You need to sign in or sign up before continuing.
Take a photo of a barcode or cover
3.55 AVERAGE
3.55 AVERAGE
challenging
dark
informative
reflective
sad
fast-paced
The back cover promises a book about a "mesmerizing portrait of a proud man," but the book was mostly about his immediate and extended family. The author said she added a fictional, literary flair to smooth out the narrative, but the stories felt true to life and shed a light on a culture and lifestyles that most English-speaking readers will never encounter. There is so much shame, longing, and resignation in these pages. There are so few opportunities or resources available to these people, and very little joy, it seems. Everything felt so bleak, and I can only wonder how they are all getting on after another 20 years of political seismic shifts, the capture of Osama bin Laden, the American withdrawal, etc. It's not a pleasant read, but definitely interesting and worth the time.
dark
informative
medium-paced
To start with, I think the marketing of this book was quite mismatched. It has multiple elements pointing out that this is a fiction book, however it walks a very thin line towards the non fiction description.
I also think it is very weird to have the author live with a family and completely remove herself from the entire story, as if she was a fly on the wall. Because she could not have possibly been. This was actually something that kept pulling me out of the reading experience - trying to figure out if the author saw the things she was describing, if she ever intervened etc.
Overall, I wouldn't recommend this book - it is a mix of things that does not know what it wants to be.
I also think it is very weird to have the author live with a family and completely remove herself from the entire story, as if she was a fly on the wall. Because she could not have possibly been. This was actually something that kept pulling me out of the reading experience - trying to figure out if the author saw the things she was describing, if she ever intervened etc.
Overall, I wouldn't recommend this book - it is a mix of things that does not know what it wants to be.
Bra bok, spennende tematikk! Kanskje ikke heeelt min cup of tea historiefortellingsmessig, skulle ønske man kom enda dypere inn på personene, spesielt kanskje farsfiguren og hvorfor han har blitt som han har blitt. Mange karakterer å forholde seg til. Men alt i alt god bok!
An up close view of life inside modern-day Afghanistan. The treatment of women is abominable, even to this day. A quick, eye-opening read.
dark
emotional
informative
sad
medium-paced
I don't recommend this book. Instead, read A Thousand Splendid Suns.
I have so many issues with this book I don't know where to start. A Norwegian journalist meets a businessman in Kabul, lives with his family for 4 months then writes a disjointed nonfiction memoir of his family. Only 3 members of the family speak English. The book completely takes the author out of the picture - she's a silent, nonexistent observer. She writes in an omniscient style, giving thoughts and motivations to the characters. The problem is that they are real people. Real people that she couldn't even speak to in their own language. She writes of things that will obviously cause problems for members of the family - secret love letters, etc. The writing was quite good and interesting at parts but it was all over the place.
This should have been published as fiction. If the author had any sense, she would have written an actual story, published it as fiction.
The author lost one lawsuit already and had to pay damages to the second wife portrayed in the book. It sounds like there will be other lawsuits. I don't know where she studied journalism, but her journalism credentials should be revoked.
I have so many issues with this book I don't know where to start. A Norwegian journalist meets a businessman in Kabul, lives with his family for 4 months then writes a disjointed nonfiction memoir of his family. Only 3 members of the family speak English. The book completely takes the author out of the picture - she's a silent, nonexistent observer. She writes in an omniscient style, giving thoughts and motivations to the characters. The problem is that they are real people. Real people that she couldn't even speak to in their own language. She writes of things that will obviously cause problems for members of the family - secret love letters, etc. The writing was quite good and interesting at parts but it was all over the place.
This should have been published as fiction. If the author had any sense, she would have written an actual story, published it as fiction.
The author lost one lawsuit already and had to pay damages to the second wife portrayed in the book. It sounds like there will be other lawsuits. I don't know where she studied journalism, but her journalism credentials should be revoked.
In some ways an interesting window into a family in Afghanistan at a particularly interesting point in time, and I learned a lot of history that I probably should have known, but I was also very uncomfortable with Seierstad's judgements and sweeping generalizations. I think it helps to realize that she was expecting a different family dynamic when she conceived of the project, but her personal judgements of people and Afghan culture seep through on every page and undermine the potential value.
The fact that she had to rely on family members for interpreting is problematic, and it would have been better for her to simply write her own story of living with the family, rather than trying to tell their story for them. The fact that at least some of the family members were unhappy with their portrayals in the book and felt that Seierstad had portrayed their trust is also telling.
The fact that she had to rely on family members for interpreting is problematic, and it would have been better for her to simply write her own story of living with the family, rather than trying to tell their story for them. The fact that at least some of the family members were unhappy with their portrayals in the book and felt that Seierstad had portrayed their trust is also telling.
Este livro não teve nada a ver com o que estava à espera... Pensava que ia ler sobre "O livreiro de Cabul", mas afinal li sobre a sua extensa família e os seus costumes.. E mais uma vez fiquei a pensar para mim, cambada de b****s...