A Thousand Splendid Suns

English language

ISBN:
978-1-59448-385-1
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4 stars (96 reviews)

A Thousand Splendid Suns is a 2007 novel by Afghan-American author Khaled Hosseini, following the huge success of his bestselling 2003 debut The Kite Runner. Mariam, an illegitimate teenager from Herat, is forced to marry a shoemaker from Kabul after a family tragedy. Laila, born a generation later, lives a relatively privileged life, but her life intersects with Mariam's when a similar tragedy forces her to accept a marriage proposal from Mariam's husband. Hosseini has remarked that he regards the novel as a "mother-daughter story" in contrast to The Kite Runner, which he considers a "father-son story" and friendships between men. It continues some of the themes used in his previous work, such as familial dynamics, but instead focusing primarily on female characters and their roles in contemporary Afghan society. A Thousand Splendid Suns was released on May 22, 2007, and received favorable widespread critical acclaim from Kirkus Reviews, Publishers …

48 editions

Very readable

4 stars

I first read A Thousand Splendid Suns just over a decade ago (according to Goodreads). I remember reading it in a Scottish holiday chalet, having borrowed it from their library, and being happy that it is such a fast read because I needed to finish before it was time to leave! I loved the story then, as I did this time around, however I notice that I have matured as a reader over the past ten years because I wasn't as blindly impressed.

Following in the wake of Hosseini's lauded novel The Kite Runner, A Thousand Splendid Suns focuses on the female experience in Afghanistan. I don't think it has anywhere near the same depth though. The story zips along at a good pace and, don't get me wrong, this is a very readable novel. I easily got caught up in Mariam and Laila's lives, feeling sorrowful or angry on …

Review of 'A Thousand Splendid Suns' on 'Goodreads'

5 stars

this isn't an actual review since I read it in May of last year (it is now January)

my mother is currently reading this. I haven't said anything, because I hate talking about books outside of my disgusting, old computer. this is especially uncomfortable because I know what happens at the end and she is already sad. I CAN'T SAY ANYTHING

send help

Review of 'A Thousand Splendid Suns. Khaled Hosseini' on 'Goodreads'

1 star

I read this for a book club for July 2021. This was my first time reading Khaled Hosseini after years and years—I had previously read The Kite Runner when I was probably in high school or so, and I remembered enjoying that one a great deal. Coming to this book with the perspective of an adult who knows better and has seen more things, this book did not live up to my expectations.

Hosseini said in an interview that his aim was to represent the female perspective of war-torn Afghanistan through several periods of war and occupation of the country. However, I don’t feel that he has succeeded all that much in this. Yes, we do have a narrative centered on female characters, but they are mostly stagnant until the ending and devoid of personality other than the male characters that define them. I did not find this particularly empowering …

Review of 'A Thousand Splendid Suns' on 'Goodreads'

4 stars

I think this (and Kite Runner also) is an important book to read. While still fiction, Khaled Hosseini does a good job at painting how awful life has been for citizens living in conflict regions like Afghanistan. It isn't a happy book, not even in the slightest, but it is a powerful one.

I think my only other comment to add about this book (because other reviews have said much the same things I feel about it) is that I think I prefer [b:The Kite Runner|77203|The Kite Runner|Khaled Hosseini|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1579036753l/77203.SY75.jpg|3295919] to this one just a little bit. While everything included in A Thousand Splendid Suns is legitimate and believable, it's extremely unrelenting and feels like it could have been better paced. I don't remember The Kite Runner feeling like you're constantly sliding from one bad moment to the next like how this book felt.

It's still an extremely good …

Review of 'A Thousand Splendid Suns' on 'Goodreads'

4 stars

An intense and brutal story that weaves through the macabre turbulence of Afghanistan post revolution. This book was difficult to read at times due to the extreme violence and bloodshed. An important parable that serves as a warning against fundamental theocratic insurgencies, especially through the eyes of woman.

Review of 'A thousand splendid suns' on 'Goodreads'

4 stars

A deep insight into "everyday" life in a war ridden country from the perspective of two women. It brought the horror of war to my mind as well as the terror of arranged marriages. There were very compassionate scenes too, which showed how much a deep friendship can help in a time of hardship.
I very much liked the long timeframe the novel spanned, as it shows that Afghanistan hasn't been peaceful for a time much longer than at least I percieved in the media.

Review of 'A Thousand Splendid Suns' on 'Goodreads'

4 stars

This was one of the best books that I've ever read. A friend recommended it to me during my exams. Just for the sake of checking it out, I started reading it but as soon as I completed first few pages, I was hooked. Then in the next three days, amidst all the papers, I read it from cover-to-cover.

Review of 'A Thousand Splendid Suns' on 'Storygraph'

4 stars

A Thousand Splendid Suns is set in the near history of Afghanistan. The story covers the lives of Mariam and Laila, two girls with very different childhoods whose lives intersect. This story is about sadness, grief, war, and struggle, but also about keeping hope and faith. I wanted things to get better for Mariam and Laila, and was relieved when hope came through. For pain and suffering cannot last so long that peace and happiness are forgotten, and darkness cannot outlast the light.

Review of 'A Thousand Splendid Suns' on 'Goodreads'

3 stars

It's been a while since I haven't bothered to finish a book. Not sure what it was about this one - maybe too similar to The Kite Runner in terms of mood, so I just wasn't captivated by the storytelling. Would generally recommend it to others, though - just not particularly thought-provoking (in the first 136 pages, at least).

Review of 'A Thousand Splendid Suns' on 'Goodreads'

5 stars

Khaled Hosseini has the innate ability to send the taste of bile through your throat in an instant, depict gory acts without actually being vivid, make your heart flutter with joy and despair at will - while you still keep that small flame of hope that there is light at the end of the tunnel - and a very bright one at that. But most of all, he makes you wonder about the fate of Afghanistan and Afghanis, making you ask: 'What if?'.

Enchanting narrative. A carefully woven work laced with Farsi culture, literature and rituals in the backdrop of a troubled country. A vivid description of the wars through the experiences of the characters - even the meanest of them all.

Love. Honour. Survival. Desperation. But most of all, Hope. That is what this book is about - to me at least.

Review of 'A Thousand Splendid Suns' on 'Goodreads'

2 stars

I picked this up from the library because everyone seems to be reading books by Mr. Hosseini. I was disappointed. There is nothing innovative about his writing, and the only thing that seems to be interesting to anyone about reading this story is that it takes place in Afghanistan. I didn't feel invested in his characters at all. They are models for Mr. Hosseini to attempt to elicit compassion and understanding in Western audiences for Afghani women--which is great, that is very noble. But they don't seem to live and breathe on their own, apart from his grand purpose. They are tragic figures that life wreaks terror after terror upon. The small empowerment that they are able to discover at the end of the novel is muted, and if anything, defeats the purpose of eliciting understanding of Afghani cultural differences from a Western audience. What, murder, or a fantasy lover?

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