sunset_farm_library's review against another edition
4.0
This book is beautiful, just like The Kite Runner. Hosseini is a wonderful writer and I'm loving this book.
hughesgalen's review against another edition
4.0
3.5-4ish. I liked but didn’t love this book and can’t quite put my finger on why. I had a few issues with the timelines, but I don’t think this detracted enough from the story to be a major flaw for me. The pacing was great and for being almost 400 pages this went quick.
Hosseini does have a gift for storytelling and the characters were captivating and beautiful. I like how things came together at the end and I enjoyed learning more about Afghanistan. In short, a few things didn’t work for me in this book but I’d still recommend to most people.
Hosseini does have a gift for storytelling and the characters were captivating and beautiful. I like how things came together at the end and I enjoyed learning more about Afghanistan. In short, a few things didn’t work for me in this book but I’d still recommend to most people.
fe_aye's review
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.5
Khaled Hosseini is a good author, I adore his writing style and that is the main reason I ended up finishing this book,. He knows how to weave words together masterfully and I have previously enjoyed his other books The Kite Runner and A Thousand Splendid Suns.
This book did not gel with me, it spends a vast majority of the narrative veering off into long winding tangents that end up having almost no contribution to the story of Pari and Abdullah. Granted I am biased as these sorts of theme based slice of life stories are not my thing at all, but this book spends 90% of its narrative around characters who have little to absolutely no interaction with the supposed central two characters of this story.
Pari and Abdullah don’t even appear in the book for over half of the pages, that is instead dedicated to lengthy descriptions of different characters who have a very shaky connection to these two at best and their lives. They are all interesting in their own ways but I would have preferred to stick to the narrative of the two siblings than this. It ended up feeling disjointed and more like a compilation of several shorter stories tied together by a central theme of family, which I don’t mind but the description for this book is a little misleading. It makes it sound like the entire book will be focused on Pari and Abdullah’s separation when that particular plot beat only takes up about 20% of the book.
Regardless this is still a wonderfully written piece of literature and I’m sure so many people will be able to see their own lives in this and connect with the characters and their situations in ways I couldn’t. I hope you found this experience more engaging than I did.
This book did not gel with me, it spends a vast majority of the narrative veering off into long winding tangents that end up having almost no contribution to the story of Pari and Abdullah. Granted I am biased as these sorts of theme based slice of life stories are not my thing at all, but this book spends 90% of its narrative around characters who have little to absolutely no interaction with the supposed central two characters of this story.
Pari and Abdullah don’t even appear in the book for over half of the pages, that is instead dedicated to lengthy descriptions of different characters who have a very shaky connection to these two at best and their lives. They are all interesting in their own ways but I would have preferred to stick to the narrative of the two siblings than this. It ended up feeling disjointed and more like a compilation of several shorter stories tied together by a central theme of family, which I don’t mind but the description for this book is a little misleading. It makes it sound like the entire book will be focused on Pari and Abdullah’s separation when that particular plot beat only takes up about 20% of the book.
Regardless this is still a wonderfully written piece of literature and I’m sure so many people will be able to see their own lives in this and connect with the characters and their situations in ways I couldn’t. I hope you found this experience more engaging than I did.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Misogyny, Sexism, and Abandonment
Moderate: Cursing, Ableism, Classism, and Bullying
thewairimu's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
informative
inspiring
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? Yes
5.0
emilyusuallyreading's review against another edition
3.0
Khaled Hosseini is one of my favorite authors of all times, but this book didn't resonate me in the same way as Hosseini's previous two. The vast time span and multiple characters within this book made it more difficult for me to immerse myself into a character and their plight.
rhiannonfriend22's review against another edition
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? N/A
3.5
shoosh410's review against another edition
4.0
I genuinely enjoyed this book. Some loose ends were left untied but this was still a beautiful and heartwarming novel written by an incredible storyteller.
Definitely looking forward to reading more from him.
Definitely looking forward to reading more from him.