lorie266's review against another edition
- 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
Graphic: Child abuse, Abandonment, Domestic abuse, Injury/injury detail, Religious bigotry, Sexual violence, Ableism, Abortion, Pedophilia, Pregnancy, Violence, War, Blood, Murder, Death of parent, Infertility, Confinement, Emotional abuse, Grief, Infidelity, Miscarriage, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Rape, Adult/minor relationship, Death, Gun violence, and Sexual assault
bfields352's review against another edition
4.5
Graphic: Death of parent, Child abuse, Infertility, Miscarriage, Death, Injury/injury detail, Physical abuse, Adult/minor relationship, Child death, Domestic abuse, Sexism, War, and Sexual assault
arthur_ant18's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.5
Graphic: Domestic abuse, Misogyny, Emotional abuse, Death, Adult/minor relationship, War, Death of parent, Grief, Violence, Miscarriage, Sexual assault, and Sexual violence
Moderate: Classism, Child abuse, Torture, Suicide, Child death, Murder, Rape, Islamophobia, and Genocide
ca018_m's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.25
Graphic: Rape, Suicide, Sexual assault, Death, Pregnancy, Violence, and Death of parent
michellembruhn's review against another edition
3.5
Graphic: Violence and Child death
Moderate: Child abuse, Sexual assault, and Miscarriage
ariadna_ts's review against another edition
- 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
Moderate: Suicide, War, Murder, Physical abuse, Pregnancy, Adult/minor relationship, Miscarriage, Death, Animal death, Violence, Death of parent, Infertility, Medical content, Child abuse, Misogyny, Body horror, Confinement, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Abandonment, Rape, Sexism, Sexual assault, and Blood
herjournalofbooks's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
Graphic: Physical abuse, Domestic abuse, Sexual assault, and War
read_by_sudha21's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
I completed reading this book in 4 days and believe me when I say this...I was dreaming about these characters in my sleep. I was in my imaginary Kabul and Herat. I love the relevance of certain aspects in the story...something mentioned at a point in this story will become relevant in the future. I loved Tariq. I loved how Mariam and Laila's stories mirror and contrast each other at the same time. It's an easy 5 stars for me. Thank you for coming this far into this review. I really hope you can feel the emotions the way I did if you pick it up. Do check TWs before reading. Thank you! Hope you have a great day.
Graphic: War, Violence, Suicide, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Rape, Adult/minor relationship, Death, Death of parent, Emotional abuse, Miscarriage, Infertility, and Mass/school shootings
tanjan's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
Graphic: Violence, Sexual assault, Child abuse, Torture, Death of parent, Mass/school shootings, and War
itsswechchha's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
3.0
This book follows the journey of Mariam (an illegitimate daughter of a rich Herati businessman) who soon after her mother's death is married to Rasheed, a Kabuli shoemaker almost 30 yrs older than her. The story follows a series of misfortunes that occur throughout Mariam's life and how almost 2 decades later her life intertwines with a 15 yr old girl Laila. This book takes place in Afghanistan during a period of high political instability and ongoing war and I'd definitely not expected it to be an easy read. But this book was way darker than I'd imagined. There were a lot of graphic scenes of domestic violence and marital rape. I had to skip few paragraphs and put the book down multiple times because I couldn't seem to be able to continue reading. Also since the relationship between Mariam and Laila is such an important aspect of the book, I'd expected their bond to develop slowly over time. But all of it just happened in an instant and I found it very unconvincing. I wish the writer had put more effort in highlighting the beautiful moments between Mariam and Laila and Mariam and Laila's kids instead of focusing on adding disturbing details of abuse. That would've made the story much less traumatizing and hopeful and the ending somewhat more impactful. By the time I'd reached the end of the book, I was just so mentally drained to feel anything for the characters and I was just relieved that it was finally over.
I do however believe that "A thousand splendid suns" is an important book but it's definitely not something I'd prefer to read again.
Graphic: Emotional abuse, Sexism, Death of parent, Domestic abuse, Gun violence, Miscarriage, and Sexual assault