Title : A Thousand Splendid Suns
Author : Khaled Hosseini
Genre : Historic Fiction
Pages : 420
Blurb
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 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.
Review
A Thousand Splendid Suns is a story about two girls Mariam and Laila who lives in Afghanistan during the period of war and Taliban rule. The story begins with Mariam, a very innocent and calm girl. She doesn’t have a lot of exposure in life so at the very tender age of 15 itself she is forced to marry an elderly man and sent to Kabul along with him. Then nearly after 20 years she comes across a neighborhood teenager Laila.
Laila is the exact opposite of Mariam. She is confident and shrewd, she goes to school and believes in education. So basically Laila is somebody who is modern in both thoughts as well as her activities. Both their contrasting lives are forced to intervene together due to the impact of the war. In that unkindly situation a friendship blooms between them.
This book throws light on Afghanistan war and Taliban rule. It also talks about how it has affected the lives of the people in Afghanistan, how the women were treated, how oppressive the rules were towards women and many more sensitive issues. All the sufferings of the people of Afghanistan has been elaborately described and it was emotionally stirring.
Even if you are someone who knows nothing about Afghanistan war or Taliban rule, A Thousand Splendid Suns will give you an insight about the issues. Khaled Hosseini is an Afghan-American and he had spent a considerable amount of time in Afghanistan during the war and I think that’s why he had perfectly blended the truth and the fiction in right proportion. And the end result has come out simply amazing.
It is a very heart touching novel which will definitely move you because the author will push you to the edge of the cliff until you breakdown and weep like a child. And that’s one of the main reasons why this book has touched millions of hearts. A Thousand Splendid Suns is a story of strength, bravery, resilience, hope and friendship.
The characterization and character development of Mariam and Laila was extraordinary. There are lot of things to learn from these two characters. These are two very strong and bold characters one could ever come across in life. And Tariq, possibly the only good male character in the book. Tariq provided the support the main characters needed and his character was like a ray of hope in the world filled will miserable beings. His character was beautifully portrayed by the author.
The writing and narrative style of the author was exceptional. It would need an entire post to talk exclusively about his writing skills alone. His way of writing was so good, it will instantly abduct the readers from the reality to another land. It is a masterfully written one good novel.
My View
This book came to my hands as a gift and that’s how I got the opportunity to read this book. Usually I used do a bit of a research about the book, so I always know what I’m getting myself into but with this book I had no idea. I started it with zero expectation and to my surprise it turned out to be one of the best books I have ever read.
You can say I’m a kind of addicted to Khaled Hosseini’s writing, I could read him all day and night without getting bored. I loved the plot line and I loved the lead characters with all my heart.
My rating for this book would be 5 out of 5 stars
I recommend this book to people who are interesting Historic fictions and people who loves to read slow paced, deep and detailed kind of novel. I’m sure these set of people would ultimately love this book.
Click here to buy this wonderful book!
I hope you will love this book as much as I loved it!!
Happy Reading Folks!!!
~ Meenu
Read the story of strength, bravery, resilience, hope and friendship. A Thousand Splendid Suns by Khaled Hosseini!!!
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