“[Deborah] Rodriguez paints a vivid picture of Afghan culture. . . . As if Maeve Binchy had written The Kite Runner.”—Kirkus ReviewsAfter hard luck and heartbreak, Sunny finally finds a place to call home—in the middle of an Afghanistan war zone. There, the thirty-eight-year-old serves up her American hospitality to the expats who patronize her coffee shop, including a British journalist, a … including a British journalist, a “danger pay” consultant, and a wealthy and well-connected woman. True to her name, Sunny also bonds with people whose language and landscape are unfamiliar to most Westerners, but whose hearts and souls are very much like our own: the maternal Halajan, who vividly recalls the days before the Taliban and now must hide a modern romance from her ultratraditional son; and Yazmina, a young Afghan villager with a secret that could put everyone’s life in jeopardy. In this gorgeous first novel, New York Times bestselling author Deborah Rodriguez paints a stirring portrait of a faraway place where—even in the fog of political and social conflict—friendship, passion, and hope still exist.
Originally published as A Cup of Friendship.
Praise for The Little Coffee Shop of Kabul
“A superb debut novel . . . [Deborah] Rodriguez captures place and people wholeheartedly, unveiling the faces of Afghanistan’s women through a wealth of memorable characters who light up the page.”—Publishers Weekly
“[A] fast-paced winner of a novel . . . the work of a serious artist with great powers of description at her disposal.”—The Kansas City Star
“Readers will appreciate the in-depth, sensory descriptions of this oft-mentioned and faraway place that most have never seen.”—Booklist
“Charming . . . [a book] to warm your heart.”—Good Housekeeping
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This is a beautiful, heartbreaking story with a coffee shop in Kabul as the backdrop. Later changed to “The Little Coffee Shop of Kabul,” this book’s protagonist hails from Jonesboro, Arkansas, my home state.
Several years ago, I read memoirs of Middle Eastern women and later broadened it to women visiting Middle Eastern countries. I read “Kabul …
Took me to a foreign place and an ex pat community plus local understanding about a place I probably will not be visiting. Loved the description of the
culture and towns.
I love historical fiction and learning about other cultures so I was drawn to this book, but I have to say that it was a little difficult to get through. At times it felt like I was reading a cheap paperback romance and other times, an intense journalistic fact filled article about Afghanistan. Ultimately it was the latter that kept me reading. …
This book brought me into another world and while it’s a novel, I felt the realism in todays world. It’s a great read and worth reading and discussing.
Enlightened me to characteristics of their world, and heightened my appreciation of my life
Better understanding of world and great characters.
This book provided good insight into what’s working and what’s not in Afghanistan, and a glimpse into the difficulty in eliminating the opium poppy farming and the origins of the opium drug trade and the Taliban. It shows the good side of the Koran and muslim people and shows how it can be twisted to be destructive, like so many things as …
Such a good book that I’m recommending it for my book club.
I enjoyed reading this book because our family of seven (five children) lived in this part of the world for six years long ago. I understand how people in Pakistan and Afghanistan still live today. I find it sad that women have to endure so many hardships in foreign lands.
Book opened my eyes to many things, hard life, customs, and traditions in Afghanistan in an enjoyable venue, The Little Coffee House and its cast of customers were painted in very vivid descriptions.
I couldn’t put it down. It was well written and packed with up to the minute info on Kabul and the area…
Could not finish
I thoroughly enjoyed the book, although it left me aghast at times at the unbelievable mis-treatment of women. It gives a fairly good picture of Afghanistan life in the past twenty years with its frequently changing leadership.
A good story. Jacquelyn
Women’s options seems so limited but there are glimmers of hope.
I enjoyed learning about a different culture. A strong female protagonist was also great.
I liked that this story was original.
Never finished it. Put me to sleep.
Heartwarming.
Really liked the strength of the women in the story
Wonderful characters, great story, and glimpse of life for expats in Afghanistan. Loved it!