Reviews with content warning for Injury/Injury detail - A Thousand Splendid Suns

This book is a solid four. I do recommend it, but it isn’t one of my favorites. The book focuses on women written by a man. It is a little hard to connect to that.
It is definitely heartbreaking and touching. You can feel it all. Great book.

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vaniavela's review against another edition

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emotional sad tense medium-paced

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

4.5

I begin by saying that I regret not having read this book sooner, but I had been told it would destroy me emotionally and I was not in a good emotional position.

Now, this book was a huge journey.

I found Mariam's childhood quite sad. I understand the mother's perspective, how her view of Mariam's father is completely different from hers. To Mariam, her father is a wonderful being who loves her.

When she was engaged to Rasheed, I felt hatred from that moment on. I swear I hated him every second since he was introduced to the plot. All the physical and emotional abuse he committed against Mariam was repulsive.

When introducing Laila's character I had been a little confused, because I wondered who she was and what her importance was.It wasn't until the events of the bombing happened that everything became clear.

The relationship between Tariq and Laila made my heart fill with tenderness and pain. Watching him leave and return after not showing any signs of life tore me apart. When we found out that he "died" I SOBBED. I couldn't bear the thought. I didn't want to believe it.

When I found out that Rasheed paid a guy to say that Tariq had died, I swear my villain story began. I had sensed something from a comment he replied to Laila after reminding her not to speak ill of the dead. He said "some people are never dead enough" AND THEN CLEARLY. HE WASN'T DEAD.

I was so glad he was killed, I felt such satisfaction. But to see Mariam condemned for attacking him, it hurt me so much. AFTER ALL, THEY KILL HER FOR SELF-DEFENSE?

When Tariq and Laila finally meet after years and manage to live a "better" life, I cried with joy. I wanted nothing but happiness for them. AND SEEING HOW THEY WOULD NAME THE BABY "MARIAM" GAVE ME SO MUCH JOY.

I honestly felt so much with this book, I even threw up, but it was so good.

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grichmond's review against another edition

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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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beckyjc's review against another edition

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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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