Name: A Thousand Splendid Suns
Rating: 4.495344325897187 (1031 reviews)

Azam Kazemiyan

Rhetorical Vision of Afghan Women

A Thousand Splendid Suns

Khaled Hosseini

Two women born a generation apart witness the destruction of their home and family in war-torn Kabul, losses incurred over the course of thirty years that test the limits of their strength and courage. By the author of The Kite Runner. 600,000 first printing.

i logged my start of reading this book two days ago, but i actually just read it today, and in one sitting. i have not been so compelled to heavy emotions and to tears by a book in such a long time. i didn't even think i would finish this in one sitting, knowing that i was only reading an online copy. 

there is so much to say about this novel but until now i'm scrambling for words. i do not know how to string words together to translate my thoughts, but i do know that i am so moved by this novel that i know it will be stuck in my mind for as long as my memory holds on. 

i have put aside this book for five years, having been exposed to more works until it got buried in my reading list. now, i finally read it, and it's so devastating. i have felt so much rage because of the mistreatment of the women and the children, the war, everything that which engulfed this novel with sorrow, violence, and bloodshed. the ending itself truly felt like i could finally breathe properly, because for the entirety of it, i was holding back my breath. 

so beautifully written. i might actually cry before going to sleep.

kite

i logged my start of reading this book two days ago, but i actually just read it today, and in one sitting. i have not been so compelled to heavy emotions and to tears by a book in such a long time. i didn't even think i would finish this in one sitting, knowing that i was only reading an online copy. 

there is so much to say about this novel but until now i'm scrambling for words. i do not know how to string words together to translate my thoughts, but i do know that i am so moved by this novel that i know it will be stuck in my mind for as long as my memory holds on. 

i have put aside this book for five years, having been exposed to more works until it got buried in my reading list. now, i finally read it, and it's so devastating. i have felt so much rage because of the mistreatment of the women and the children, the war, everything that which engulfed this novel with sorrow, violence, and bloodshed. the ending itself truly felt like i could finally breathe properly, because for the entirety of it, i was holding back my breath. 

so beautifully written. i might actually cry before going to sleep.

Kari Bingham

A completely immersive, devastating, and, yet, hopeful novel.

Saachi Jain

I never thought I'd engage with any media that left me feeling as sad and disturbed as Grave of the Fireflies by Studio Ghibli until I read this. The tone, pace, plot, and characters were all excellently crafted. 

Overall an amazing book but make sure you know what you're getting into before getting too attached to any characters.

Medora Sparkman

I never thought I'd engage with any media that left me feeling as sad and disturbed as Grave of the Fireflies by Studio Ghibli until I read this. The tone, pace, plot, and characters were all excellently crafted. 

Overall an amazing book but make sure you know what you're getting into before getting too attached to any characters.

De woorden zijn zo voelbaar op elke pagina weer. Alleen een poëet kan zo’n boek schrijven.

Chiara van Heckers

Force e d'e pouser un homme de trente ans son ai ne , Mariam ne parvient pas a   lui donner un fils. Apre  s dix-huit anne es de soumission a   cet homme brutal, elle doit endurer une nouvelle e preuve : l'arrive e sous son propre toit de Laila, une petite voisine de quatorze ans. Enceinte, Laila met au monde une fille. D'abord ronge e par la jalousie, Mariam va finir par trouver une allie e en sa rivale. Toutes deux victimes de la violence et de la misogynie de leur mari, elles vont unir leur courage pour tenter de fuir l'Afghanistan.

A thousand splendid suns

roofopiela

once again, Hosseini has engaged, transported and left me moved to tears and empathy in a way that many authors are rarely capable of.<br />i mourn over this book’s gentle, raw pages — not for the otherworldly writing — but for the people, the<br />precious lives of Afghanistan that pour out so richly on every page.<br />the women of Afghanistan have never been more important.

Tiara Sharma

No words ✨ after reading this spectacular or I would say the best novel I have read in my life. Just wow. I can't express the real emotions I was carrying while reading this beauty. A lot of emotions, different kinds of emotions, but yeah, I managed to finish it. I'm just mesmerized by the writing of the author Khaled Hosseini. I love how he works to help Afghans and refugees and how beautifully he brings their stories, pain, hope, and resilience to life. A Thousand Splendid Suns wasn't just a novel for me it was an emotional journey that left me angry, heartbroken, hopeful, and grateful all at the same time. From the beginning, I was furious seeing what Mariam had to endure. She gave everything she had for her husband, suffered through miscarriages, carried unimaginable pain, and still tried her best to make him happy.

 I kept asking myself how someone could treat another human being so cruelly. Despite all the suffering, Mariam remained strong, and that strength stayed with me throughout the novel. One thing I loved was how Babi encouraged Laila to think beyond the limitations imposed on women. While the story is set in Afghanistan, it made me think about society in general. Even today, in many places, people continue following traditions without questioning whether they still serve us. 

The people who created those rules are long gone, yet new generations keep carrying them forward. It made me wonder why we don't create better paths for ourselves and for the people around us. Sometimes it feels like we are prisoners of our own minds. Laila's story hit me hard. Watching her agree to marry Rasheed wasn't a moment of happiness it was a moment of survival.

When she said, "My answer is yes," I felt the weight behind those words. It wasn't really a choice. It was one of the many sacrifices forced upon her by circumstances. And then came the pregnancy. Seeing Laila carry a child while living under Taliban rule, trapped with a man like Rasheed, was heartbreaking. What affected me most was how she still managed to find small moments of joy despite living in such darkness. Reading about the struggles of women trying to survive, protect their children, and hold onto hope made me emotional in a way very few books ever have. The moment I learned Rasheed had lied about Tariq's death genuinely shocked me. I couldn't understand how someone could be so cruel as to destroy another person's hope just to get what he wanted. Laila deserved happiness, and seeing her manipulated in such a way filled me with anger. 

Then Tariq returned, and for a brief moment I felt relief. But even before that reunion, there was a scene where Laila imagined a peaceful place a place with green fields, clear water, Babi reading beneath a tree, Tariq resting nearby, and dreams untouched by war. That passage felt incredibly heavy. It carried all the longing, grief, and hope of a life stolen by conflict. War itself became one of the novel's most heartbreaking characters. By the end, I kept thinking about how many dreams, families, and brilliant minds have disappeared because of wars that ordinary people never asked for. So many lives vanish in a blink, and all that's left behind are memories and unanswered questions. It made me realize how powerful hope really is sometimes it is the only thing people have left. The most powerful part of the novel for me was Mariam. She spent her entire life obeying others, carrying burdens she never chose, and accepting suffering with dignity. Then came the moment when she finally decided the course of her own life. For the first time, she acted entirely for herself and for the people she loved. I was incredibly proud of her. Her courage wasn't loud it was quiet, selfless, and unforgettable. Mariam's sacrifice broke me. I genuinely didn't know how to process her death. 

She was a woman with dignity, pride, dreams, and an enormous heart. She spent her life doing what was expected of her, yet when the moment arrived, she became the strongest person in the story. Her sacrifice reminded me that true bravery often comes from ordinary people making impossible choices. By the end, when Laila, Tariq, and the children were finally moving toward a better future, I felt something I hadn't felt for many chapters peace. Then came that final line: if the baby is a girl, Laila has already named her. Just one sentence, yet it carried the weight of the entire novel. A deep breath, a long sigh, and a smile. Mariam was gone, but she would never truly leave them. 

This book made me cry, made me angry, made me hopeful, and made me appreciate the strength that human beings can show even in the darkest circumstances. It reminded me that love can survive war, friendship can survive distance, and hope can survive almost anything. Loved all the characters at different periods of the novel. Just so much love to those people who are suffering from war and those who have suffered from it in the past. I just want peace 🕊️ in everybody's life.

Ashish Singh

No words ✨ after reading this spectacular or I would say the best novel I have read in my life. Just wow. I can't express the real emotions I was carrying while reading this beauty. A lot of emotions, different kinds of emotions, but yeah, I managed to finish it. I'm just mesmerized by the writing of the author Khaled Hosseini. I love how he works to help Afghans and refugees and how beautifully he brings their stories, pain, hope, and resilience to life. A Thousand Splendid Suns wasn't just a novel for me it was an emotional journey that left me angry, heartbroken, hopeful, and grateful all at the same time. From the beginning, I was furious seeing what Mariam had to endure. She gave everything she had for her husband, suffered through miscarriages, carried unimaginable pain, and still tried her best to make him happy.

 I kept asking myself how someone could treat another human being so cruelly. Despite all the suffering, Mariam remained strong, and that strength stayed with me throughout the novel. One thing I loved was how Babi encouraged Laila to think beyond the limitations imposed on women. While the story is set in Afghanistan, it made me think about society in general. Even today, in many places, people continue following traditions without questioning whether they still serve us. 

The people who created those rules are long gone, yet new generations keep carrying them forward. It made me wonder why we don't create better paths for ourselves and for the people around us. Sometimes it feels like we are prisoners of our own minds. Laila's story hit me hard. Watching her agree to marry Rasheed wasn't a moment of happiness it was a moment of survival.

When she said, "My answer is yes," I felt the weight behind those words. It wasn't really a choice. It was one of the many sacrifices forced upon her by circumstances. And then came the pregnancy. Seeing Laila carry a child while living under Taliban rule, trapped with a man like Rasheed, was heartbreaking. What affected me most was how she still managed to find small moments of joy despite living in such darkness. Reading about the struggles of women trying to survive, protect their children, and hold onto hope made me emotional in a way very few books ever have. The moment I learned Rasheed had lied about Tariq's death genuinely shocked me. I couldn't understand how someone could be so cruel as to destroy another person's hope just to get what he wanted. Laila deserved happiness, and seeing her manipulated in such a way filled me with anger. 

Then Tariq returned, and for a brief moment I felt relief. But even before that reunion, there was a scene where Laila imagined a peaceful place a place with green fields, clear water, Babi reading beneath a tree, Tariq resting nearby, and dreams untouched by war. That passage felt incredibly heavy. It carried all the longing, grief, and hope of a life stolen by conflict. War itself became one of the novel's most heartbreaking characters. By the end, I kept thinking about how many dreams, families, and brilliant minds have disappeared because of wars that ordinary people never asked for. So many lives vanish in a blink, and all that's left behind are memories and unanswered questions. It made me realize how powerful hope really is sometimes it is the only thing people have left. The most powerful part of the novel for me was Mariam. She spent her entire life obeying others, carrying burdens she never chose, and accepting suffering with dignity. Then came the moment when she finally decided the course of her own life. For the first time, she acted entirely for herself and for the people she loved. I was incredibly proud of her. Her courage wasn't loud it was quiet, selfless, and unforgettable. Mariam's sacrifice broke me. I genuinely didn't know how to process her death. 

She was a woman with dignity, pride, dreams, and an enormous heart. She spent her life doing what was expected of her, yet when the moment arrived, she became the strongest person in the story. Her sacrifice reminded me that true bravery often comes from ordinary people making impossible choices. By the end, when Laila, Tariq, and the children were finally moving toward a better future, I felt something I hadn't felt for many chapters peace. Then came that final line: if the baby is a girl, Laila has already named her. Just one sentence, yet it carried the weight of the entire novel. A deep breath, a long sigh, and a smile. Mariam was gone, but she would never truly leave them. 

This book made me cry, made me angry, made me hopeful, and made me appreciate the strength that human beings can show even in the darkest circumstances. It reminded me that love can survive war, friendship can survive distance, and hope can survive almost anything. Loved all the characters at different periods of the novel. Just so much love to those people who are suffering from war and those who have suffered from it in the past. I just want peace 🕊️ in everybody's life.

 One of the best books I have ever read. Set in Afghanistan, Starts off extremely tragic regarding forced arrange marriages and a bad husband, portraying the dark side of conservative islam. Eventually other topics are covered as well such as war, the mujhahidden being replaced by the taliban, the destruction of the Buddhist and literature culture to be replaced with Sharia, and how lifes travel among war torn families, broken relationships, immeasurable bonds and the support one needs in the harshest of times. Portayed a new angle of life I havent witnessed but just heard about being from India; this book made me life through all of it. Eye Awakening and spell bidding. Absolutely recommended

Aarush Arora

Thousand Splendid Suns Epz Ed

Lilah Welch

men are the scum of the earth is what i got out of this book.

THE RICHARD & JUDY NUMBER ONE BESTSELLER 'A suspenseful epic' Daily Telegraph 'A triumph' Financial Times 'Heartbreaking' Mail on Sunday 'Deeply moving' Sunday Times Mariam is only fifteen when she is sent to Kabul to marry Rasheed. Nearly two decades later, a friendship grows between Mariam and a local teenager, Laila, as strong as the ties between mother and daughter. When the Taliban take over, life becomes a desperate struggle against starvation, brutality and fear. Yet love can move a person to act in unexpected ways, and lead them to overcome the most daunting obstacles with a startling heroism.

Did not like some of the beginning but once I kept reading, it was hard to stop. Heartbreaking but beautiful.

Beautiful writing but pretty depressing in “is this too much?” kind of way

Valerie Yang

One of the best books I've ever read. Khaled Hosseini's writing is real, sometimes brutal, beautiful - like someone truly committed to telling stories and truths about the world. This book turned me upside down and made me reflect on a lot of things - controllable or not. The year 2024 is the third year that the Taliban invaded Afghanistan again and it hurts to know that little has changed, that stories like Mariam's, Laila's, Tariq's are repeated every day in real life.

A Thousand Splendid Suns Rhetorical Vision of Afghan Women

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