Reviews tagging 'Physical abuse'

A Thousand Splendid Suns by Khaled Hosseini

291 reviews

imaginefishes's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional sad tense 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

Just like The Kite Runner, this book hit me right where it hurts. Hosseini’s writing style was a welcome sight, and I deeply enjoyed reading about another facet of Afghan living and history in this book. While the gut-wrenching moments here were perhaps not as severe as in The Kite Runner (after all, that sort of betrayal is hard to beat), the domestic abuse and oppression of women delineated in its pages left me breathless and at times, fearful with anxiety. We follow the story of Mariam at the start, and I was confused initially as to why the perspective began to change from chapter to chapter (between Mariam and Laila), until the moment it clicked into place. This story is heartbreaking, once again touching on the idea of parental love (or rather, its lack thereof) but from a female lens instead, where powers continuously attempt to strip them of their agency and how these women act in different ways to manage it, one in subservient acceptance and one in defiant resistance. I was drawn in from the beginning, and my attention would drift to the book and its characters up to the moment I finished its story. Another brilliant, masterfully woven story by Hosseini about the tribulations of Afghanistan.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Injury/Injury detail, Death of parent, Sexism, Blood, Child death, Domestic abuse, Violence, War, Misogyny, and Physical abuse

Moderate: Grief, Racism, Sexual violence, Gun violence, Miscarriage, Pregnancy, Sexual content, Suicide, and Rape

Minor: Infidelity, Islamophobia, Murder, Ableism, Classism, and Confinement

I was hoping that they would both be able to get the happy ending they deserved, but alas, in life, you don’t always get what you wish for. It is tragic, and yet, there is a poetic beauty to it.

saskia_ej's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional reflective sad tense fast-paced

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

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Misogyny, Violence, Adult/minor relationship, Toxic relationship, Sexual content, Suicide, Genocide, Grief, Injury/Injury detail, Death, Death of parent, Pregnancy, Sexual assault, War, Miscarriage, Murder, and Physical abuse

bethw009's review against another edition

challenging emotional inspiring 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? It's complicated

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child abuse, Physical abuse, Grief, Pregnancy, Death, Domestic abuse, and Emotional abuse

sadiaa's review

5.0

I read this book when I was a teenager so this is a reread, but it will always be 5 stars.

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Forced institutionalization, Genocide, War, Injury/Injury detail, Misogyny, Sexual violence, Blood, Grief, Infertility, Pedophilia, Police brutality, Toxic relationship, Violence, Classism, Colonisation, Murder, Adult/minor relationship, Death, Domestic abuse, Eating disorder, Pregnancy, Rape, Religious bigotry, Emotional abuse, Miscarriage, Abandonment, Ableism, Child death, Child abuse, Cursing, Death of parent, and Physical abuse

247_booklove's review against another edition

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Abortion and Physical abuse

thisbookishcat's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional sad medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated

5.0

Khaled has done it again! I believe wholeheartedly that this is even better than his first novel, The Kite Runner.

This is a powerful, dramatic, and heartbreaking story about the struggle for independence, human rights, and love. It made you laugh with the characters, get angry with them, cry with them, and cry for them. This novel takes you on an emotional journey that leaves you feeling broken and whole at the same time.

Like The Kite Runner I would recommend this to anyone looking for something that will make you think and question the world and life, just be ware that this is not a happy, go lucky novel. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Physical abuse and War

happinessie's review against another edition

dark emotional sad tense medium-paced

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

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Misogyny, Murder, Sexism, Grief, Sexual violence, Suicide, Abandonment, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Injury/Injury detail, Blood, Death, Infertility, Physical abuse, Gun violence, Death of parent, Medical trauma, Miscarriage, Rape, Sexual content, Terminal illness, Toxic relationship, Violence, and War

maria0906's review against another edition

dark emotional informative sad tense fast-paced

4.0

To be honest I found it hard to get into the book. I wasn't sure what to expect and the first 7 ish chapters didn't fully drag me into the book. But I still read on and I don't regret it. The book gives us two povs of two different women living in Afghanistan. It shows the burdens the women have to go through. I really "enjoyed" the book (like it's not cool what happens). The characters have a good story line, you can relate to them, some parts of this book (many) make your heart break for these women and other parts make your heart melt with the kindness, compassion and sacrifice. I also found this book so informing about Afghanistan, it shed a light to a situation I wasn't aware of. Overall I really like this book and I'd reccomend it. 

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Domestic abuse, Miscarriage, Physical abuse, War, Rape, Violence, and Sexual violence

Minor: Suicide

melike_k's review against another edition

emotional inspiring medium-paced

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

5.0

It's an emotional topic approached in such a way that readers develop a relationship with the main characters. Great for cultural awareness and discussions about women's rights 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Domestic abuse, Physical abuse, and Toxic relationship

Moderate: Miscarriage and Death

Minor: Suicide and Death of parent

keyhaw's review against another edition

dark emotional informative 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? It's complicated

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Murder, Police brutality, Domestic abuse, Death, Genocide, Rape, Sexual violence, War, Emotional abuse, Physical abuse, Sexual assault, and Violence