Propelled by the same superb instinct for storytelling that made The Kite Runner a beloved classic, A Thousand Splendid Suns is at once an incredible chronicle of thirty years of Afghan history and a deeply moving story of family, friendship, faith, and the salvation to be found in love. After 103 weeks on the New York Times bestseller list and with four million copies of The Kite Runner shipped, … million copies of The Kite Runner shipped, Khaled Hosseini returns with a beautiful, riveting, and haunting novel that confirms his place as one of the most important literary writers today.
Born a generation apart and with very different ideas about love and family, Mariam and Laila are two women brought jarringly together by war, by loss and by fate. As they endure the ever escalating dangers around them-in their home as well as in the streets of Kabul-they come to form a bond that makes them both sisters and mother-daughter to each other, and that will ultimately alter the course not just of their own lives but of the next generation. 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.
A stunning accomplishment, A Thousand Splendid Suns is a haunting, heartbreaking, compelling story of an unforgiving time, an unlikely friendship, and an indestructible love.
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Khaled Husseini’s A Thousand Splendid Suns is at once tragic and beautiful. The novel is about two women who endure unspeakable oppression.
The story takes place in Afghanistan in the years before 9/11, years that see the country go from freedom to Communism, to civil war, to religious oppression under the Taliban, and finally back to freedom. Under Taliban rule women had absolutely no rights: they couldn’t be seen in public without being accompanied by a male member of the family. In public, they were forced to wear a burka that covered their entire body. Women who had previously held professional jobs could no longer retain their positions. Female physicians could practice only in a women’s hospital, a poorly equipped and unsanitary facility. Girls could not attend school, art and singing were prohibited. The list of suppression goes on and on. Although many suffered, it was mostly women who bore the brunt of oppression.
The story begins with Mariam, the illegitimate daughter of a wealthy man. The man already has a family, but fathered a baby with an employee. Mariam lives in a hovel with her mother with no recourse for a decent life. While still a young girl, she is forced to marry a much older man, Rasheed, who has a business and house in Kabul.
Laila, on the other hand, is raised in Kabul by a loving family. She has friends and a boyfriend. She attends school, plus gets additional education from her intellectual father. The civil war shatters Laila’s life and she’s suddenly thrust into a world of cruelty and violence.
Mariam and Laila’s lives are woven together and are forever altered. Neither could imagine the potential of sisterly love, inspiration and loyalty, particularly in the face of beatings, humiliation, poverty, and extreme isolation.
A Thousand Splendid Suns is not a light read, nor at times even a pleasant read. Yet I consider the novel important as it offers not only an enlightening look at life under Taliban rule, but also the power of the human spirit. Khaled Husseini paints a grim picture, but also offers hope that decency can prevail.
My heart was torn to pieces and put back together again several times throughout this book, with my heart ending in a state of contentment that is shaded with sadness with the passing of clouds. A wonderfully written tale of tragedy and the endurance of love for one’s family members. I did not know how deep love could run, especially when laced with such extreme circumstances and incredible cruelty, and I’m so very grateful for what this tale has taught me about the human spirit and the lives of those of whom I’ll never know. This tale surrounding historical events in Afghanistan is superbly written and conveys such a deep degree of emotion that I found myself several times wracked with sadness that has now and will forever leave its mark upon my heart, as it goes out to the people who have had to, and still do, endure pure acts of evil that are unfathomable to me. Aziza’s character will now always be with me, because I was born in the same year as she was, and it was harrowing to think about how incredibly different our lives were from each other. They were parallel in many ways, but worlds apart in the end, and I’m pained to think of how my life would be if I had not been born as an American. A sad but wonderful tale that I think any reader would enjoy and grieve over.
Any book by this author is a definite must read!
A beautifully written story featuring some truly memorable characters. I return to this book often, and find myself surprised, touched, moved, and inspired all over again each time. Khaled Hosseini is one of my favourite authors – he manages to highlight difficult, sometimes shocking issues in ways which leave readers uplifted and heart-broken at the same time. If you’re inspired by strong female leads, this is a must-read. The women in this book have never left me.
Get your box of tissues out. This is an excellent read. Amazing writer.
‘The thousand splendid suns’ is a very heart touching story about the hardships of Afghan women during war.The author takes us through an array of events such that we won’t be able to stop reading before finishing.Though it emotionally weakens us at times,It ends upon a positive note.
Another excellent book by Khaled Hosseini. He vividly transports you into the lives of his characters. You feel as if you’re in the story itself
One of the 5 or 6 best books I’ve ever read (of the 1000+ I’ve read over the past 50 +years). Heartbreaking, enthralling. My opinion… this is Khaled Hosseini’s best novel, and I have read and enjoyed all his books.
Rarely do we find those books that grab your attention straight away, and they hold the attention the more you go. I thought the authors do it for the first 30 or so pages, even the award winners. I thought no book could possibly make me turn the page even when I’m on page 50 … 100 … 200 …!
Damn! Really? Till the end?
Well, there are those books. Yes. I found them rarely. And when I found them, I read them within the same week. A Thousand Splendid Suns was one of those books.
I kept reading it even when my hours were busy. I didn’t put it down when I had the urgency of painting or finishing my writing or even going to check whatever was on my stove. I. Kept. Reading.
A splendid voice that touches your emotions straight from the beginning and keeps throwing you tension, turning the protagonist’s desires into your desire. A brave work indeed.
This book, man, it’s up there with the greats… Gatsby, East of Eden, Old Man and the Sea (referenced in this great book), and countless others, Jane Eyre… point I’m trying to make? It’s a modern literary masterpiece.
Read it. You’ll be doing yourself a favour.
a great book from a great author
Everyone should learn about other cultures and what it is to be a child under terrible circumstances
Wonderfully written story with insight into the lives of displaced people.
Powerful story, impressively written. Stays with you ever after.
Another great book by the author of The Kite Runner.
It’s hard to find words for how good this book it. So just read it for yourself.
Have loved all his books….wish he would write another
Hard to read sometimes because of the subject matter, but a great book.
Gripping and emotional read.
Heartbreaking, insightful of the Afghanistan conflicts and its struggles of women.