Review: A Thousand Splendid Suns by Khaled Hosseini
A Thousand Splendid Suns by Khaled Hosseini
Hardcover, 367 pages
Published May 2007, Riverhead Hardcover
Source: purchased/gift
This book has been on my bookshelf since December 2008. I received it for Christmas after just finishing reading The Kite Runner and loving it. This book, however, just never called to me to be read. I couldn't put myself into the mindset to read it. Not quite sure why I had such a block towards it for so long.
I placed it on my list of to read books for Roof Beam Reader's TBR Challenge to make me finally read it and it luckily for me it was chosen for my book group this month. So happy to have finally read this. It was an amazing novel that had me bawling silently in a hotel room trying not to wake my sleeping two year old.
A Thousand Splendid Suns is a breathtaking story set against the volatile events of Afghanistan's last thirty years, from the Soviet invasion to the reign of the Taliban to post-Taliban rebuilding, that puts the violence, fear, hope and faith of this country in intimate, human terms. It is a tale of two generations of characters brought jarringly together by the tragic sweep of war, where personal lives, the struggle to survive, raise a family, find happiness, are inextricable from the history playing out around them.
Initial thought on finishing:
Wow. Just, wow.
Such a moving, tragic and heart-wrenching story. Beautifully told and so much more harder to read as a mother. Don't think it would have resonated as much had I read before having the little girl.
Having given the book some thought for awhile, what stood out the most to me were the sacrifices and sufferings of the mothers. So many different types of mothers, but all trying to do their best for their children the only way they knew how or were capable of.
6/12 books
Happy Reading!
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I also thought A Thousand Splendid Suns was an incredible read. I read it back when it first came out and there are still parts of it I vividly remember.
I did the same thing with this one - bought it right away and all of these years later I haven't gotten to it yet. I did pick it up recently & it looks like I'll be read to start it next week. Since I have both audio and print, I think I'll "read" it both ways - sounds like I won't want to stop once I start. It's that or drive around for hours on end!
A Thousand Splendid Suns by Khaled Hosseini
I always wanted to read this, but never got around to it. Your review convinced me that I should!
ReplyDeleteWonderful. Hope you enjoy it as well.
DeleteI also thought A Thousand Splendid Suns was an incredible read. I read it back when it first came out and there are still parts of it I vividly remember.
ReplyDeleteYeah, I don't think I will be forgetting this one for awhile.
DeleteThis is my favorite read of Hosseini's! So powerful in so many different ways!
ReplyDeleteHave you read his new book yet?
DeleteI just finished it a couple of weeks ago! It was good, but not as good as this one IMO!!
DeleteWill probably still read. :)
DeleteI would still recommend it! :)
DeleteI did the same thing with this one - bought it right away and all of these years later I haven't gotten to it yet. I did pick it up recently & it looks like I'll be read to start it next week. Since I have both audio and print, I think I'll "read" it both ways - sounds like I won't want to stop once I start. It's that or drive around for hours on end!
ReplyDelete