Reviews tagging 'Abortion'

A Thousand Splendid Suns by Khaled Hosseini

93 reviews

grichmond's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional hopeful inspiring reflective sad medium-paced

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

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Blood, Body horror, Child abuse, Death, Death of parent, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Grief, Infertility, Injury/Injury detail, Miscarriage, Misogyny, Murder, Physical abuse, Rape, Religious bigotry, and War

Moderate: Gun violence, Pregnancy, and Torture

Minor: Abortion and Child death

beckyjc'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? It's complicated

4.25

Where to even begin with this one? God, it's sad. Deeply, brutally sad. I had reservations reading it given that Afghanistan has fallen again to the Taliban since this book was published. Would this real-life backdrop make it even sadder? The answer is yes. But I do think it's important to read stories like this, as heartbreaking as they are. My knowledge of the conflicts in Afghanistan over the past few decades is limited, and likely full of misconceptions. I wanted to read an Afghan writer to try and understand more of the human impact.

Mariam and Laila's story's really affected me. Both women are drawn with such respect and empathy. The love story between Laila and Tariq is one of the sweetest I've read this year and I was rooting for them the whole time.

When Tariq returns 'from the dead' I gasped out loud on the bus where I was reading it. Some hope in amongst the sheer horror at last!

The complexities of the religious and cultural customs of the country (and the differences between Kabul and other towns or rural areas), and the relationship between men and women, are fascinating and sobering to a Western eye. Some of the chapters left me feeling desolate. How can we be so inhumane to one another? And knowing that the women of Afghanistan are once more having to live under such barbaric, utterly deplorable conditions is almost unbearable. I carried on reading because the characters are compelling and I was invested, but it was not a comfortable read in the slightest. 

The relationship between Mariam and Laila is beautiful written, moving from initial suspicion and hostility to a touching depiction of quasi-motherhood. The indignities and suffering they must endure is very troubling to read, but their ultimate resilience of spirit does give the book some respite and a welcome hopeful core. I just desperately wish that this wasn't the reality of thousands of women still today. Still. Again. Can we begrudge or blame immigrants fleeing such terrors? How can this be an acceptable way of life for the people of Afghanistan?

The ending made me very reflective. At first I didn't understand why Laila would want to return to Kabul. Surely, as the site of so much atrocity and personal tragedy, she should stay well clear and protect herself and her family? But this is an important lesson I took from the book. What happens when your home becomes a place of fear and destitution as a result of war? What responsibilities do we have to future generations, and to the past, to restore order? To rebuild and to grow? What does home and heritage mean? This is another reason the developing real world events are so devastating in the context of this book I think. The constant cycle of destruction and regeneration. When will it end?

The writing is not overly sophisticated. Hosseini has an eye for a good story and keeps things simple. But against such a complex political backdrop this is no bad thing, I think. I'm glad I saw it through. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Bullying, Confinement, Death, Death of parent, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Grief, Injury/Injury detail, Medical trauma, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Religious bigotry, Sexism, Violence, and War

Moderate: Fire/Fire injury, Gun violence, Miscarriage, Pregnancy, and Rape

Minor: Abortion

haley49's review against another edition

challenging emotional inspiring 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? N/A

4.75

This was such a powerful story. It’s one of those historical fiction stories that stay with you long after you finish. It was an interesting glimpse of Afghanistan’s history from the eyes of two women. I loved both characters and felt for their pain. The book took awhile to get through because everything took place over long stretches of time and the plot was slow paced. However, once you push through you get a beautifully moving and heartfelt story that made me bawl my eyes out. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Death, Death of parent, Miscarriage, Misogyny, Sexism, Violence, War, and Domestic abuse

Moderate: Abortion

Minor: Alcohol and Animal death

mollyanne624's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional informative reflective 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? Yes

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Abandonment, War, Sexual violence, Sexual assault, Sexism, Rape, Pregnancy, Physical abuse, Murder, Misogyny, Miscarriage, Injury/Injury detail, Infertility, Grief, Gore, Domestic abuse, Death, Death of parent, and Child death

Minor: Abortion, Alcohol, Alcoholism, and Bullying

strange's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional hopeful inspiring reflective 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... do not even know how to put words to this book. Mariam. Laila. These two women will live in my heart forever, and I am amazed at how they came to life in 400 short pages. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Child abuse, Confinement, Death, Death of parent, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Grief, Infertility, Miscarriage, Murder, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Pregnancy, Rape, Religious bigotry, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, and War

Moderate: Blood and Abortion

Minor: Abandonment, Excrement, and Gun violence

abbyreadsandwrites's review against another edition

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Death of parent, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Grief, Injury/Injury detail, Mental illness, Miscarriage, Misogyny, Murder, Physical abuse, Pregnancy, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexism, Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Suicide attempt, Violence, and War

Moderate: Ableism and Abortion

annika_hogan's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional sad medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child abuse and Domestic abuse

Moderate: Miscarriage, Infertility, Rape, Mental illness, Death of parent, and Death

Minor: Abortion

laurendenton's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional informative 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

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Death of parent, Domestic abuse, Grief, Gun violence, Miscarriage, Misogyny, Murder, Physical abuse, Pregnancy, Sexism, Violence, and War

Moderate: Abandonment, Abortion, Adult/minor relationship, Blood, Child abuse, Child death, Confinement, Fire/Fire injury, Gore, Injury/Injury detail, Medical content, Rape, Sexual content, Suicide, Toxic relationship, and Torture

Minor: Drug use and Excrement

rc_1991_'s review against another edition

challenging dark emotional sad 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

4.5

Very emotional read about female solidarity, misogyny and the search for redemption and life's meaning. Found the two female protagonist perspectives to be highly convincing and engaging and shed many tears towards the end! A challenging read which is made all the more emotionally harrowing given Kabul's current conflicts. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Abandonment, Death, Death of parent, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Grief, Gun violence, Infertility, Mental illness, Murder, Physical abuse, Pregnancy, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, War, and Violence

Moderate: Child death and Schizophrenia/Psychosis

Minor: Abortion, Alcoholism, Blood, Child abuse, Chronic illness, Cursing, and Infidelity

ninaaaaa's review against another edition

adventurous challenging emotional hopeful sad fast-paced

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

4.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Miscarriage, Murder, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexism, Sexual harassment, Toxic relationship, Violence, War, Misogyny, and Suicide

Moderate: Abortion, Death of parent, Grief, and Pregnancy