A Thousand Splendid Suns by Khaled Hosseini
Wow. Where do I ever begin on A Thousand Splendid Suns by Khaled Hosseini? This was the type of book that truly makes you grateful that there are authors out there who have truly mastered the written word to create a story so important and stunning that it makes you want to begin again at page one as soon as finish the last.
This will definitely be on the top of my list as one of the best reads this year. I have yet to read The Kite Runner. It has been on my bookshelf forever, making me feel guilty that I haven’t yet discovered its words. I only hope that I won’t be disappointed and expect too much because I enjoyed this one so much.
A Thousand Splendid Suns really makes you think about what the true life stories of Afganistans’ women must be. It truly makes me look within myself and feel grateful for the freedoms of life that I enjoy and perhaps take for granted. Throughout the book whenever a date or year was mentioned I thought of myself. I literally brought myself into the story. Where was I that year? How old was I? What was I doing? How ignorant was I of others suffering? Now I can ask myself the questions: Where am I now? What am I doing? Am I trying to lessen my ignorance? Am I trying to help? What am I doing about it?
My favorite quote in A Thousand Splendid Suns is
. . . she was leaving the world as a woman who had loved and been loved back. She was leaving it as a friend, a companion, a guardian. A mother. A person of consequence at last.
As a friend, niece, aunt, daughter, sister, wife, and mother this is my hope, this is how I would like to leave the world. Someone who had loved and been loved back. Someone who was of consequence to this world, someone who made a difference to somebody.
I tried to think of how to best present a synopsis of this story, but I gave up. It is already written so beautifully from Khaled Hosseini’s own website:
A Thousand Splendid Suns is a breathtaking story set against the volatile events of Afghanistan’s last thirty years—from the Soviet invasion to the reign of the Taliban to the post-Taliban rebuilding—that puts the violence, fear, hope, and faith of this country in intimate, human terms. It is a tale of two generations of characters brought jarringly together by the tragic sweep of war, where personal lives—the struggle to survive, raise a family, find happiness—are inextricable from the history playing out around them.
Propelled by the same storytelling instinct that made The Kite Runner a beloved classic, A Thousand Splendid Suns is at once a remarkable chronicle of three decades of Afghan history and a deeply moving account of family and friendship. It is a striking, heart-wrenching novel of an unforgiving time, an unlikely friendship, and an indestructible love—a stunning accomplishment
I enjoyed what Khaled Hosseini said in his latest blog posting,
In Kabul, I spoke to a lot of people, hotel doormen, traffic cops, vendors, waiters, people in the government, doctors, nurses, etc. I heard stories about women who had been raped, beaten, imprisoned, humiliated, women who had seen their husbands blown to pieces, seen their kids starve to death. It was then that I saw the devastating effect that anarchy and extremism had had on these women. I saw for myself, for the first time, the enormity of the suffering that these women had endured. And I came away humbled by the fight that these women had in them, by their resilience and their courage. When I sat down to write A Thousand Splendid Suns, early in 2004, I kept hearing those voices in my head, I keep seeing those faces. And so I think that to a large degree, this book was inspired by the collective hardships, struggles, by the collective hopes and dreams of those women I met and spoke to. It my tribute to a group of people who have remained strong and resilient in face of incredible hardship.
If you have not read this book yet, get it now! Read it now! Don’t wait. In fact, buy it from my bookstore. You don’t want this one to pass you by. Can you tell I liked it?
Visit Khaled Hosseini’s website for discussion questions, question and answers, and more book reviews and how you can help.
I decided to read A Thousand Splendid Suns after reading all the rave reviews and throughly enjoyed it.
I too felt so grateful for the things I have after reading this book. You selected the perfect quote. When I got to that line my soul cried out as well that yes, this is what I want. To make a difference in someone else’s life. To love and be loved.
on January 15th, 2008 at 10:28 pmI was very moved by his Kite Runner. I have yet to read this book, but will wait a while. I’m afraid I might not be that impressed, since I expect highly of him, and I don’t want that to happen.
on January 16th, 2008 at 5:49 amSame here! I just read A Thousand Splendid Suns and liked it, and I have The Kite Runner, but haven’t read it yet. Great review!
on January 19th, 2008 at 11:26 amI didn’t think it could be better than “The Kite Runner”, but it moved me even more - perhaps because the stories centered more on women in “A Thousand Splendid Suns”.
I liked your review. It’s hard to find the right words when a book just blows you away.
on January 19th, 2008 at 11:46 amI am one of the few who didn’t love this book. Maybe it’s because I listened to it on CD. I think I missed the beauty of the language plus the narrator’s accent made it hard for me to follow. I am looking forward to reding “The Kite Runner.”
on January 19th, 2008 at 9:16 pm[…] reviews Water for Elephants by Sara Gruen and A Thousand Splendid Suns by Khaled […]
on January 22nd, 2008 at 6:41 ami really liked this book, it only took me one day because i couldn’t put it down. i had read The Kite Runner a few months ago, and i was told by my teacher that i should read this one too.
on February 10th, 2008 at 1:13 pmi liked this one much better, because of the characters and the story.
Wow, I didn’t even realize I never responded to these comments! Thanks everybody for your thoughts.
And to everybody else reading this book review, I know from my statistics that this is the number one most viewed post on my blog. But where are your comments? I love the interaction, so don’t be shy. Say hello, thanks, or your opinion. Looking forward to hearing from you!
on March 13th, 2008 at 2:49 pmI haven’t read “The Kite Runner” yet but I loved “A Thousand Splendid Suns”. It is so beautifully written and a work of art. It totally made me appreciate what I have and gave me such a new perspective on what’s going on in the Middle East. I’m grateful for authors like Hosseini.
on April 2nd, 2008 at 10:44 amKim - You’ll have to read The Kite Runner. It’s beautiful and so sad at the same time! I’d be interested in knowing what you think.
on April 2nd, 2008 at 2:06 pmOh my…I just finished reading this book, and more than once, I was moved to tears. It’s an extremely powerful book.
on April 12th, 2008 at 6:46 pmI was just woundering if a thousand splendid suns would be to challenging for a 12 year old girl in grade six. If not. Do u think the kite runner would be any diffuclter and easier??
on April 13th, 2008 at 10:15 pm*zOeY*
Ooops after I read my resend blog again I noticed I made a misstake! The last sentence was supposte to say: Do u think the kite runner would be any diffuculter or just right?
on April 13th, 2008 at 10:26 pmOkay I fixed me misstake but I was just hoping Im not asking to many questions. Cause if i am i now it can be very annoying!
Jill - Agree!
Zoey - I do enjoy comments, so don’t hesitate. The actual reading itself may not be very difficult for you, however, the subject matter is very grime. I do know plenty of adults who can’t handle some of the images in both A Thousand Splendid Suns and The Kite Runner. Even Jill above was moved to tears. It is a very stark reality with a lot of bad things happening to good people.
Perhaps the best thing is to have either a parent, guardian, or teacher read the book beforehand or at the same time and then you can discuss whether it’s something that you might be able to handle.
on April 13th, 2008 at 11:00 pmThanks!
Im actually reading “where the red fern grows” right now but when im finished Ill deffenitly look into it!…..
Also Id like to thank You agin for answering all my questions!:)…………
on April 14th, 2008 at 7:16 pmZoey - I haven’t ever read Where the Red Fern Grows. Maybe I’ll check it out and I’ll read it at the same time as you. Then when I write my review you can respond with your thoughts!
on April 15th, 2008 at 6:56 pmI’ve finished “where the red fern grows” and now im starting to read ” the bread winner.”
on April 19th, 2008 at 1:17 pmWell i Live in canada, an I LOVE to read ” dear canada” There many many many different ones. But they are all diarys of girls. It could be a dirary of a girl that was in the holicast or titanic ect. Even though you don’t live in canada i think u should read one… im sure you would like it!
I loved this one too. I’d read The Kite Runner the year before and someone gave me this one the week it was released. It took me forever to read it, because I kept being so emotionally impacted by it. I kept having to put it down and walk away- for minutes hours or even days (when he locks them in the bedroom). I am so glad I read it, but it totally took a piece out of me.
on April 26th, 2008 at 6:00 pmZoey - I haven’t heard of Dear Canada. I’ll have to look into it. Thanks!
Lisa - I just don’t understand how people can treat each other sometimes. Reading What is the What was like that for me. I could only read it for a certain amount of time before I had to put it down.
on April 26th, 2008 at 10:47 pmYet another book that I have to read. I have so many in a pile around me I feel guilty checking out from the library, but may have to start to get to some of these.
on April 27th, 2008 at 5:19 amOh my, I can’t believe you haven’t read The Kite Runner yet. It made me even more emotionally, and I loved the way he wrapped things up. Many of my friends found it too sentimental, but I loved the parallels and circles he created.
I got to see Khaled Hosseini speak shortly after A Thousand Splendid Suns was released. It was an incredible experience. The copy I got signed sits in a very protected part of my bookcase.
on April 29th, 2008 at 10:31 pmTracee - Read it!
Liviania - I did read The Kite Runner after I read this one. This is the link:
on April 29th, 2008 at 10:36 pmhttp://blog.mawbooks.com/2008/03/06/the-kite-runner-by-khaled-hosseini/
True. The Kite Runner and A Thousand Splendid Suns both novels are very well written, they both touched my heart and made me sad and cry. but mostly I prefered reading The Kite Runner cuz’ it is so very touchy and sad.
Khalid is justa great writer, proud to have such an author, he is just too good.
go Khalid!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
on May 2nd, 2008 at 6:04 amI don’t know if you’ve had a chance to read The Kite Runner since this post, but I can guarantee you won’t be disappointed. It’s an amazing read and moves much quicker than A Thousand Splendid Suns. And it touches on a lot of the same issues in Afghanistan’s history.
on May 7th, 2008 at 7:55 pmI have read this one! A truly amazing book.
on May 9th, 2008 at 7:31 amhttp://readingtoolate.net/?p=140
Farida - Love your enthusiasim!
Rebecca - I have since read The Kite Runner. I loved it although not as well as A Thousand Splendid Suns. But overall, I would highly recommend both. Here’s my Kite Runner review:
on May 11th, 2008 at 9:53 pmhttp://blog.mawbooks.com/2008/03/06/the-kite-runner-by-khaled-hosseini/
this book was so eye opening it really made me feel so grateful to be Canadian born and raised
I found this book after readin the kite runner, and though i think the kite runner got more hype i think i preferred ‘a thousand splendid suns’
I have already recommended it to a number of people
on May 25th, 2008 at 2:50 pmI also preferred A Thousand Splendid Suns, but this one was excellent as well. Can’t wait to see what he comes up with next.
on May 27th, 2008 at 10:25 pmi was so touched by the kite runner book, i just had to read a thousand splendid suns. both books opened my eyes to the reality of Afghanistan, the country both my parents were born in. these novels were truly spectacular!!!!!
on June 8th, 2008 at 9:00 amI’ve read The Kit Runner. It was an okay book. I would not reread it. There were parts in the book you could skip and miss nothing. The gist of the story was touching, but the reading to get meaning was slow. There are too many words to say so little. I could put it down for days to read a more interesting book. If A Thousands Splendid Suns is written as The Kit Runner I hesitate on reading it.
on July 10th, 2008 at 6:42 amFarida W. - They were both great!
yy4uuz - Oh, you shouldn’t hesitate on A Thousand Splendid Suns. The Kite Runner was his debut novel and A Thousand Splendid Suns just gets better. Read it!
on July 13th, 2008 at 9:28 pmI loved ” A Thousand Splendid Suns” I didn’t want to put it down. I was excited every night to have a change to read the story of Merriam and Laila.. I could relate and feel the pain as I read every word! Excellent Work!
Thatsagoodidea@hotmail.com
on July 15th, 2008 at 9:44 pmI agree! This book is absolutely wonderful! It is one of my all time favorities now!
on July 19th, 2008 at 9:03 am