Name: Amena Elkayal's review of A Thousand Splendid Suns by Khaled Hosseini
Item: A Thousand Splendid Suns
Rating: 5
Author: Amena Elkayal

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.

A Thousand Splendid Suns

Isabelle

Like a compass needle that points north, a man's accusing finger always finds a woman. 

Nana had been right about Jalil's gifts. They had been halfhearted tokens of penance, insincere, corrupt gestures ment more for his own appeasement than hers. This shawl, Mariam saw, was a true gift. "It's beautiful," she said.

Chey

It is a hope as weak as my heart. This I know. But I will be waiting. I will be listening for your knock. I will be hoping. 

She found their hands still clamped together, in the white knuckle, anxious ways of children clutching balloon strings. 

“A man’s heart is a wretched, wretched thing, Mariam. It isn’t like a mother’s womb. It won’t bleed, it won’t stretch to make room for you…”

“It’s our lot in life, Mariam. Women like us. We endure. It’s all we have. Do you understand?…”

Nana always gave a slow, burdened smile here, one of lingering recrimination or reluctant forgiveness, Mariam could never tell. It did not occur to young Miriam to ponder the unfairness of apologizing for the manner of her own birth. 

fc ♡

Because, if it’s a girl, Laila has already named her.

she never got to receive this 😭😭😭😭

"Regret … When it comes to you, Mariam jo, I have oceans of it 

Now all I can do is say that you were a good daughter, Mariam jo, and that I never deserved you.

I dare, I dare allow myself the hope that, after you read this, you will be more charitable to me than I ever was to you. That you might find it in your heart to come and see your father. That you will knock on my door one more time and give me the chance to open it this time, to welcome you, to take you in my arms, my daughter, as I should have all those years ago. It is a hope as weak as my heart. This I know. But I will be waiting. I will be listening for your knock. I will be hoping"

every Afghan story is marked by death and loss and unimaginable grief. And yet, she sees, people find a way to survive, to go on

“Me?” he says. “I’ll follow you to the end of the world, Laila"

it is not an easy happiness. It is not a happiness without cost

"Don’t do this, Mariam. Don’t leave me. Don’t break Aziza’s heart.” 

“For me, it ends here. There’s nothing more I want. Everything I’d ever wished for as a little  you’ve already given me. You and your children have made me so very happy. It’s all right, Laila jo. This is all right. Don’t be sad.” 

"Kiss Aziza for me,” she said. “Tell her she is the noor of my eyes and the sultan of my heart. Will you do that for me?”

He’d taken so much from her in twenty-seven years of marriage. She would not watch him take Laila too

Then Tariq’s face changed, turned grave. She knew this expression. It was the same look he’d had on his face that day, all those years ago when they’d both been children, when he’d unstrapped his leg and gone after Khadim. He reached with one hand now and touched the corner of her lower lip. “He did this to you,” he said coldly.

"Probably, it isn’t proper, or fair, but I’ve come such a long way to see you, and … Oh, Laila, I wish I’d never left you.” 

 “I should have tried harder. I should have married you when I had the chance. Everything would have been different, then.” 

“Don’t talk this way. Please. It hurts.”

"You promised you’d come back. And you did.” 

His eyes watered. “It’s good to see you, Laila.”

when it came to fathers, Mariam had no assurances to give

in this fleeting, wordless exchange with Mariam, Laila knew that they were not enemies any longer

A part of Tariq still alive inside her, sprouting tiny arms, growing translucent hands. How could she jeopardize the only thing she had left of him, of her old life?

"he asked me to find you. To tell you that he was thinking of you. That he missed you"

 “Let me marry you, Laila. Today. We could get married today.” 

How long had she waited to hear those words from him? How many times had she dreamed them uttered? There they were, spoken at last, and the irony crushed her. 

He knew she could not wipe away the obligations of her life any more than he could his, but it went on, his pleadings and her rebuttals, his proposals and her apologies, his tears and hers. 

he spoke through the door and promised that he would come back, that he would come back for her

he said a thing both lovely and terrible. “For you,” he said. “I’d kill with it for you, Laila.”

 He slid closer to her and their hands brushed, once, then again. When Tariq’s fingers tentatively began to slip into hers, Laila let them. And when suddenly he leaned over and pressed his lips to hers, she let him again.

feeling waylaid, out of balance. How could she ever cope with his permanent absence?

Vojtech

Amena Elkayal

مؤلمة الي حد كبير.من نواحٍ اجتماعية و سياسية و تاريخية و فكرية تحدثت عن عناء المرأة و الطفل و المجتمع. عن الحرب و اللجوء... عن الخيانة و الكذب... عن الاخلاص و الحب الحقيقي... عن الأمل و الألم... عن التشدد و التعصب و كل ما هو خطأ في المجتمع... عن التطور و الجهل و التخريب و الإصلاح... ببساطة عن الحياة...
من اجمل ما قرأت في ٢٠١٩ بلا ادني شك! شكرا خالد حسيني لكتابة تلك التحفة التي ستعلق دائما و ابدا في أذهان من قرأها و عاشها....

Socially, politically, historically and intellectually, discussing the trouble of women, children and society. About war and asylum ... about treason and lying ... about sincerity and true love ... about hope and pain ... about extremism and intolerance and everything that is wrong in society ... about development and ignorance and sabotage and Fix ... simply about life ...
 One of the most beautiful books I've read in 2019 without a doubt! Thank you @khosseini for writing this masterpiece that will always stay in the minds and minds of those who read it and lived it .... 
❤❤❤ 
#athousandsplendidsuns🌞📚 
#khaled_hosseini

I'm so happy I read this book! A Thousand Splendid Suns is such a beautiful novel, I would truly recommend it. 

Zarah Hashim

I read this book for my A-levels and I absolutely loved it. 

Although the beginning is a bit tedious, the rest of the story is beautifully ugly. The characters, the plot and writing are all perfect portrayal of the wider society and its treatment of Afghanistan. 

This book deserves more acknowledgement as it’s a lot more relevant to us now than to when it was written. 

The story is bitter sweet in its beginning and ending and should come with an A/N to bring tissues whilst reading. 

Please do read this book. Hosseini knows the right things to say at the right time and is worth the hype. 

The story also follows two amazing mc’s: Mariam and Laila. 

Their journey through betrayal, suffering and hardship leads to a blooming spring of love. 

Read their story and acknowledge the message of Hosseini and be kind to refugees and most of all, Women of Colour👏🏼💕.

Another amazing piece of historical fiction by Hosseini. A beautiful, but heartbreaking story about living in Afghanistan between the 70s and 00s as a woman and the hardships they faced. 

Paige Paul

Elizabeth Wood

I wish I could give this book more stars. Absolutely heartbreaking. The writing is beautiful. Laila and Mariam’s love and relationship as mother/daughter is so so sweet. I read the Kite Runner (loved it), but this one with female main characters just hit home so much more.

altlovesbooks

I think this (and Kite Runner also) is an important book to read. While still fiction, Khaled Hosseini does a good job at painting how awful life has been for citizens living in conflict regions like Afghanistan. It isn't a happy book, not even in the slightest, but it is a powerful one.

I think my only other comment to add about this book (because other reviews have said much the same things I feel about it) is that I think I prefer The Kite Runner to this one just a little bit. While everything included in A Thousand Splendid Suns is legitimate and believable, it's extremely unrelenting and feels like it could have been better paced. I don't remember The Kite Runner feeling like you're constantly sliding from one bad moment to the next like how this book felt.

It's still an extremely good book, highly recommend.

Aadam

This was one of the best books that I've ever read. A friend recommended it to me during my exams. Just for the sake of checking it out, I started reading it but as soon as I completed first few pages, I was hooked. Then in the next three days, amidst all the papers, I read it from cover-to-cover.

If you aren’t emotionally moved in some way by this book, I pity you. 

This is an outstanding book. Hosseini is a wonderful storyteller. It’s heart-wrenching to see what the two main characters, both women, endure and their eventual fates. 

Doug Lane

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.

This book is surprisingly unexpectedly GOOD. It is exactly as unbearable as I anticipated it to be... Oh, how I love a book when it crashes me all at once, and this is that book.

The author has successfully described every detail of this book in an absolutely beautiful and fine way. It left me in awe and I felt amazed by his ability.

But— I still wished at the end of the story, there was something more for some characters.

This book is surprisingly unexpectedly GOOD. It is exactly as unbearable as I anticipated it to be... Oh, how I love a book when it crashes me all at once, and this is that book.

The author has successfully described every detail of this book in an absolutely beautiful and fine way. It left me in awe and I felt amazed by his ability.

But— I still wished at the end of the story, there was something more for some characters.

Haddouche sabah

J'ai vécu cette dernière semaine de le monde fictif conçu par Khaled Hosseini mille soleils splendides. Je n'ai jamais tant pleuré en lisant un livre... je me suis tellement attachée aux personnages au point de ne parler que d'eux et de leur histoire.
Mille soleils splendides raconte la vie de deux femmes afghans qui malgré leur différences ont été réunie par le sort, offrant à chacune d'entre elles de la compagnie et de la force dont elles ont besoin pour endurer et surmonter les difficultés d'une vie au coeur d'une ville déchirée par la guerre. 
Dans ce roman Khaled Hosseini nous fait vivre dans la peau de ses personnages et nous fait voyager à travers le temps et les continents pour nous conter l'histoire de l'Afghanistan.

Colleen

1.5 Stars
 
*A dry history lesson for Westerners with stiff, inorganic characters and an excess of trauma porn*


It is hard to fathom that this was written by the same author as The Kite Runner. While I do remember that The Kite Runner was rough around the edges, I loved that story and was so engrossed by it. In contrast, A Thousand Splendid Suns left me utterly frustrated and angry.

Hosseini’s debut received its shard of accusations of pandering to Westerners. But with that book, I felt that the sum of the parts far outweighed the assumption of the reader’s ignorance. It was undeniably geared towards introducing Western (primarily American) readers to see Afghans as people and not terrorists. But for me, A Thousand Splendid Suns never moved beyond lesson plan into being a living story. Instead of a beautiful vessel to drink deeply from, all feeling leaked messily from the copious cracks in the story. All emotion was utterly wasted in this arthritic, unwieldy book.

A Thousand Splendid Suns boils down to a drawn-out, listless history lesson with truncated character interactions. While the story started out character driven, it tried to span too long of a time period while still being a relatively short book. The result was a dry overview of political events interspersed with rushed recaps of events in the characters’ lives. These often felt like bullet point interactions with the characters rather than living scenes. The jumps in times with limited page space to catch the reader up also resulted in inconsistent character development. There were some sections in the middle in particular where the characters were inconsistent to the point of ridiculousness. Clearly the author was just trying to make things fit together. But without spending the time and due diligence of showing that development instead of telling it, the result was abrupt, inorganic changes in the characters.

Many people have raved about how moving this book was. But it is tragic because the topics are tragic. There was no finesse to this writing. For me, there was literally not a single quotable sentence in this book. It is chalk full of Nicholas Sparks level of predictable tragedy written for the express purpose of being a tear-jerker. I hate that kind of obvious manipulation. I will also note that I have qualms about a man writing from the close perspective of teenage girls forced into marriages.

On top of that, A Thousand Splendid Suns is total trauma porn. And it disgustingly revels in that status. Everything in the plot was always the worst-case scenario – which got extremely tedious to read. Every time some supposedly suspenseful moment came up, I found myself bracing for the inevitable misfortune. In trying to live up to, and perhaps one-up, the success of The Kite Runner, Hosseini seemed to try much too hard to top the trauma level in A Thousand Splendid Suns. The result was a suffocating avalanche of damage all manipulatively inserted for the express purpose of shock-and-awe. It was tedious. It was too self-aware. It was calculating in its emotional blackmail. It shouted to the sky, “Good people will cry because this is TRAGIC!”

My faith in Hosseini’s writing has suffered a massive blow. I am not sure whether or not it will ever recover. I do hope to read And the Mountains Echoed at some point. But it is going to take a long, long time before I get over how horrendous A Thousand Splendid Suns was.


RATING FACTORS:
Ease of Reading: 2 Stars
Writing Style: 1 Star
Characters and Character Development: 1 Star
Plot Structure and Development: 1 Star
Level of Captivation: 1 Star
Originality: 1 Star

 narrates the lives of women during several decades of conflict in Afghanistan and as much as I want to believe that it's only a work of fiction I know it's still the reality of a lot of people in that hostile region and I can't help it but feel heartbroken for them. It definitely needs to be in the right state of mind to read it but still, I highly recommend it. 

Apart from the fact that the book's easy to read and keeps you hooked all the time, It's wonderfully written. It doesn't get heavy, it's tough but tender at the same time, the characters are very endearing and it has one of the best endings I've ever read. Hosseini managed to close a cruel and dark story with an ending full of light and hope.  

Souhaila

A Thousand Splendid Suns narrates the lives of women during several decades of conflict in Afghanistan and as much as I want to believe that it's only a work of fiction I know it's still the reality of a lot of people in that hostile region and I can't help it but feel heartbroken for them. It definitely needs to be in the right state of mind to read it but still, I highly recommend it. 

Apart from the fact that the book's easy to read and keeps you hooked all the time, It's wonderfully written. It doesn't get heavy, it's tough but tender at the same time, the characters are very endearing and it has one of the best endings I've ever read. Hosseini managed to close a cruel and dark story with an ending full of light and hope.  

The writing makes you feel every bit of agony, truly made me cry and feel hatred for humanity 

Anna

Broke my heart. Have so much love for Mariam and Laila. They went through so much. I’m so glad that they were there for each other until the end.

Isabel Fredriksson

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

Joana da Silva

Heavy, deeply uncomfortable but also very beautiful and touching. A story filled with twists and turns that managed to grip me on these pages. These characters will stay with me for a while.

Ioana Kardos

As I commenced reading A Thousand Splendid Suns, i kept wondering: what does the title refer to? It was a heartbreaking journey, but I couldn't put the book down until I've finished it. An unforgettable story about Laila and Mariam, two women who endured the atrocities of a narrow-minded, brutal man, whom they outgrew somehow in the end.
But love always claims its rights! Good job, Khaled Hosseini! 
"One could not count the moons that shimmer on her roofs,
Or the thousand splendid suns that hide beneath her walls. "

dija

Jamieson

“One could not count the moons that shimmer on her roofs, or the thousand splendid suns that hide behind her walls.”

** spoiler alert **
           "Kneel here, hamshira. And look down".
One last time, Mariam did as she was told.

I will never forgive Khaled Hosseni for the heartbreak he continues to cause with his writing. 
This book has put me through a whirlwind of emotions. 
It's important to recognise the pain both Mariam and Laila endured due to atrocious circumstances, as this continues to happen today where women and young girls are taken away and told their dreams are no longer valid. 

One could not count the moons that shimmer on her roofs,
Or the thousand splendid suns that hide behind her walls..

My heart hurts.

THE RICHARD & JUDY NUMBER ONE BESTSELLER'A suspenseful epic' Daily Telegraph'A triumph' Financial Times'Heartbreaking' Mail on Sunday'Deeply moving' Sunday TimesMariam 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.

A Thousand Splendid Suns / Khalid Hosseini

STUNNING! such an eye opening read for me and I literally felt so many emotions - happy, sad, angry, ashamed 😮‍💨

I enjoyed the dual POV in this one, it was interesting seeing some parts of the book from both Mariam and Layla’s POV, especially when Layla first became part of the family.

upon finishing this one, I sat on the floor crying because it just made me so sad, but also happy because despite all the grief and loss that is experienced by our two FMC’s, they still hold so much hope and love in their hearts. this review truly cannot do this book the justice it deserves, but I hope you choose to give it a go and if you do, please let me know your thoughts!

reading books like A Thousand Splendid Suns and Pomegranate & Fig definitely makes me grateful to live in a country where women have rights and can make our own choices for our bodies, careers and futures. it always hurts my heart to read stories like these, but they are so important to read and share, because there are so many people who don’t have the same benefits and advantages as us.

Larissa Kirchberger

BOOK REVIEW

A Thousand Splendid Suns / Khalid Hosseini

Rating ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

STUNNING! such an eye opening read for me and I literally felt so many emotions - happy, sad, angry, ashamed 😮‍💨

I enjoyed the dual POV in this one, it was interesting seeing some parts of the book from both Mariam and Layla’s POV, especially when Layla first became part of the family.

upon finishing this one, I sat on the floor crying because it just made me so sad, but also happy because despite all the grief and loss that is experienced by our two FMC’s, they still hold so much hope and love in their hearts. this review truly cannot do this book the justice it deserves, but I hope you choose to give it a go and if you do, please let me know your thoughts!

reading books like A Thousand Splendid Suns and Pomegranate & Fig definitely makes me grateful to live in a country where women have rights and can make our own choices for our bodies, careers and futures. it always hurts my heart to read stories like these, but they are so important to read and share, because there are so many people who don’t have the same benefits and advantages as us.

Trish

I just finished reading A Thousand Splendid Suns by Khaled Hosseini and I’m left with this overwhelming feeling of heaviness. It was an extremely emotional book with lots of sadness and turmoil followed by very little redemption. Half way through the book I stopped being hopeful for the characters but continued on anyway because I wanted to know how their stories would end. I’m satisfied with the ending but the main characters, Mariam and Laila, were lacking in chemistry and dimension. While I was saddened by their journey, I wasn’t moved to feel or care about them like I was when I read The Kite Runner.

Arturo Hernández

This book paints a very raw and honest view of the lifestyle Afghans have had to endure over the last century. The story focuses on the hardships women are put into by the culture, its idiosyncrasies and the inequalities that exist in comparison to what happens with men.

The plot narrates the lives of Mariam & Laila, who both have to endure sacrifices, unwanted matrimonies & a series of unfortunate events that occur to them. There’s a lot of emotion and although you want to believe this is a story, the fact that a lot of these events are quite possibly still happening to other unnamed women, it’s terrifying and maddening.

This is an incredible read.

julie

This is one of the best books I’ve ever read. I normally don’t gravitate towards historical fiction, but I heard from many people about how good this book is, and had to pick it up. It was so so difficult to put down. It had me on the edge of my seat from the first page to the last. 

This was such an emotional roller coaster!! I’ve never experienced so many plot twists in one book, but they all worked with each and other and produced a beautiful story. Mariam, Laila, and her children put me though so much. All the characters have something special about them. 

I absolutely loved this book. I don’t regret picking it up whatsoever.

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A Thousand Splendid Suns by Khaled Hosseini

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