The Little Coffee Shop of Kabul

Several years ago, I read Kabul Beauty School and somehow had it in my head that this book was a follow-up story of Deborah Rodriquez's life after the end of that one. Instead, it is a novel, which combines many of the observations and experiences of the author into a story that revolves around five women (primarily), from varied backgrounds, who find a common point in the little coffee shop one of them started in Kabul.

While reading this, there were reports almost daily of bombings and violence in and near Kabul. It brought the conflict and war conditions in Afghanistan so clearly into the picture. I'd fall asleep after reading of Sunny's worries of how to protect the cafe from suicide bombings, or of how Ahmet guarded the front show more gates, relying not on a metal detector to help weed out dangers, instead looking into the eyes of a person to see their character, and then wake to hear that a remote-controlled bomb struck a bus travelling northwest of Kabul, killing at least nine passengers. Or that three foreign soldiers were shot dead at a police station in southern Afghan province of Helmand when a 13-year-old student who also worked for police opened fire at the foreign soldiers.

We have terrible, unexpected violence here (indeed, this summer brought the murders at the movie theater in Colorado and the slayings at the Sikh temple in Wisconsin), which shocked our nation into stunned horror. But for parts of the world, this inhumanity to other people has become a way of life, both for the perpetrators and the victims. Day to day routines include ways to stay safe, stay alive.

This, perhaps, was the lesson of The Little Coffee Shop of Kabul for me. I might have a bad day because traffic was heavy and I was late for my dance class, or the grocery store was out of all my favorite brands, or even that I fell and broke my foot. But I didn't have to worry, really, about my survival -- about being gunned down, blown up, arrested, or beaten. And though my family has experienced awful violence, we are generally all safe. We do not live in a war zone, or in religious strife (despite what some politicos say.) In the world of this book, people face the unimaginable and do not let it defeat them. The characters of this story are all so very different, but they all hunker down, and find their inner strength. It may not lead them to the outcome the hope, but not for lack of determination. And though I said it's a book about five women, the men in this story are equally compelling, especially given their different approaches to life.

Two things disappointed me about the book. One is that our household is fascinated by coffee and coffee preparation. I would have liked more of a sense of the coffee house as a coffee house. But that's just me being silly. The other point is one I struggle with in my own fiction: moving from telling the story to letting the story tell itself. The first keeps the reader at a passive distance; the second invites the reader in as an active participant. And really, since this story had so much to share with readers, maybe a little telling is okay.

In the story, Sunny (the American owner of the cafe) goes to Mazar-e-Sharif, where the famous Blue Mosque is. There she learns the legend which says every seventh dove at the shrine of Sher Ali Khan contains a spirit. It is said that the place is so holy that if a grey pigeon flies there it turns white within 40 days. This bit of lore captured something inside my own soul. If I could travel, I would love to go there to see those doves flying. Luckily, I was allowed a brief and safe trip there through this book.

I received this book courtesy of LibraryThing's Early Reviewer Program and the kindness of Ballentine Books. Thank you very much. show less

...since we're all fools, why not dance?

Sunny is an American expat who just wants to run a nice, friendly coffeehouse in Kabul, not an easy task given the state of Afghanistan. Someone to love wouldn't hurt either. Her coffeehouse blends Afghans, some much more traditional than others, and foreigners, both somewhat misguided do-gooders and hard-boiled professionals for whom war is livelihood, people who didn't quite fit in their own countries. And Sunny feels responsible for a young and pregnant Afghan widow but doesn't know how she can save her from a fate all too common to Afghan women guilty of “loose” morals through no choices of their own.

It is amazing to me, living in a culture where parents forgive sons guilty of murder, show more where the worst behavior is explained and often excused, that there is a culture where parents and husbands can think that it is the right thing to stone, beat, murder their children and wives when they bring shame on their families for real and imagined crimes that would not raise an eyebrow in the United States.

The book is a feel-good novel about friendships, romance, cultural and religious conflicts, and an inability to break with tradition even when tradition causes harm. The characters are wonderful, and I fell in love with them. To me, the story was a little predictable, but that didn't take away from its charm. Highly readable.

I received an advanced reader's edition of this book from the publisher through LibraryThing's Early Reviewers program.. show less

I chose this novel because I had enjoyed Kabul Beauty Shop, a non-fiction account by the same author, Deborah Rodriguez, whom I found to have a wonderfully vibrant and likeable personality that colored the book about her improbable situation in Afghanistan. I was not disappointed in A Cup of Friendship, which I found to be a good read, maybe the only even relatively happy book I've read about Afghanistan...and certainly up to date. I liked the characters very much, and found them believable because I lived in Korea for 20 years as it was recovering from years of oppression by the Japanese and the Korean War and developing from a very traditional country to a quite modern one, while retaining many traditional values and adding new ones. show more I knew a number of ex-pats there who, like those in A Cup of Friendship, forged deep friendships with other foreigners and nationals as well, and saw their lives enriched and their thinking broadened and matured from those experiences and relationships. I say bravo to Deborah Rodriguez (now living in Mexico, and that must be a story!) and give the book four-and-a-half stars. show less

I enjoyed the setting, Kabul, Afghanistan. It's in the news everyday, but it is another kind of truth that we get from a story.
The telling is a bit disjointed; dangling questions left too late, quirky sequencing. I wish the characters had been more fleshed out. Still, I soaked in the descriptions of place and was warmed by the affection between the characters. Through them, we get insight into the many injustices still in that part of the world as well as our strength together to stand strong against them.

I have mixed feelings. This book has lots of stereotypes and wishful thinking, yet it touches on some important themes. It is a romantic, slightly cliched, written-for-a-movie type of book complete with Hollywood ending. If you want something easy to read and don't want to have to think too hard then this book is perfect. The story is well paced and the writing style clear, and it does raise some interesting topics that we should all consider a lot more deeply than we do.

I see that the book has sold well, so clearly I will be in the minority with this opinion, however I would have much preferred a memoir that pulled no punches. Based on the interviews and information available online it seems that the author would have a fascinating show more story to tell. Perhaps she wants to protect people still in the country and one day this will come out. Or maybe the beauty school book covers this ... I have not read that one yet. show less

This was a curious mix of chick-lit and grit (chick-grit? Might have a new genre there). It’s set in Afghanistan and doesn’t shy away from recent events, but is packaged in a chocolate-boxy way. I feared it might be a bit fluffy, and would have given it a swerve were it not for the fact the author did actually live there and must surely know what she’s talking about.

The central character, who runs the coffee shop of the book’s title, moved to Kabul from ‘Nowheresville, America’ where she and her other half were ‘white trash, whereas here they were royalty’. I liked that about it – the originality of the idea, the fact that as unlikely as it may seem, that someone would randomly choose to move to such an unstable show more location and embrace it as their home, there probably are such adventurous people out there. It’s interesting to read something from their viewpoint.

It’s an accessible and straightforward read, though the subject matter can be disturbing. Nothing wrong with the author’s writing style. Some things irked me, however. The way the suspense elements of the plot were resolved with a whimper rather than a bang. The profusion of glamorous women. The unsettling feeling that Western attitudes were being projected onto Afghan women. In particular, the character Halajan, with her dislike of the veil, preference for short hair and modern ways, despite being one of the older characters. I can’t help feeling that’s the way the West wants to believe Afghan women feel. To be fair, there were other characters who provided balance, in particular Bashir Hadi who says little but what he does say is worth hearing.

I probably had my sceptic’s hat on throughout the reading of this book and that must have coloured my perception of it, but as it drew to its close I found I had tears running down my cheeks. Nobody was more startled about that than me. show less

Kabul Coffee House is surrounded by a 13 foot high wall, built to protect the patrons in case of a suicide bombing, and an armed security guard confiscates weapons at the door.
But The Little Coffee Shop of Kabul is not primarily about the war in Afghanistan, it’s about the ordinary business of living that continues despite the war.
The Coffee House’s proprietress is Sunny Tedder, a spirited American expat who is trying to adapt to Afghan customs whilst maintaining her own identity. In her employ are Yazmina (recently widowed and secretly pregnant), Halajan (who would marry her childhood sweetheart, if only her overprotective son would allow it), and Ahmet, (Halajan’s son, who sacrifices an opportunity to study abroad because of show more his sense of obligation towards his widowed mother).
One of LCSOK’s themes is the transformative power of love. Ahmet starts out as a rigid traditionalist, but his love for Yazmina teaches him tolerance and compassion.
Another theme is idealization and disillusionment in love. Sunny’s friend Candace leaves her husband for Wakil, who ostensibly builds clinics, schools and orphanages to benefit Afghanistan’s poor. Candace uses her connections and personal magnetism to raise money to fund Wakil’s projects, only to find out that they are a front for a terrorist training operation. Anyone who’s been deceived can relate to her rage and denial when she is forced to acknowledge that Wakil isn’t the hero she thought he was.
For a book that’s only 300 pages long, the author introduces an ambitious number of major characters. But she has the ability to paint memorable characters with just a few brush strokes. I’d recommend this novel to anyone who likes an irrepressible heroine or who’d like to learn a little bit about Afghan culture. show less