Reviews tagging 'Adult/minor relationship'

A Thousand Splendid Suns (Illustrated Edition) by Khaled Hosseini

213 reviews

bookswithlauren's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional funny hopeful informative inspiring reflective sad tense slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Abandonment, Alcoholism, Rape, Sexual assault, Torture, Child death, Death of parent, Miscarriage, Pregnancy, Emotional abuse, Fire/Fire injury, Forced institutionalization, Murder, Police brutality, Sexism, Vomit, Sexual harassment, Toxic relationship, Adult/minor relationship, Alcohol, Blood, Body horror, Bullying, Confinement, Gore, Child abuse, Excrement, Hate crime, Islamophobia, Physical abuse, Religious bigotry, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Domestic abuse, Gaslighting, Genocide, Gun violence, Injury/Injury detail, Medical content, Medical trauma, Death, Grief, Racism, Slavery, Suicide, Trafficking, Violence, Body shaming, and War

ed_moore's review against another edition

emotional sad medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.25

Hosseini’s ‘A Thousand Splendid Suns’ is the tale of two women surviving through the patriarchy and political turmoil of Afghanistan, this being the control of the soviets, violence and civil war between different rebel factions and the rise of the Taliban. It was a brutal and honest depiction of Afghanistan’s struggles which didn’t shy away from depicting the true horrors of living there from starvation, violence and patriarchal control, to war and occupation and the labours of childbirth. 

It is difficult not to reflect on this alongside the other work of Hosseini’s that I have read: ‘The Kite Runner’ and whilst I preferred the longer term focus on the turmoils of Afghanistan which was lost in ‘The Kite Runner’s’ movement to America, I did however find myself much more attached to the characters of that book and to be more emotionally impacted by such. That may  be down to gender resonance. That is not to discredit from ‘A Thousand Splendid Suns’ however, as it was still utterly heart-wrenching and persistently took from the reader alike to the persistent theft of the livelihoods of Laila and Mariam. His use of foreshadowing is also really effective but in cases a bit explicit, it is clear when such is occurring but I would conclude it still works well.

Reading in todays political climate, with the return of the Taliban plaguing Afghanistan, it was also likely more harrowing and impactful than it would likely be if I read such when it was published. Knowing the country has regressed to the under-occupation state it faced in the book after 20 years independence and rebuilding was constantly on my mind and made every tragedy Hosseini described even more saddening and relevant. Hosseini really has a talent for tugging on the heart strings.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Pregnancy, Physical abuse, War, Sexism, Death of parent, Medical trauma, Murder, Adult/minor relationship, Child death, and Suicide

nellys0phie's review against another edition

challenging emotional tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

The book itself is a very heavy and emotional story and is incredibly well written, however I was often bored in the beginning. Eventually things got interesting, and it is cool to see accurate historical moments in chronological order as time goes by in the book. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child death, Death, Domestic abuse, Adult/minor relationship, Emotional abuse, Sexual content, Grief, Miscarriage, Child abuse, Fire/Fire injury, Sexual violence, and War

br14nn4's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional hopeful inspiring reflective sad tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Miscarriage, Rape, Grief, Death of parent, Domestic abuse, Sexual violence, Abandonment, Death, Sexual assault, Adult/minor relationship, Child death, War, Violence, Pregnancy, Physical abuse, Misogyny, and Emotional abuse

sapphiclavi's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional informative inspiring reflective sad tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Death of parent, Domestic abuse, Adult/minor relationship, Violence, Rape, Sexism, Murder, Sexual assault, War, Misogyny, Injury/Injury detail, Emotional abuse, Physical abuse, Blood, and Sexual violence

ellie_gonzalez's review against another edition

dark emotional hopeful sad tense

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Medical trauma, Adult/minor relationship, Abandonment, Emotional abuse, Infertility, Miscarriage, War, Death of parent, and Domestic abuse

Moderate: Abortion, Forced institutionalization, and Alcoholism

phantomsparrow's review against another edition

dark emotional informative sad slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

I gave the book water damage with my tears

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death of parent, Domestic abuse, Grief, Infertility, Injury/Injury detail, War, Medical content, Misogyny, Violence, Death, Adult/minor relationship, Sexism, Physical abuse, and Pregnancy

Moderate: Blood, Abandonment, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Miscarriage, and Rape

Minor: Child abuse, Suicide, and Abortion

28rv_ss's review against another edition

I am so sorry but this book was just too painful to read through but I do have to say, what I like abt Khaled Housseini’s writing is that it is satisfyingly tolerable

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Pedophilia, Misogyny, Hate crime, Grief, Gun violence, Sexism, Pregnancy, Physical abuse, Toxic relationship, Religious bigotry, Injury/Injury detail, Death of parent, War, Bullying, Cursing, Violence, Abandonment, Adult/minor relationship, Blood, Sexual content, Police brutality, and Death

gumdrxps's review against another edition

emotional sad tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

This was honestly one of my favorite books ever. I thoroughly enjoyed the writing style and I loved all the characters so much

(except Rasheed)

It was so heartbreaking as well, I am someone who has never cried from a book, and there were a few instances where my eyes started watering. There are a couple mature topics but I definitely recommend this book.

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Injury/Injury detail, Adult/minor relationship, Toxic friendship, and Violence

Minor: Pregnancy, Infertility, Miscarriage, and Sexual content

kbroshous's review against another edition

dark emotional sad tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Physical abuse, Death of parent, Suicide, Death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Violence, War, and Injury/Injury detail