A Thousand Splendid Suns Kindle Edition

A great written novel taking us through the lives of 2 amazing and strong Afghan women – Mariam and Laila.Although they come from different generations, they encounter the same hardship, pain and suffering in changing Afghanistan and it’s brutal and violent history.I do not want to write more about the story itself, as I do not want to spoil it for anyone who has not yet read it.After breezing through some of the reviews, I started to read this book with very high expectations. This novel exceeded them and left me completely overwhelmed.One of the best reads ever, and I do read A LOT. An eye opener. A perspective changer. It made me cry and it tied my stomach in a knot multiple times.I read through some pages pressing one of my hands on my mouth, wishing for what was happening to end and for the characters to stop suffering.Although this book was so hard to put down, I did it just to get up at night to hug and kiss my sleeping little daughters. I stayed awake just to keep reading.With all the noise around flags, to kneel or not to kneel during national anthem etc. this should be an obligatory read for everyone who is privileged to live in a peaceful country.A MUST read.

To be honest, I didn't think I would finish this book. I got through perhaps the first 50 pages and thought, there is no way I can finish this. I got through the first 100 pages and thought, I definitely will have to stop reading this. But, as you can see, I did finish it, and feel compelled to rate it 5 stars.This is *not* light reading. It is extremely heart-wrenching from start to finish. (I would also say that, if you are a survivor of domestic violence, be prepared for very descriptive passages of beatings, rape, strangulation, isolation, and other horrific abuse.) From the horrors of abuse to the horrors of war, this book does not leave any dark part of the human heart unexplored. And that is why it is so difficult to read.At the same time, it was not a book I could give up on. The character dynamics in the book are so complex that, after a while, they truly seemed like real people. The enduring power of Mariam's spirit is, all at once, beautiful, inspiring, and heartbreaking. And, even in a time of war, love and friendship ultimately survive.This story also gives some insight to Western readers about what Afghanistan was like, pre-9/11.I highly recommend this book and will be reading more by this author.

My heart was torn to pieces and put back together again several times throughout this book, with my heart ending in a state of contentment that is shaded with sadness with the passing of clouds. A wonderfully written tale of tragedy and the endurance of love for one's family members. I did not know how deep love could run, especially when laced with such extreme circumstances and incredible cruelty, and I'm so very grateful for what this tale has taught me about the human spirit and the lives of those of whom I'll never know. This tale surrounding historical events in Afghanistan is superbly written and conveys such a deep degree of emotion that I found myself several times wracked with sadness that has now and will forever leave its mark upon my heart, as it goes out to the people who have had to, and still do, endure pure acts of evil that are unfathomable to me. Aziza's character will now always be with me, because I was born in the same year as she was, and it was harrowing to think about how incredibly different our lives were from each other. They were parallel in many ways, but worlds apart in the end, and I'm pained to think of how my life would be if I had not been born as an American. A sad but wonderful tale that I think any reader would enjoy and grieve over.

This book was not an easy read - not because it was poorly written, indeed the author did a masterful job. But this book brings history to life in a very personal way, and so many things were really hard to read about. It is astonishing how Afghanistan went, in a relatively short period of time, from free to Communism, to civil war, to religious oppression, and now, hopefully, back to freedom. The things these women went through is incredible.I applaud this author for his courage in taking what we hear about in the news, and turning it into something we can feel. Only then will people take action to help.

Ah, Hosseini is a master storyteller. His characters almost feel like you know them and you get into their lives and their thinking and feeling. This book is mostly about the women in the country and what life for many of them is like: difficult, repressive, unjust. Yet the women continue on, they persevere and make the most of what they can get but it has to be a very sad life, maybe making death a welcome relief. Just plain living for them is hard, then you layer on the Taliban, and the warring. Ugh. I wish it were otherwise for these women but until the people change their mindset, things won't change much for them.

Amazing! Want to read it again! I didn't think he could outdo Kite Runner but this novel was eye-opening, breathtaking, heartbreaking all in one. Highly, highly recommend!The tale follows two women across decades of war, love, heartbreak, faith & family:Mariam, lives with her mother out in the middle of nowhere. Her father is a rich businessman, Jalil, but he does not live with them, seemingly ashamed by his illegitimate daughter, but still comes to see her - almost weekly. Mariam ADORES him. But then tragedy strikes and Jalil in turn forces Mariam to move to Kabul and marry an older, cruel man named Rasheed.Laila, who is raised in Kabul but grows up in a life very different than Mariams. Her family is loving, and her father loves her very much, and is always present. She has friends and a boyfriend and a wonderful life.Layla and Mariam lives are eventually woven together in an intimate, tragic and emotional way.All the feels for this book! The emotions will hit you hard and it's a testament to Hosseini's incredible storytelling that to me, has no faults. A must read.

I had this book for two years, for two years I had been shying away to muster up the courage to read it. Why was I reluctant? Because I knew it had a deep, profound, soul awakening message, a message which I wasn't willing to look in the eye and whole heartedly accept. There are such books, believe me that can speak to you without you even reading them. This book has that mystical power.When I did, a week ago I was engulfed by the beauty of Khaled's writing.Beauty is when you are not willing to believe the characters are fictional.Beauty is when you decide with firm conviction that maybe, in some distant future your child will bear the name 'Aziza'Beauty is when your weeping becomes second nature, when you begin to understand the great human suffering .When you realise that you have been gifted. The mere things that we've been taking for granted, the things that we have at our disposal every single day, there are people out there for whom this may seem as a dream, maybe a dream never fulfilled.You will realize one thing for sure -To respect and honor Human Beings. For a great deal has been endured by humanity.For every person we encounter has a story, wants to be understood, every person wants to be embraced, has dreams, wants to be seen.When you realise this you will start serving, uplifting, giving instead of wanting and getting.This book will break you.Break your ego.Break your desire for needs shoved through the wrath of consumerism.It will break your heart into a million shards.I urge you to read this unforgettable book. Let it take you down heartbreak zone. And liberate a sense of empathy, compassion and meaning that is in you, already. And that which the world so desperately needs.

One of the best books I have ever read.This was independently recommended to me by a number of friends who are big readers. It is not the type of book I usually read as I don’t tend to read such sad books, but it was so ardently loved that I gave it a try.I really struggled to get into it in the beginning as I initially found it slow and upsetting. A few times I considered giving up on it, not through any fault of the writer, just that I tend to read different types of books. I have a full time job which is often emotionally heavy, so I prefer to avoid human suffering/tragedy type themes when reading for pleasure or watching films.I am so beyond glad that I continued on. This book is beyond spectacular. It is so beautifully written and the characters and story are so utterly powerful.Be warned, this book is very emotionally challenging. I could not put it down once I was beyond the first few chapters. It is amazingly well written and flows beautifully but the subject matter is just crushingly upsetting, while at the same time, there is such beauty and love in some of the relationships. The result was lots of tears and even sobbing at the end of the book. It left me bereft, and emotionally exhausted, but just blown away by how good the book is. I don’t see how anyone could fail to be moved and bowled over after reading this.I have been deliberately vague about the subject matter as I hate it when someone leaves a review which means you no longer need to read the book.All I can say is read it, you won’t regret it (but will in all probability have puffy eyes for a few days after!!!!).

Many a times, while reading this book, i felt a strong urge to stop reading this and delete it from the device as it was extremely heart wrenching, even to think of continuing this book. Whenever i paused reading, the distress annoyed me beyond what i could take. Whether it was the feeling of sympathy towards their life circumstances or was it the feeling of helplessness towards the unfair and brutal nature of the world that made me feel so annoyed and heavy-hearted, i do not know.But when i finished this book and kept it aside, a feeling of relaxation and peacefulness washed over me. War and Civil Wars, as we read and hear from media, sounds and feels very dreadful. But to live through and survive/suffer that is something one would never want to go through. You will live through those through the eyes of Mariam and Laila while reading this book.A humble and heartfelt ovation to the beautiful book and the writer.

Just when i thought that nothing could top the Kite Runner i read this. If you liked the kite runner, you are gona love this. This is the first time i have spent 5 hours in a day just reading a book. It had me hooked and oh did it make me cry. Its one of those stories that stays with you for a while after you finished it. Touched my heart in so many ways.

Perhaps one of the most moving and heart wrenching books I have ever read, the story is compelling, sad, informative and a realistic account of the tragic lives of every day people in a foreign world and country.To think that this is a relatively modern day account of the way a women and children were treated and of how a man, husband and father could be non accountable for his cruelty and violence against his family is mind blowing. Personally it makes me feel so fortunate to have lived in the same era as these women but have as many privileges as a citizen as I have, with a direct link to an NHS system, legal rights and instant help and assistance from our emergency services and the opportunity to have had a free and comprehensive education. The book set in a world were these people were burdened with their lives from birth, just because they were born in the circumstances that were dominated by the total control of government, their family and tragic circumstances. A brilliant book and a must read for all that live a spoilt and privileged life in Great Britain.