The story of an Afghani bookseller and his family, this book once again underscores for me the freedoms I take for granted as a Canadian woman. At once claustrophobic and nurturing, this is first and foremost a story of family in a repressive regime - some of which is self created. Worth reading, because, like the bookseller, we cannot allow these stories to be lost to the censors and time. ( )

This was a pretty fast read. It gives you a good idea of what happened in a family after the Taliban fell - what changed, and what didn't - but it's rather bleak and sad, especially when it comes to the women in the family. ( )

I'm torn when it comes to books like this. I do realize the importance of having 'unbiased' people coming into an oppressive regime like the one in Afghanistan, and making the world aware of such an important political situation, but at the same time I cringe at the thought of all the pre-judging that such a person would do, and the ramifications it has on readers who don't know anything about Afghani culture and religion. I much prefer books by people who actually lived the life they write about, and although Asne Seierstad did live it for months, there's a difference between her living and the living of people who suffer through the trials and fears of living under a Taliban regime, such as Khaled Hosseini's "Kite-Runner".

In any case, any book that helps to shed light on a darkened part of the world is a book that I hope will bring people closer together in understanding each other, rather than backing up old prejudices. ( )

A powerful read, made me appreciate my life, the stories are full of sorrow, pain, anger, unfulfilled dreams. Remarkable. ( )

Review for the Audio CD (Abridged : 7hrs)

I found this book absolutely fascinating. According to the introduction Åsne Seierstad was invited into the Khan household (names changed by the author) to live as one of the family and write a book about their day to day lives.
Autocratic Sultan Khan ruled with an iron rod; no-one dared oppose him for fear of being excommunicated from the family. Below him were his sons and below them his wives (2) and daughters. The lowest of the low was poor Laila, 19yrs old, his youngest sister, who worked from before dawn until after dusk as little more than a slave to the rest of the family.
The book provides a good background to political events in Afghanistan and an excellent feel for the life of many in the war torn capital. It reminded me of Palace Walk by Naguib Mahfouz, a similarly hiereachical family in Egypt in the early 20th Century.

Wikipedia states that the true Bookseller of Kabul has taken Seierstad to court over the content of her book. He claims that in spite of changing his and his families' names it is quite obvious who they are and his life has become intolerable since its publication. Apparently he has now written his own book but as yet it is not translated into English. That is one book I'd certainly read if it becomes available.

My audio version was read by Emilia Fox whose slight accent was entirely appropriate to the subject matter and whose voice was clear throughout. Her variety of 'voices' was a little limited but I'm more than happy to forgive this minor failing as it did not detract at all from this book.
At some future point I shall certainly read this in book version to fill in what I missed in my abridged audio CD.

In the interests of democratic reportage I am editing this review to provide the link to the bookseller's response to this book:
http://www.kabulguide.net/kbl-booksel...

Your Tags: Afghanistan, Richard and Judy ( )