Reviews tagging 'Confinement'

A Thousand Splendid Suns by Khaled Hosseini

58 reviews

abibliophobic_nerd's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional hopeful reflective sad tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.25

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Child abuse, Confinement, Death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Hate crime, Miscarriage, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexual assault, Suicide, Terminal illness, Blood, Grief, Death of parent, Murder, Pregnancy, Abandonment, and War

Moderate: Mental illness, Medical content, and Medical trauma

imaginefishes's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional sad tense 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

Just like The Kite Runner, this book hit me right where it hurts. Hosseini’s writing style was a welcome sight, and I deeply enjoyed reading about another facet of Afghan living and history in this book. While the gut-wrenching moments here were perhaps not as severe as in The Kite Runner (after all, that sort of betrayal is hard to beat), the domestic abuse and oppression of women delineated in its pages left me breathless and at times, fearful with anxiety. We follow the story of Mariam at the start, and I was confused initially as to why the perspective began to change from chapter to chapter (between Mariam and Laila), until the moment it clicked into place. This story is heartbreaking, once again touching on the idea of parental love (or rather, its lack thereof) but from a female lens instead, where powers continuously attempt to strip them of their agency and how these women act in different ways to manage it, one in subservient acceptance and one in defiant resistance. I was drawn in from the beginning, and my attention would drift to the book and its characters up to the moment I finished its story. Another brilliant, masterfully woven story by Hosseini about the tribulations of Afghanistan.

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Child death, Death, Domestic abuse, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Sexism, Violence, Blood, Death of parent, War, and Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Gun violence, Miscarriage, Racism, Rape, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Suicide, Grief, and Pregnancy

Minor: Ableism, Confinement, Infidelity, Islamophobia, Murder, and Classism

I was hoping that they would both be able to get the happy ending they deserved, but alas, in life, you don’t always get what you wish for. It is tragic, and yet, there is a poetic beauty to it.

wifeslife's review against another edition

emotional reflective sad tense slow-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? No

5.0

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Bullying, Child abuse, Child death, Confinement, Death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Infertility, Mental illness, Miscarriage, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Torture, Toxic relationship, Violence, Blood, Police brutality, Grief, Religious bigotry, Medical trauma, Abortion, Murder, Pregnancy, Abandonment, War, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism

stephmcoakley's review against another edition

adventurous emotional informative inspiring reflective sad fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

5.0

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Body horror, Child death, Confinement, Cursing, Death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Genocide, Gore, Gun violence, Infertility, Infidelity, Mental illness, Miscarriage, Physical abuse, Rape, Self harm, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Torture, Toxic relationship, Violence, Forced institutionalization, Blood, Vomit, Islamophobia, Grief, Religious bigotry, Medical trauma, Abortion, Death of parent, Murder, Abandonment, Colonisation, War, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism

pabi's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional reflective sad tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? N/A
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

5.0

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Alcoholism, Bullying, Confinement, Cursing, Death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Genocide, Gun violence, Infertility, Miscarriage, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexism, Toxic relationship, Violence, Blood, Grief, Religious bigotry, Medical trauma, Death of parent, Murder, Pregnancy, Abandonment, War, and Injury/Injury detail

Mariam you deserved the world.

ashlislibrary's review against another edition

challenging emotional hopeful sad medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Confinement, Domestic abuse, Gun violence, Miscarriage, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Racial slurs, Rape, Sexual violence, Grief, Death of parent, Murder, and War

dejnozkova's review against another edition

dark emotional hopeful informative inspiring sad tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

5.0

I feel that this book was beautifully balanced, just as The Kite Runner was. But unlike The Kite Runner, this novel presents the stories of women; their struggles, their dreams, their disappointments, their bravery and tenderness, and their relationships with each other. His characters’ histories and personalities are intimately fleshed out in a way that makes them believable, intriguing, and emotionally impactful. It was a treat to watch them evolve over the course of Afghan history (from the 70’s through the 00’s), how they react to historical events and politics and how this shapes their inner domestic lives. 

The novel is also as informative as it is heart wrenching, especially if you aren’t already familiar with the politics and recent history of the region. Hosseini artfully navigates issues of politics, authoritarianism, the oppression of women, and suppression of civil liberties without being heavy handed or lazy. These issues are organically taught through the experiences of the characters so that they are memorable and personal. 

The novel is closed by offering a glimmer of sunshine to balance the darkness, which I personally love. I think that when authors write stories drenched in tragedy and outrage it’s important to also remark on the resiliency of the human spirit and our capacity to create and find beauty despite everything. I think Khaled Hosseini is one of those authors that actually acknowledges the flowers that can bloom after all the suffering. So for those of you tired of pessimistic endings I recommend this book as I feel it was down-to-earth and still hopeful.

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Sexism, Toxic relationship, Violence, War, and Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Gun violence, Panic attacks/disorders, Grief, Medical trauma, Pregnancy, and Colonisation

Minor: Confinement, Miscarriage, Rape, Excrement, Vomit, Abortion, Pregnancy, and Alcohol

gaycornbread420's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional sad tense slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes

4.0

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Ableism, Adult/minor relationship, Body horror, Child abuse, Confinement, Cursing, Death, Domestic abuse, Gun violence, Miscarriage, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexual assault, Violence, Blood, Vomit, Grief, Medical trauma, Death of parent, Murder, Pregnancy, War, and Injury/Injury detail

lorie266's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional hopeful inspiring reflective sad tense 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

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Ableism, Adult/minor relationship, Child abuse, Confinement, Death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Gun violence, Infertility, Infidelity, Miscarriage, Misogyny, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Violence, Blood, Grief, Religious bigotry, Abortion, Death of parent, Murder, Pregnancy, Abandonment, War, and Injury/Injury detail

morsa's review against another edition

medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? N/A
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

5.0

One if the BEST books I've ever read. The story and characters are brilliant and amazingly written. It does get a little slow    at the middle. The pacing is great and I couldn't put the book down. It's hard to read as it contains sensible topics. The end is just heartbreaking and leaves you with a bittersweet feeling. This is a book people should read at least once in their life.

---

Content Warnings

Moderate: Adult/minor relationship, Animal death, Body horror, Child abuse, Confinement, Death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Infertility, Miscarriage, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexism, Sexual assault, Suicide, Violence, Blood, Medical content, Death of parent, Murder, Pregnancy, Abandonment, and War