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4.07 AVERAGE
4.07 AVERAGE
adventurous
emotional
reflective
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
adventurous
emotional
reflective
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:
No
i loved very specific parts of this book - its writing style, the way everything was brought back together, the way you get to see different people's lives, and how they intertwine. you can tell its not Khaled Hosseini's best work but its still phenomenal. very devastating and heartwarming at the same time.
dark
emotional
hopeful
reflective
sad
medium-paced
A single complex story told from many different perspectives. Sad and a bit depressing. But beautifully written
emotional
reflective
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
This was an amazingly woven tale. Each chapter was powerful in itself but added to the overall story as well. So rich.
I had avoided reading Hosseini's first book for a long time, despite (and probably because of) glowing recommendations from friends and pirated copies available at every traffic-light in Delhi (which is as good a sign as any that the book is a huge hit with the masses), assuming it would be an unrewarding foray into pop-emotionality. Superficial elements that garnish a hollow story meant to pull at your tear ducts, but eventually signify nothing, meant to be forgotten the next day.
When I finally did give in, largely because I wanted to read about Afghanistan, I was surprised how much I enjoyed it. Including those elements meant to pull at your tear ducts. It went a bit over the top on occasion in trying to stitch up a neat little tale, and I longed for more depth at times, but it was a beautiful story from a land with one of the most tragic pasts. It really was a very effective 'airport novel'.
Having experienced the same pleasure, if in a slightly diminished quantity, from his second book, I was quite eagerly awaiting this new offering.
It's a well-told story again, stretching across Afghanistan, France, US and Greece, spanning over sixty years, in Hosseini's typical style. It lags in places, where I got impatient with extended descriptions of people's lives I didn't care so much about. I can imagine falling asleep during some chapters if I did have to read this while traveling. The characters themselves also have begun to seem repetitive, moved here from the earlier two books with very slight changes in personalities. But, this story of relationships - parent-child, and brother-sister (either from same parents or brought together by fate) - with the backdrop of the tumultuous history of Afghanistan and Afghans, still hits the spot.
This also seemed written with a greater focus on a movie adaptation than the earlier two books. Wouldn't be surprised if a studio has already bought the rights to it.
When I finally did give in, largely because I wanted to read about Afghanistan, I was surprised how much I enjoyed it. Including those elements meant to pull at your tear ducts. It went a bit over the top on occasion in trying to stitch up a neat little tale, and I longed for more depth at times, but it was a beautiful story from a land with one of the most tragic pasts. It really was a very effective 'airport novel'.
Having experienced the same pleasure, if in a slightly diminished quantity, from his second book, I was quite eagerly awaiting this new offering.
It's a well-told story again, stretching across Afghanistan, France, US and Greece, spanning over sixty years, in Hosseini's typical style. It lags in places, where I got impatient with extended descriptions of people's lives I didn't care so much about. I can imagine falling asleep during some chapters if I did have to read this while traveling. The characters themselves also have begun to seem repetitive, moved here from the earlier two books with very slight changes in personalities. But, this story of relationships - parent-child, and brother-sister (either from same parents or brought together by fate) - with the backdrop of the tumultuous history of Afghanistan and Afghans, still hits the spot.
This also seemed written with a greater focus on a movie adaptation than the earlier two books. Wouldn't be surprised if a studio has already bought the rights to it.
Khaled Hosseini is a great storyteller, and this book is no exception. As with his other novels he writes a compelling tale about people affected by the continuing issues in Afghanistan. I didn't like this story as much as the other two as I felt it had too many different story lines, and though interesting to see the different points of view, it distracted my attention and made me care less about the story overall. A couple of the story lines could have been left out completely and others expanded. I liked the opening "fairy tale" that frames the whole book, it adds context for your reading.
emotional
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