Reviews tagging 'Medical trauma'

A Thousand Splendid Suns by Khaled Hosseini

45 reviews

kitkat99's review

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emotional hopeful reflective sad medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? N/A
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

5.0


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mary_c's review

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challenging dark emotional sad tense medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.0

This novel is not for the faint of heart.  It is painful and tragic.  There is repeatedly domestic violence, which is very intense and vivid.  There is general misogyny, hatred of women if they are unable to conceive, or if they give birth to girls.  There is graphic, war-related violence.  And that does not cover all the potential triggers that occur in the book.  Good writing, well-crafted story, important historical depiction, but it is not an easy read for the sensitive.  

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almaashussain's review

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challenging dark emotional sad tense medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? No

5.0

What a wonderful read. Many sad moments, but ultimately a satisfying ending. Understand the pashto and farsi words without needing a translation is so rewarding. Definitely a compelling and fulfilling read for us brown muslims!

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reading_historical_romance's review

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challenging dark emotional reflective sad tense medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0


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reads2cope's review

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4.5

Resilient is a word I'm tired of being demanded of those struggling to survive in the "East," but it is the most fitting to describe these characters. It was heartbreaking and infuriating to see each woman hope that after these bombs, peace will finally come, knowing the horrors that befell Afghanistan next. 

The middle of this novel almost had me giving up. Every violence that the Soviet Union, the civil war, the USA was made so real and clear, and then to have such beautiful, complex, wounded women abused by their husband made me want to stop reading. I'm so glad I didn't, the end of this book was everything I'd hoped for, though it still destroyed me.

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gabriella_'s review

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dark emotional reflective sad tense medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.75

i had to leave the room i was in to cry while reading this. idk if this is controversial but in some ways i preferred this over the kite runner. i think there are problematic elements in the book but it still has a captivating prose and poetic flow that is easy to get lost in

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kiwichill's review against another edition

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challenging dark emotional hopeful reflective sad tense medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

A historical drama which follows the lives of two women over decades, with a background of conflicts and wars in Afghanistan 

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rene_reads02's review

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challenging emotional informative reflective tense fast-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? No

5.0

This was one of the best books I read in a while. It shows the horrors of war and what challenges women faced during that time. This book opened my eyes to a lot of the struggles people were dealing with on a daily basis. Some of these happened before I was born & the rest when I was just a kid, but it’s a perspective that I didn’t realize I’d been waiting my whole life to hear. The characters were so inspiring! There were times when my heart wept for them and times when I cheered them on. 

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maajidah's review

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challenging dark emotional informative 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

"one last time, Mariam did as she was told" 

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malucavia's review

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dark emotional hopeful inspiring sad tense fast-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? It's complicated

4.75

Maybe the best book I’ve ever read. 

It was beautifully written and really captivating. Hosseini has a very pleasant to read writing style. Because of its swift pace the book is a real page turner. 

It was also very unpredictable - in a good way. This kept you on your toes throughout the entire novel and made you eager to find out what happened next.

The story revolves around the lives of Mariam and Laila. Their lives are though surviving as women in a tumultuous Afganistan. It was at times very emotional to read.


I cried a lot during the book, but especially at the end when Mariam essentially sacrificed herself for Laila. And when Laila announced that she would name her daughter after Mariam. The way Hosseini wrote this (and tbh the entire novel) was both absolutely heartbreaking as well as beautiful.



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