A review by margardenlady
A Thousand Splendid Suns by Khaled Hosseini

challenging dark emotional informative inspiring 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

Wow. This is a hard reality to see so vividly.  I can only imagine what it is like to live it.  Hosseini has written a compelling story of women in his native Afghanistan.  Mariam is a bastard daughter of a wealthy man who already has 3 wives.  Laila is the daughter of a teacher.  Both stories are told from childhood on and the parallels from a shared culture are outweighed by the huge differences in opportunity afforded by having educated parents who cherish you. Nobody is protected from the suffering of war, however.  Both women end up wives to the same man and together they forge a friendship that permeates the novel with love and hope.
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