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4.48 AVERAGE
4.48 AVERAGE
emotional
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
challenging
emotional
sad
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
“A Thousand Splendid Suns” by Khaled Hosseini is a captivating story set in Afghanistan as it spans 30 of the country’s eruptive events. We follow two generations of Afghan women along with those around them as they try to raise a family, get by surviving, and find a semblance of peace as history unfolds around them.
Mariam starts the story as a quiet child who resents her mother and her decisions, not realizing the amount of shame and misfortune she had to deal with to become a strict figure. For the first part of her life, she had to endure being an illegitimate child that was only allowed to see her father once a week. Then she is plagued by guilt after her mother commits suicide after running away towards a real relationship with her half family. Due to this event, she does not overly protest against her marriage to Rasheed. It was jarring to see Miriam turn bitter, resentful, and fearful, almost like her mother was throughout her marriage to Rasheed.
Laila also goes through massive hardships that make her more submissive than she had been before to survive her situation. Throughout her marriage to Rasheed, Laila’s independence is challenged. Yet she endures it because she is willing to take on limitations for the sake of her children's security. You see how her mindset is far from the one she held earlier on in the story as she used to pity her friend and other women being forced into and making compromises in marriage.
By providing two different stories about an Afghan woman’s experience, Hosseini has provided insight into their unrepresented struggles and experiences. Even though their stories are riddled with heartbreak and loss, Miriam and Laila’s mother-daughter love for each other and the family they created under their abusive husband is in my opinion, the driving force behind the climax of this story. I truly loved this book and would give it a 9/10.
Mariam starts the story as a quiet child who resents her mother and her decisions, not realizing the amount of shame and misfortune she had to deal with to become a strict figure. For the first part of her life, she had to endure being an illegitimate child that was only allowed to see her father once a week. Then she is plagued by guilt after her mother commits suicide after running away towards a real relationship with her half family. Due to this event, she does not overly protest against her marriage to Rasheed. It was jarring to see Miriam turn bitter, resentful, and fearful, almost like her mother was throughout her marriage to Rasheed.
Laila also goes through massive hardships that make her more submissive than she had been before to survive her situation. Throughout her marriage to Rasheed, Laila’s independence is challenged. Yet she endures it because she is willing to take on limitations for the sake of her children's security. You see how her mindset is far from the one she held earlier on in the story as she used to pity her friend and other women being forced into and making compromises in marriage.
By providing two different stories about an Afghan woman’s experience, Hosseini has provided insight into their unrepresented struggles and experiences. Even though their stories are riddled with heartbreak and loss, Miriam and Laila’s mother-daughter love for each other and the family they created under their abusive husband is in my opinion, the driving force behind the climax of this story. I truly loved this book and would give it a 9/10.
hopeful
informative
reflective
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
The more I red, the more enticing it became. I think this story had such a beautiful balance between two very different personalities who also have so much in common. Miriam was never confident, she was not educated and did not see much value in her life which turned out to be a trait in the end as she sacrificed herself. Laila, inversely, was educated, beautiful and self confident. Miriam did not have a chance to experience love as she was forced to marry Rashid. Laila experienced love but lost her loved one and faced the same path. I think the most lovely part was, how they in the end fell in love with each other. It was a beautiful formation between two characters who had so different pasts and ways of thinking but at the same time, they were so similar in so many ways.
The ending of course was terribly sad. I felt bad for Miriam and wished, she could have been able to see herself trough the eyes of Laila and her children.
Sorry for the grammar mistakes, English is not my first language.
The ending of course was terribly sad. I felt bad for Miriam and wished, she could have been able to see herself trough the eyes of Laila and her children.
Sorry for the grammar mistakes, English is not my first language.
challenging
sad
tense
medium-paced
This book was truly amazing. It is one of the best I have read in years! I truly felt for the characters and the hardships they experienced, even though I could obviously not identify with them myself as I have never lived in a war-torn country or a country where women have little say over the choices they make.
I felt so connected to the characters and empathized with them as if they were real people. The amazing thing about this book is that the story describes real events during times of social unrest and war, so these characters and their hardships seem realistic, and surely people living in Afghanistan during these times have lived similar lives.
Although the story is mostly tragic, it is also quite beautiful and hopeful.
I read the book over a period of 24 hours because I was simply so intrigued with the story. I would recommend this book to anyone.
The Kite Runner is next on my list!
I felt so connected to the characters and empathized with them as if they were real people. The amazing thing about this book is that the story describes real events during times of social unrest and war, so these characters and their hardships seem realistic, and surely people living in Afghanistan during these times have lived similar lives.
Although the story is mostly tragic, it is also quite beautiful and hopeful.
I read the book over a period of 24 hours because I was simply so intrigued with the story. I would recommend this book to anyone.
The Kite Runner is next on my list!