Reviews

A Thousand Splendid Suns by Khaled Hosseini

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_nimko's review against another edition

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adventurous emotional informative inspiring reflective sad tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? N/A
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

5.0

bookish20's review against another edition

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challenging emotional hopeful reflective sad slow-paced

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

5.0

My 6P review: Publication, Plot, People, Place, Prose/Pace, Praise

At the age of only 15, Mariam is sent to Kabul to marry Rasheed, 30 years her senior. Laila is struck by tragedy and is forced to join the household. Laila and Mariam form a bond in the war-torn nation.

This story evoked many emotions within me. From anger, disbelief and heartfelt warmth, I could not stop reading this story. It had me thinking about how lucky I am to have born into a loving family in the West. I am a valued female member in my community and respected.

I loved the characters, even those who were positively terrible. They were so well written. I really felt for Mariam and Laila. Their friendship bloomed from a rivalry and I was so glad that what eventuated (no spoilers) happened. I can also see how males become products of their fathers with their poorly learnt behaviour.

I feel like I have lived in Afghanistan as a result of the writing. I can taste the dust and feel the wind.

Hosseini’s writing is beautiful. It is so poetic and the imagery is so vivid.

If you loved The Kite Runner, (if you haven’t read it, you should), definitely read this novel.

How is this treatment of women still allowed to happen? While Australia battles domestic violence, it goes on as a normal part of life in these countries. Shameful.