Reviews tagging 'Abandonment'

A Thousand Splendid Suns by Khaled Hosseini

78 reviews

monicalaurette's review against another edition

I DNFed this book at 49% and let me tell you why: I wasn’t the biggest fan of the Kite Runner to start, so I went into this book wondering if I’d like it more. I did but only by a little bit. 

For me it’s more on Khaled’s writing style and prose than the actual story he told. So because of that, and the fact I could tell how the story would end based on the summary and sections of the book I did read, I decided to not continue reading it.

One thing I felt was interesting was that both girls had sort of the same relationships with their parents for the majority of the time. Both loved their fathers and while they loved their mothers, had a more stand-offish relationship with them. And sadly when both parents left their lives, it was through trauma and heartbreak.

With Khaled’s stories that I’ve read, I just find it also uncomfortable to have miscarriage and a woman’s infertility something that is part of the story. Like the only thing left to make them a true woman is ripped away but then “hey! Here’s a child that you didn’t birth but you’ll now love and you’re whole again” rubbed me the wrong way. Especially as someone who has fertility issues (though I never plan to have children, but still). And while I’m not an amputee or know anyone who is (that I can recall right now while writing this) having Laila compare the loss of Tariq to phantom limb pain was off-putting, but I also see why that specific comparison was made towards Tariq since he was, in fact, missing a leg and had a prosthetic.

Perhaps if I watched this as a movie or show instead of reading it I’d finish it. But I know the ending (broadly) and don’t really care about the characters, I don’t know if I’ll ever search that out.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Gun violence, Blood, Domestic abuse, Suicide, War, Violence, and Death

Moderate: Child death, Emotional abuse, Pregnancy, Miscarriage, Sexual content, Death, Grief, Incest, Abandonment, and Death of parent

tezariah's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional informative sad tense medium-paced

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

3.0

Every book starts at 3 stars for me. Now, every few moments, this book kept dwindling from 3 stars to 4 stars to 2 stars, and then right back to 3 stars. The reason for that is primarily because even though I felt an attachment to the characters, I still felt disconnected from the story itself. Who knows...it may be my fault when it comes to my reading mood but this book didn't make me as passionate about the storyline as I had for Kite Runner. 

I had no idea what to expect from the story, but for me, that is a regular thing as I am one who doesn't like knowing what a story is about before reading. I'm not sure what I was looking for while reading this, but I did enjoy the characters a lot. I cared about them deeply. And I would have never picked up this book on my own if it wasn't for me having joined my neighborhood book club. 

I am happy that I read this book. Hosseini seems to be a writer of deep character studies and that to me is what makes his books so heart-wrenching. I don't think I will be reading his other book, but I can't ever fully make that claim because somehow I always find myself doing what I never think I would do.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Domestic abuse, Miscarriage, War, Child death, Grief, Emotional abuse, Infertility, Blood, Death, Death of parent, Physical abuse, Police brutality, Rape, Violence, Abandonment, Adult/minor relationship, Sexual content, and Toxic relationship

bkahmann's review against another edition

dark emotional hopeful informative inspiring sad 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? It's complicated

5.0

Genuinely would give this 100 stars if I could. If this isn’t my favourite book, it’s certainly in my top three. I reread it every couple of years and each time I’ll cry at least 4 or 5 times while reading. The writing is beautiful, the characters are complex, just….wow. The ending is so beautifully executed too and leaves you with this feeling of perseverance and hope. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Domestic abuse, Adult/minor relationship, Injury/Injury detail, War, Violence, Physical abuse, Emotional abuse, Death, Gun violence, Murder, and Pedophilia

Moderate: Abortion, Rape, Miscarriage, Suicide, Death of parent, Infertility, Racism, and Grief

Minor: Cursing, Abandonment, Ableism, and Xenophobia

✨ emotional damage ✨

spencerjie's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional reflective 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

4.5

this book is, understandably, incredibly dark. taking place in war-torn Afghanistan, these personal stories get to the root of the effects of war, traditionalism, womanhood, religion, and so much more. gorgeous prose and insightful storytelling. i would be very cautious and cognizant that you are in a decent mental health space before you read this book because it is nothing short of brutal from beginning to end.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Infidelity, Islamophobia, Misogyny, Police brutality, Sexual assault, Abandonment, Adult/minor relationship, Blood, Child abuse, Child death, Death of parent, Death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Gaslighting, Genocide, Gore, Grief, Gun violence, Infertility, Injury/Injury detail, Mass/school shootings, Medical trauma, Miscarriage, Mental illness, Murder, Physical abuse, Pregnancy, Rape, Self harm, Sexism, Sexual harassment, Sexual violence, Slavery, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Suicide attempt, Torture, Vomit, Violence, and War

bcooper21's review against another edition

challenging emotional informative 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? Yes

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Murder, Adult/minor relationship, Child abuse, Child death, Death of parent, Domestic abuse, Grief, Physical abuse, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Torture, Violence, War, Suicide, and Rape

Moderate: Blood, Pregnancy, Miscarriage, Abandonment, and Injury/Injury detail

neha_aswal's review against another edition

dark emotional hopeful reflective sad tense medium-paced

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

4.25

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexual violence, Death, Child abuse, Domestic abuse, War, Physical abuse, Adult/minor relationship, Abandonment, Violence, Suicide, Suicidal thoughts, Sexual assault, Murder, and Bullying

chiara_dose's review against another edition

dark emotional informative inspiring reflective sad 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

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Forced institutionalization, Physical abuse, and Violence

Moderate: Abandonment, Adult/minor relationship, and Death of parent

Minor: Miscarriage

bookswstella's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional reflective sad tense medium-paced

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

4.25

This book was so beautiful, heartbreaking and real. Mariam and Laila’s stories are both heartbreaking, you can literally touch on the emotions in this book. 
I love the dual POV and the story is so touching. It really made me think about the difference between men and woman and it’s fascinating how different the world sees on it.

It’s so so beautiful and well written and I will definitely read more by Khaled Hosseini!

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death of parent, Medical trauma, Emotional abuse, Violence, Abandonment, War, Blood, Deadnaming, Adult/minor relationship, and Gun violence

Minor: Child abuse, Torture, Sexual violence, Hate crime, and Sexual assault

pomegranate117's review against another edition

dark 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

5.0

I never felt this connected to a character from a book before, the way the story moves to different parts of life and people and the horrors of war is heartbreaking but so haunting at the same time, you keep reading about these characters and their lives is full of ups and downs and you’re thrown into this mixer of emotions that breaks your heart in the best way possible. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Domestic abuse, Gun violence, Misogyny, Violence, War, Abandonment, Child death, Death, Death of parent, Emotional abuse, Mass/school shootings, Miscarriage, Physical abuse, Police brutality, Religious bigotry, and Suicide

mg_niso's review against another edition

dark emotional hopeful reflective sad 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

4.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: War, Domestic abuse, and Genocide

Moderate: Misogyny, Death of parent, Emotional abuse, Physical abuse, Grief, and Miscarriage

Minor: Rape, Abandonment, Sexism, and Suicide