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A review by carmelita87
A Thousand Splendid Suns by Khaled Hosseini
dark
emotional
hopeful
informative
inspiring
reflective
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
This heart-wrenching tale is a triumphant love letter to all women everywhere.
I couldn't read this book fast enough and yet I whole heartly didn't want it to end. The story of Mariam and Laila had me so enthralled, I had to continue it by listening to the audiobook while my family and I drove out to New Braunfels, Texas during the Easter break. I even got my mother into it and we cried together as we listened to the bittersweet ending on our drive back home.
Two Afghani women form an unbreakable bond that will remind you of the beauty and strength we find in the darkest of times.
Mariam is the illegitimate child of a businessman who is married off to 40-something Rasheed when she was 15-years-old and made to obey her husband during a time in the late 1970s and 1980s when women experienced more freedoms in Afghanistan because of Soviet rule. Mariam cannot carry a pregnancy to term, which frustrates Rasheed and he grows cold and hostile towards Mariam. The POV changes to Laila. Once the warlords battle to take a foothold on Afghanistan, 14-year-old Laila's crush and onetime lover, Tariq, flees to Pakistan after failing to convince her to marry him and flee along with him. A rocket kills Laila's parents while her family is preparing to flee. Middle-aged Rasheed saves Laila from the rubble. Mariam, now an adult, helps her heal from her injuries. Rasheed's motives are clear to Mariam; he intends to marry the 15-year-old Laila. After a stranger informs Laila that the love of her life has died, she succumbs to Rasheed's desires and marries him. As Mariam and Laila's home becomes a more hostile and violent place, so does Afghanistan for women and other minorities. Mariam and Laila simultaneously develop an unshakable sisterhood and mother-daughter bond as they navigate their lives through times of disappointment and hope. The ending alone makes this book a worthwhile read.
I couldn't read this book fast enough and yet I whole heartly didn't want it to end. The story of Mariam and Laila had me so enthralled, I had to continue it by listening to the audiobook while my family and I drove out to New Braunfels, Texas during the Easter break. I even got my mother into it and we cried together as we listened to the bittersweet ending on our drive back home.
Two Afghani women form an unbreakable bond that will remind you of the beauty and strength we find in the darkest of times.
Mariam is the illegitimate child of a businessman who is married off to 40-something Rasheed when she was 15-years-old and made to obey her husband during a time in the late 1970s and 1980s when women experienced more freedoms in Afghanistan because of Soviet rule. Mariam cannot carry a pregnancy to term, which frustrates Rasheed and he grows cold and hostile towards Mariam. The POV changes to Laila. Once the warlords battle to take a foothold on Afghanistan, 14-year-old Laila's crush and onetime lover, Tariq, flees to Pakistan after failing to convince her to marry him and flee along with him. A rocket kills Laila's parents while her family is preparing to flee. Middle-aged Rasheed saves Laila from the rubble. Mariam, now an adult, helps her heal from her injuries. Rasheed's motives are clear to Mariam; he intends to marry the 15-year-old Laila. After a stranger informs Laila that the love of her life has died, she succumbs to Rasheed's desires and marries him. As Mariam and Laila's home becomes a more hostile and violent place, so does Afghanistan for women and other minorities. Mariam and Laila simultaneously develop an unshakable sisterhood and mother-daughter bond as they navigate their lives through times of disappointment and hope. The ending alone makes this book a worthwhile read.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Sexual violence, Sexual assault, and War