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A Thousand Splendid Suns by Khaled Hosseini
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A Thousand Splendid Suns

by Khaled Hosseini

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Member recommendations

  1. susonagger recommends The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini
  2. BookLizard recommends Rooftops of Tehran by Mahbod Seraji, "A beautiful coming of age story set in Tehran during the 1970s. Pasha spends one unforgettable summer playing football (soccer) with the kids in the alley, (see more) talking politics and philosophy with his best friend Ahmed, and falling in love with his beautiful neighbor, a girl promised in marriage to Pasha's friend and mentor."
  3. Booksloth recommends Little Bee: A Novel by Chris Cleave
  4. TeeKay recommends A Fine Balance by Rohinton Mistry
  5. Eustrabirbeonne recommends The complete Persepolis by Marjane Satrapi
  6. elbakerone recommends The Swallows of Kabul by Yasmina Khadra
  7. KnowWhatILike recommends A Thousand Veils by D. J. Murphy, "Both A Thousand Veils, situated in Iraq, and A Thousand Splendid Suns, situated in Afghanistan, are the stories of Muslim women who try to confront the (see more) repressive environments in their countries and who are persecuted as a result."
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2008 ( )
  katiemertz | Nov 21, 2009 |
This was a difficult story to relate to because I've never experienced anything close to the hardships and set backs women were faced with in the struggle of the lives in Afghanistan and Kabul. Polygamy is normal in those country's. Women were not allowed to be educated and their life was to serve their husbands and bear children. Women were forced to accept a a brutal lifestyle of being forced to to live in the same house as other women they didn't know with the same husband. The poverty level in which they lived and the starvation they endured were outrageous and abhorring because they weren't allowed to work. This story was heart wrenching, and I believe is a must read for all women. This book is a reminder of how much we take advantage of even the simplest things, like food and shelter, in our lives.
  lfreire | Nov 11, 2009 |
After devouring the story, characters, and prose of "The Kite Runner," I was a bit hesitant to read Hosseini's second novel. Friends told me not to worry that "A Thousand Splendid Suns" was the equal of "Kite Runner "and in some ways better, and I have to agree. This novel delves into the plight of women in the Middle East during the time of the Afghanistan War and beyond. The author makes you angry, sad and happy in the course of a few pages if not sentences. Where "Kite Runner" revolves around two boys growing into men, "A Thousand Splendid Suns" takes you on a feminine journey. ( )
  knithappened | Nov 10, 2009 |
Again skilful storytelling that made me want to read on and on. The relationship between Tariq and Laila was very beautifully written. But there was something bugging about the plot.

SPOILER ALERT: I felt the author dedicated too many pages on the physical and sexual abuses lain on the wife. I was uncomfortable reading about the women's domestic suffering again in Part 2, was it necessary to mention the violence and humiliation over and over? No, it was disgusting, unpleasant and repetitive.

Some of the decisions the characters made just didn't seem 'right'. Mariam dared to run away from her Mother, why not from Rasheem, instead of suffering 20 years of his tyranny? If I was Laila I would probably top myself before I tie the knot with Rasheem. Laila and her Babi should've left town at the same timeTariq did; you just don't sit around and wait for your mentally unstable mother/wife to make crucial decisions when there is a war going on outside your doorstep. Tariq asked for her hand before he left town, why did she turn him down?

Kite Runner's plot seems more plausible. ( )
1 vote paperdust | Nov 8, 2009 |
Truly awesome. Loved every page, loved every line. Two great women protagonists. Beautiful characters. ( )
  ini_ya | Nov 7, 2009 |
Showing 1-5 of 390 (next | show all)
Hosseini doesn’t seem entirely comfortable writing about the inner lives of women and often resorts to stock phrases. Yet Hosseini succeeds in carrying readers along because he understands the power of emotion as few other popular writers do.
 
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Epigraph
Dedication
This book is dedicated to Haris and Farah, both the noor of my eyes, and to the women of Afghanistan.
First words
Mariam was five years old the first time she heard the word harami.
Quotations
Nobody could count the moons that shined on her roofs,
or the thousand splendid suns that hid behind her walls
Last words
(Click to show. Warning: May contain spoilers.)
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Wikipedia in English (1)

Khaled Hosseini

Book description
Mariam is only fifteen when she is sent to Kabul to marry the troubled and bitter Rasheed, who is thirty years her senior. Nearly two decades later, in a climate of growing unrest, tragedy strikes fifteen-year-old Laila, who must leave her home and join Mariam's unhappy household. Laila and Mariam are to find consolation in each other, their friendship to grow as deep as the bond between sisters, as strong as the ties between mother and daughter. With the passing of time comes Taliban rule over Afghanistan, the streets of Kabul loud with the sound of gunfire and bombs, life a desperate struggle against starvation, brutality and fear, the women's endurance tested beyond their worst imaginings. Yet love can move a person to act in unexpected ways, lead them to overcome the most daunting obstacles with a startling heroism. In the end it is love that triumphs over death and destruction.

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