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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love all of Houssaini’s novels. A tremendous writer with unbelievable insight into the human condition under extreme circumstances.
This is such a heart-breaking novel; moving and uplifting. I read this book when it first came out, but my daughter is studying it, so I read it again and I’m really glad I did; sadly, there is a timeless feel to the situation. It’s an epic love story which spans several decades and follows the lives of Mariam and Laila whilst all around them Afghanistan falls into chaos. Hosseini focuses on the immense hardship women deal with on a daily basis – Nana’s life being the first example of the misery, shame and suffering an unmarried mother faces, whilst Laila’s mother believes life is only worth living for her sons. At the time the novel starts, Kabul is becoming a city where women can achieve their dreams.
When the Taliban take control, the outlook on women’s lives hits rock bottom. The brutality of the regime and the extent of suffering is, at times, unbearable to read, but despite the oddness of their situation, Mariam and Laila grow to love and support each other. Rasheed is a brute, and his horrendous lies are pivotal to the plot – every so often, I thought I saw a glimmer of the man he could have been, but misogyny is so deeply ingrained into his psyche – it’s impossible for him to exist without it; Mariam’s failure to give him an heir is perceived to be entirely her fault. The importance of having a son is something which is highlighted with the arrival of Zalmai and there are frightening glimpses of the man this young boy might have turned into under Rasheed’s supervision. The men are trapped by society too – even Jalil with all his riches can’t do the right thing by his daughter Mariam – the tying up of his part within the novel is spine tingling. But then there is Babi, Tariq, Mullah Faizullah and Zaman; all inspirational and wonderful people.
At the heart of this story is what it means to be a mother and Hosseini shows that the ties of motherhood aren’t necessarily biological. Throughout the novel Kabul is shown as a place which has a magnetic pull and I love how, despite everything which happens to her, Laila needs to return – wanting to be a part of making it ‘green again’ because it’s part of her soul. I would have loved to have seen the city as it is described in the title, before it was ravaged by war. But Hosseini reminds the reader that with people like Laila and Tariq there is always hope for new beginnings. This is a beautifully written book which everyone should read.
Engaging from first chapter. Heartbreaking at times. A testament to the millions of Afghani women who endure sparse, at times cruel, lives in a country forever in upheaval. Dogged determination and love fill the story with an ending that epitomizes both.
If you loved the kite runners you will dig into this book from the point of view of the women in a place that comes to life along with the culture in which it is set.
Heartwarming & heartbreaking at the same time
this book made me cry and made me realize that who lucky i am…….
Khaled Hosseini is a masterful writer. He opens doors into the worlds and lives of those we have been told to view as the enemy and reveals the tragedy of their lives. It is impossible not to connect to the protagonist of this novel and in doing so we find ourselves walking away with more empath and compassion than we may previously have felt. “A Thousand Splendid Suns” is Hosseini’s second book after his brilliant debut “The Kite Runner.” I have used both novels in my 12th grade English classes and have found them both to be so well written that they have the power to make even the most reluctant reader want to pick up books again. I call them my “gateway books.” A must read.
A beautiful but sad storyline that will make you think and feel long after you finish reading it.
About women conditions in Afghanistan. You can take all their hope, their sense of maternity, their pain. And you’ll get angry for them. Because it isn’t right. Very moving and tear-jerker. Amazing style of writing
Beautiful! Pure beauty.
One of my all time best!
I loved this book. The characters were so interesting and learning about the culture was fascinating.
Very well written and very sad. But, there is a positive message at the end.
HARD FOR ME TO FOLLOW.
Read~February 12, 2009
Re-Read~June 17, 2010
WOW! WOW! WOW!
This was even better the 2nd time around!! I saw things (important things in my opinion) that I totally had missed the first time around (some because I was being indignant about what was happening to the main character and MISSED her reaction to it completely).
I was once again struck by ALL the sacrifices these women have to make in a daily basis and how much abuse and hatred they must endure. It still moves me and makes my heart hurt for them!!
FABULOUS READ!!!!!
Extremely well written and captivating.
A colleague recommended this novel to me, and from the moment I started reading it I could not put it down. A Thousand Splendid Suns is an outstanding novel!!!
Wonderfully informative book.
A personal perspective on war and how it affects people who live through it.
Good story, good characters and cultural information that’s useful to understand