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3.55 AVERAGE
3.55 AVERAGE
emotional
informative
sad
medium-paced
I can't think of any superlatives or a kind Introduction about this book, because…. The Bookseller of Kabul is very black and white. I felt this books is misleading about Muslims from the little knowledge I have about the religion and the faith towards Islam, almost hate inducing.
One of the reasons it didn’t work for me might be because of the vivid descriptions of violence on women, but I’ve read similar books… to handle the same factor of this book.
There is a sequence where a teenage girl is spotted meeting a teenage boy at a park and is beaten by her brothers and father, eventually forcing her into a marriage. And there is another woman who commits similar ‘crime’ and is suffocated to death.
Sultan, The bookseller in the title, describes himself as a man of literature and liberal, treats his wife as a sex object, when she gets old he gets himself a teenage wife. You sense any pedophilia with domestic violence there?
There are also plenty of other interesting stories giving an insight into how life in Afghanistan at that time was (Taliban/Al-khaida attacks), and the names given to each chapter manages to tickle that curiosity bone, sadly only that it lasts for a minute or two before you turn the page. And this is me trying to tell a thing or two that felt good to me about this book, well unlike this book, I’m not someone who sees something in black and white.
The Bookseller of Kabul is a subjective interpretation of events rather than a fact based report, which I think will be a drawback in a nonfiction. Correct me if I’m wrong, nonfiction books are to show things as they are, without or very less of creative liberation of the author which is clearly missing in this book. It felt more of a fiction.
One of the reasons it didn’t work for me might be because of the vivid descriptions of violence on women, but I’ve read similar books… to handle the same factor of this book.
There is a sequence where a teenage girl is spotted meeting a teenage boy at a park and is beaten by her brothers and father, eventually forcing her into a marriage. And there is another woman who commits similar ‘crime’ and is suffocated to death.
Sultan, The bookseller in the title, describes himself as a man of literature and liberal, treats his wife as a sex object, when she gets old he gets himself a teenage wife. You sense any pedophilia with domestic violence there?
There are also plenty of other interesting stories giving an insight into how life in Afghanistan at that time was (Taliban/Al-khaida attacks), and the names given to each chapter manages to tickle that curiosity bone, sadly only that it lasts for a minute or two before you turn the page. And this is me trying to tell a thing or two that felt good to me about this book, well unlike this book, I’m not someone who sees something in black and white.
The Bookseller of Kabul is a subjective interpretation of events rather than a fact based report, which I think will be a drawback in a nonfiction. Correct me if I’m wrong, nonfiction books are to show things as they are, without or very less of creative liberation of the author which is clearly missing in this book. It felt more of a fiction.
This was a fascinating glimpse into everyday life in Afghanistan. However, the stories felt disjointed and the writing lacked passion. It read more like a journalistic piece than a novel. The daily oppression of so many members of society, but particularly the women, was astonishing.
emotional
informative
reflective
medium-paced
emotional
informative
sad
medium-paced
challenging
I wanna say i hated it but i didnt? It did make me angry at times but considering that it is non fiction and is told from the perspective of an outsider, i dont think i expected much better
was toying between 3 and 4 stars for this, in my head it’s 3.5
perhaps because of my limited exposure to books written around the taliban period of afghanistan and centring in kabul (i’m sure there are many) i can’t help but compare this to Khaled Hosseini (KR + TSS). it’s interesting because i didn’t get the love for the place and people and culture from Seierstad as i did from Hosseini and that made it less enjoyable BUT i do think her personal experience as a westerner mixing with these women and sharing some of their experiences, navigating life in a burka for one, is also valuable.
i do understand the criticisms but i think those angry at Seierstad’s portrayal of life for women in afghanistan are more worried about seeming narrow minded or intolerant than they are about human women living in an oppressive and patriarchal culture. it’s obvious afghani culture is full of beauty and light and history, and full of people who love their country, want the best for their women and children and disagree with regimes that have caused and encouraged violence and oppression. this doesn’t change the fact that life for men and (particularly) women is different than that in the west. women (and a lot of men) in general have fewer choices, less access to education and live more constrained lives and it is perfectly reasonable to be critical of this! as should be obvious, there are many afghani people that feel the same.
perhaps because of my limited exposure to books written around the taliban period of afghanistan and centring in kabul (i’m sure there are many) i can’t help but compare this to Khaled Hosseini (KR + TSS). it’s interesting because i didn’t get the love for the place and people and culture from Seierstad as i did from Hosseini and that made it less enjoyable BUT i do think her personal experience as a westerner mixing with these women and sharing some of their experiences, navigating life in a burka for one, is also valuable.
i do understand the criticisms but i think those angry at Seierstad’s portrayal of life for women in afghanistan are more worried about seeming narrow minded or intolerant than they are about human women living in an oppressive and patriarchal culture. it’s obvious afghani culture is full of beauty and light and history, and full of people who love their country, want the best for their women and children and disagree with regimes that have caused and encouraged violence and oppression. this doesn’t change the fact that life for men and (particularly) women is different than that in the west. women (and a lot of men) in general have fewer choices, less access to education and live more constrained lives and it is perfectly reasonable to be critical of this! as should be obvious, there are many afghani people that feel the same.
adventurous
emotional
informative
sad
tense
fast-paced