This novel appears to be a mirror of the writer’s first novel, The Kite Runner, which I enjoyed. However it’s the same old same old. The main difference is that the main characters are two girls growing up on different sides of the track. The style of writing is the same. It reads like a fable, which was novel in Kite Runner, but I’d had enough.

Just couldn’t stick with this as there are so many good books waiting out there, and life is short. ( )

I enjoyed this book. I did shed a tear twice but only one.

In the beginning you come to understand Mariam and are able to see the story through her eyes; I felt what she felt.

History is lightly woven throughout but does not take you out of the story.

The story is told from two perspectives which is good as you get a different perspective, but at the same time I lamented being taken out of Mariam's story so soon, left to wonder what had occurred for some 10 years and how she changed as a person. As a result I felt distanced from her and unable to connect to the future representation of her. This wasn't helped by the fact that I couldn't connect to the other character Laila enough to get into the story again like I did at the start with Mariam's story. I also didn't find myself connecting to the children either.

Overall, it is an interesting story, but I'm not sure how well the character POV segregation works (loved the beginning much more than the rest), there are also a lot of 'missing' years you do not read about which disconnects you from the story.

The writing is good, but not spectacular. ( )

Një tjetër kulminacion letrar i Khaled Hosseini-t, i cili e tejkalon "Gjuetari i balonave". Ka edhe më shumë për të mësuar nga ky roman...

Set in Afghanistan in the 1960s to 2000s, this is the story of two women, Mariam and Laila. Mariam’s mother formerly worked in Jalil’s household. When she became pregnant, she was expelled from the family’s home by Jalil’s three wives. Mariam and her mother live outside town near a river, where her father visits regularly. When tragedy strikes, Mariam is married off to Rasheed, a much older man who lives in Kabul.

Laila is younger than Mariam. She lives in Kabul with her family. Her life is also disrupted by tragedy and she becomes Rasheed’s second wife. At first Mariam and Laila are at odds, but they eventually learn to love and protect each other from Rasheed’s abuse. The storyline portrays the historic conflicts in Afghanistan – the Russian-backed communists, rise of the Taliban, and the arrival of the Americans.

This book is extremely well-crafted. The prose is elegant, the characters feel authentic, and the story is engaging. I was amazed at the direction it took at the end and impressed at how it could be extremely sad and yet uplifting at the same time. I have now read three of Hosseini’s works and this one is my favorite.
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student ( )