Reviews

Mille splendidi soli by Khaled Hosseini

ponderinstuff's review against another edition

5.0

Wow. You have to read this book. I don't give many 5-star ratings but A Thousand Splendid Suns definitely gets that from me.

I have heard people raving about this book for a long time but I kept pushing it to the bottom of my reading list because I thought it was going to be very political; a book with an agenda.

Instead, it gave a beautiful, heart-wrenching look at the everyday lives of women who want the same things women all over the world want; love, family, and a little joy here and there in their daily lives. But the women in this story live in a country where these things are extremely hard to come by.

Afghanistan is a part of the world that was a mystery to me until I read this story. I will never listen to world news reports the same way after reading A Thousand Splendid Suns.

epeulne's review against another edition

dark emotional hopeful inspiring reflective sad tense slow-paced

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

5.0

lochz's review against another edition

challenging informative inspiring 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? No

5.0

zhmx's review against another edition

emotional inspiring reflective sad medium-paced

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

5.0

jessicasdigitallibrary's review against another edition

5.0

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

this story was so devastating yet beautiful in its own way. this book follows our two main characters born 20 years apart and their lives become intertwined, due to the devastating events they’re going through.



mariam and laila are two of the strongest fmc’s i’ve ever seen, the way that they endured so much but yet continued to keep their faith and held onto each other through hardships in their war-torn neighborhoods.

They made her aware of her own lowliness, her plain looks, her lack of aspirations, her ignorance of so many things.

mariam was the result of an affair between her father and a servant. for this they were shunned and forced to live in a small shack far from the city. mariam looked up to her father all while her mother warned her about him and men like him. she endured so much but still kept a brave face. she truly deserved so much better and all the love in the world. deep down she wanted to be loved genuinely and when she did have it she cherished it

mandymariaf's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional inspiring 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

bertwagner's review against another edition

5.0

I liked this book even more than the author’s first book, “The Kite Runner”. Afghanistan is a country that has been conquered again and again by different groups over the centuries. The story documents life in Afghanistan over the last 30 years, the Russian invasion, the Mujaheddin civil war, the takeover by the Taliban, and the US invasion, from the standpoint of two brave and resilient women. The title of the book comes from a 17th century poem titled “Kabul” and, in this case, refers to the caring and sacrificial love of the two women who are banned to be inside the walls of the house by the patriarchy.
I could not put the book down as I relished the love that the author displays for his native Afghanistan. I did feel sadness for the women in the story due to their very low status in society and that the hope of a better life following the US invasion would be quashed only 20 years later following the return of the Taliban when the US got tired of the situation and left.

withlovejeans's review against another edition

dark emotional inspiring reflective tense medium-paced

• 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? Yes

4.5

i really enjoyed this read albeit being quite heavy at times. it was elucidating to read about the experiences of laila and mariam, and to see how they shared values yet began with such distaste and disrespect between them. this book was what i chose at the hayden library mystery book event and i think i made a really lovely selection!

cheyenneisreading's review against another edition

5.0

I devoured this novel and was amazed with the writing. So easy to read yet so dramatic I kept hoping for the two women. I kept hoping their lives could get better and I loved how much I learnt while reading this novel. I learnt so much about events that occured in Afghanistan —"from the Soviet invasion to the reign of the Taliban to the post-Taliban rebuilding" - I was left speachless and stunned that society's still occured and thrive under such violent and terror.

kennedym10__'s review against another edition

dark emotional informative reflective sad tense fast-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