on the news, preconceived notions, prejudice, etc.
All of this is through the eyes of two women trying to live a normal and peaceful life just like anyone in the world wants. You will see that despite the extremists and unreasonable values of some, most of the Afghani people are no different than you and me.
Hosseini is a fantastic writer. Not only is the story enthralling, but the way he writes is engaging and easy to follow. I was never bored or confused. When I was not reading the book, I was thinking about the book and could not wait to get back to it and find out what happens. Sometimes you find the perfect book where the writing just falls into place with a click — that happened with this one. While the story takes place far away and the life discussed unusual for me, he made it very approachable and understandable.
The characters were great. When I get this invested in the characters, it is a sure sign of a great book! I will end with this warning: while a great and interesting book, it is, at times, difficult to read. There are situations and scenarios that are upsetting and may trigger lots of emotion. If you are extremely sensitive, it may be difficult to make it through.
But, if you can, I think it will be worth it in the end. If you have not read this book yet, I think you should give it a try. The experience is very likely to be eye-opening and maybe even life-changing. View all 60 comments. It was a warm, sunny day in Montenegro and I was about to set out on a boat trip. I felt certain that a combination of sightseeing and the people I was with would keep me from having much time to read, but I packed a book anyway just in case there was time for a chapter or two in between stops.
A Thousand Splendid Suns happened to be that book. And at the end of the day, when I staggered off that boat, blinking at my sudden exposure to reality, it wasn't because I'd been mesmerised by the stunni It was a warm, sunny day in Montenegro and I was about to set out on a boat trip. And at the end of the day, when I staggered off that boat, blinking at my sudden exposure to reality, it wasn't because I'd been mesmerised by the stunning architecture and history lessons, no, it was because Hosseini stomped all over my heart.
I'm not even sure how I found enough hours in the day to take a boat trip around Montenegro and read this entire novel, but somehow I finished this in the few hours I had My initial reaction was a furious, teary promise to myself that I would have to give this book five stars - I think it's impossible for the mind to win a battle with the heart in that level of heat, especially when you're used to English weather. But afterwards, I managed to reclaim some of my sense and sanity, which is when I finally began to acknowledge this book's limitations.
For one thing, I think it's extremely generous to place this book in the "literary fiction" category. I am certainly no book snob give me a delicious page-turner over some pretentious waffle any day but I find myself comparing A Thousand Splendid Suns to another book about a country and culture I was only vaguely familiar with - The Poisonwood Bible - a book which I also read on my trip.
The latter is a far more complex, ambitious work that brings something which, to me, felt entirely fresh and original. Hosseini's story, on the other hand, is not groundbreaking and I recognise many of the scenes and characters from other books. What it is, however, is incredibly emotional, sad, uplifting, infuriating and memorable. It's lessons on the history of Afghanistan and the rise of the Taliban might be basic but they are nothing if not compelling.
I came away feeling like I learned something. What I did learn was truly horrifying, it painted details into the very vague images I already had in my mind that I had gotten from various British newspapers. But I also really liked the affection for his birth country that shines through Hosseini's story; his faith in the ultimate goodness of these people who witnessed society and order crumbling around them. The ultimate tragedy of this story, for me, is how everything could have been very different for Mariam and Laila if people had just acted a little faster, stopped worrying about their pride a little earlier, and trusted a little more.
I really liked the range of emotions both women experienced and they way the author showed this. I know some readers thought it was wrong for Mariam to be jealous of Laila at first, but I actually really liked the complexity. Rasheed may be a bastard but he was the only thing in the world that she had at that point, and on some level it made sense to me that she would want to claim him for herself.
While I believe Mariam and Laila experienced complex emotions and were well-developed, Rasheed did not get the same treatment - a fact which I'm torn about. On the one hand, I think Rasheed would have been a better character if he'd been developed beyond him being the most villainous villain in all villaindom. On the other hand, I think Rasheed's evil personality offers an important distinction between him and Jalil and the other men , one which is needed in a book that looks at the cruelties women suffer at the hands of men.
The difference between Rasheed and Jalil is important. The latter is a man who acts badly because his behaviour is shaped by the society he lives in. Rasheed, on the other hand, is a mean and violent brute who completely abuses the power handed to him as a man in this society.
These differences between Rasheed, Jalil and the other men Tariq, Laila's dad, etc. I admit this is far from a perfect book, but it is a good book. It's a book that seems to swallow you whole but spit you back out in pieces. View all 35 comments. Shelves: It's apparently becoming something of a tradition for me to trash books that are not only widely loved and praised, but were specifically recommended to me by friends. Forgive me, Rose. Fo It's apparently becoming something of a tradition for me to trash books that are not only widely loved and praised, but were specifically recommended to me by friends.
Forster, in "Aspects of the Novel," talks about books having round characters and flat characters, with round ones being more like people you'd encounter in the real world, and flat ones being more of caricatures used to move a book's story along. The only character in "Splendid Suns" who approaches roundness, and he's a relatively minor character, is Mariam's father, Jalil. Everyone else is either a villain without any positive traits Rasheed or a hero who can do almost no wrong Laila, Tariq, Mullah Faizullah.
Even when Hosseini is depicting a child who has every right to behave badly given his circumstances Zalmai , he can't help but depict the child as almost evil.
The New York Times review of "Splendid Suns" said Hosseini "creates characters who have the simplicity and primary-colored emotions of people in a fairy tale or fable. I'd say Hosseini may not be able to create three-dimensional characters. To impart the history, Hosseini goes back and forth between giving the history through third-person narration, in Wikipedia-like prose, and putting it in his characers' mouths via dialogue -- dialogue often spoken to people who would already know the history.
As a result, you sometimes get characters saying things like, "As you know, the Taliban forces men to grow their beards long and women to wear burkas. But it usually feels incredibly superficial, especially when the words being used aren't foreign concepts, but rather basic words -- "brother," "sister" and the like.
Hosseini and his editors also seem to forget about the trope, and cut back on the use of the foreign words in the book's later chapters. I wish they had done the same throughout the book. Mariam's initial hate for and jealousy of Laila never feels remotely justified, especially given how awful her husband Rasheed is anyhow, and their coming together later feels rushed and unrealistic.
Even after they form a friendship, they never seem to grow quite close enough to fully explain why Laila misses Mariam so much towards the novel's conclusion. Hosseini fails to lay the groundwork needed to justify Laila's emotions in the novel's last chapters. Don't get me wrong, I understand Afghanistan wasn't exactly Disneyland over the past few decades, but I think there were more lighthearted moments in the Book of Job than in "Splendid Suns.
Reading "Splendid Suns," I kept thinking of that old workplace poster: "The beatings will continue until morale improves. It seems he has plenty of fans. View all 96 comments. Aug 09, Ahmad Sharabiani rated it really liked it Shelves: novels , afghanistan , historical , united-states , literature , fiction , 21th-century. It is his second, following his bestselling debut, The Kite Runner.
Mariam is an illegitimate child, and suffers from both the stigma surrounding her birth along with the abuse she faces throughout her marriage.
Laila, born a generation later, is comparatively privileged during her youth until their lives intersect and she is also forced to accept a marriage proposal A Thousand Splendid Suns, Khaled Hosseini A Thousand Splendid Suns is a novel by Afghan-American author Khaled Hosseini. Laila, born a generation later, is comparatively privileged during her youth until their lives intersect and she is also forced to accept a marriage proposal from Rasheed, Mariam's husband.
View all 11 comments. I have never cried while reading a book,like I Did while reading this one! It is the story of poor, uneducated women who have to endure the hardships of life The horrors and terrors that a lot of women have gone through during certain period in Afghanistan, the war torn country ,and the narration through the lives of two women Mariam and Laila.. Going through All kinds of Physical abuse of hitting, kicking and slapping ,brutal beating ,etc….
Struggling the cruel extremely sadistic Rasheed, And s I have never cried while reading a book,like I Did while reading this one! Struggling the cruel extremely sadistic Rasheed, And suffering all kinds of violence and subjected to his shifting mood and volatile temper.
Witnessing the ugliness of war, the fate of loved ones, grieving for lost lives. And sadly this is not exclusive to Afghan society only it is happening in many other countries The unhappy, abusive marriages, oppressive governments and repressive Cultural mores.. It finds its echo in varying forms, in differing degrees, through the different time periods, across the world.
The end of the novel give some hope in its last scene after all the violent accidents ,with Laila's pregnancy, Kabul rebuilding, and a loving family reunion. Marriage can wait, education cannot. And I also know that when this war is over Afghanistan is going to need you as much as its men maybe even more.
Because a society has no chance of success if its women are uneducated. No chance. In this critical age when personalities are shaped And what they learn will stay with them. And protecting them from falling in the hands of those who would mould them to absorb hatred ,violence and intolerance.
Hosseini has remarked that he regards the novel as a "mother-daughter story" in contrast to The Kite Runner, which he considers a "father-son story". It continues some of the themes used in his previous work, such as the familial aspects, but focuses primarily on female characters and their roles in Afghan society. View all 4 comments. Shelves: maybe-it-s-me , intense-sad-dark-or-bleak , mideastwomen , thank-god-i-wasn-t-born-there. To my editor: Khaled here.
Could I make the characters any less complex? Do you think I included enough graphic violent scenes, or should I add another ten or so? Are my characters stereotypical enough? Any ideas? With hopes for another bestseller, Khaled View all comments. Oct 18, Henry Avila rated it really liked it. This novel is about two wonderful, brave , intelligent and resolute women Mariam and Laila their optimistic dreams, aspirations, boundless love The occasional visits by him were the highlight of Mariam's young life, a devoted daughter with an uncaring father, bitter Nana's endless recriminations against him, made for an appalling situation.
At 15 the girl can no longer remain and flees to Jalil, who she loves above everyone nevertheless he refuses to see, taken back Married off to a shoemaker in Kabul the capital, a big man almost thirty years older, Rasheed with a propensity to put women in their place, his wife must dress properly outside, walk behind, talk to him only when asked a virtual slave in the home, her main duty is to give him sons The ignorant hypercritical husband, is always angry beatings and scoldings become common Laila, background is very different than Mariam, from another generation, born and raised in Kabul, the bright student to loving parents, the father a former teacher, bookish, timid and small, dismissed by the communist government, an emotional domineering mother with bouts of ennui The war comes to the capital after the Russians leave, warlords struggle for power, starvation widespread, horrendous crimes committed in the open, shelling obliterated much of the city and the people, thousands perished Soon alone in trouble, Laila has to marry Rasheed It will be like before, the evil commences An outstanding book about two remarkable women, who endure View all 44 comments.
Dec 07, She-who-must-not-be-named rated it really liked it Shelves: owned , all-time-favourite , contemporary. The novel focuses on the life of two Afghan women- Mariam and Laila who come from different walks of life. Laila enjoys her school life, and is absorbed by the thoughts of her crush Tariq. She's beautiful, confident, smart, strong and playful.
About Jalil well, I had a lot of mixed opinions: marrying Mariam off to Rasheed made me feel disgusted, but the view spoiler [ emotional letter he wrote at the last hide spoiler ] took me by surprise. The characters in the book struggle for their survival in a harsh and obstinate society: They are wounded due to wars, relationships get tough and abusive, their property is destroyed; despite all this, they stick together, which is something I admired.
But the best part about this book is the way Mariam and Laila show relentless pursuit and resilience and face all obstacles, especially considering how women are treated in their place- it filled me with pride and I was in love with their headstrongness.
I was hooked, right from the first chapter. This book was pretty much like a rollercoaster- I felt a surge of emotions- anger, remorse and joy coursing through my veins with every passing chapter and I kept turning the pages to know more and before I had an inkling about it, I was done. The story was enticing, the narration was flawless, each chapter had a twist so intriguing I was compelled to read it multiple times.
My heart beat fast reading about he struggles faced my Mariam and Laila and the ending just got so heartbreaking I was almost in tears. I have humongous respect for Khaled Hosseini and I'm looking forward to reading more of his books. View all 16 comments. A book that gnaws at your heart and spits out the pieces with glee.
You are not ready, you are not prepared. You refuse to face the reality of a world where Rasheeds and Jalils exist instead of being torn apart and thrown to the dogs. Words are cheap when it comes to this novel.
Every literary remark is void and pretentious. And the road is still too long. You will cover with burqua when outside. If you do not, you will be severely beaten. Cosmetics are forbidden. Jewellery is forbidden. You will not wear charming clothes. You will not speak unless spoken to. You will not make eye contact with men. You will not laugh in public.
If you do, you will be beaten. You will not paint your nails. If you do, you will lose a finger. Girls are forbidden from attending school. All schools for girls will be closed immediately.
Women are forbidden from working. If you are found guilty of adultery, you will be stoned to death. Listen well. View all 28 comments. View all 15 comments. You remember that, Mariam. This story is told from the perspective of two women; born a generation apart, with different ideas of love and family, two very different childhoods, they are bought together by loss and by war. This story shows both the dangers that Mariam and Laila face- on the streets of Kabul and in the home. I have already read "The Kite runner', so had high hopes of this book.
Simply put my hopes were not let down. This book leads us through the difficulties of Afghan people, esp. The speciality of Khaled Hosseini's books are that he explains the character's emotions in detail that we can literally picturise it or empathize with the character. Kudos to Khaled Hosseini for this book and for 'The kite runner'. On a personal Saji Nediyanchath Certified Buyer.
Can I ever forget Maryam and Laila? Can I forget smelling the dirt of Afghanistan? Can I not fall in love with this? The answer to all is No. One of the best books i have ever read in my life. It will take you away to a world where you are helpless yet eating and sleeping with Maryam and Laila. It is the kind of book that will haunt you at nights.. It will make you va Koushiki Chowdhury Certified Buyer , Kolkata. A beautifully written heart touching story It drives the reader to a different world No words to describe its beauty.
Flipkart Customer Certified Buyer , Amritsar. Questions and Answers. Q: Is it sutable for 13year boy. A: It is.
Lalit Walia. Report Abuse. A: Nope!!!.. Not at all There is just an additionalpapers attachedwhich of no useand thatmakes it anew edition ratheritwas same as edition. Trying to fool you in making thechapter no. Pulkit Arora. Q: My previous question was rejected saying it is irrelevant question. I want to buy this book A thousand splendid sun and want to know if it is a genuine copy.
How can this be irrelevant? A: This is true and genuine copy. Flipkart Customer. Q: Do i get a book mark? A: Depends on the seller. With heart-wrenching power and suspense, Hosseini shows how a woman's love for her family can move her to shocking and heroic acts of self-sacrifice, and that in the end it is love, or even the memory of love, that is often the key to survival.
Students love the LightSail experience and naturally spend more time reading. Drama , Realistic Fiction.
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