A Thousand Splendid Suns
by Khaled Hosseini
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Book Reviews of A Thousand Splendid Suns
Book Review: 2.5 stars- Everything is just too safe. Not interesting safe, but boring safe
Summary: 3 Stars
The Kite Runner, Hosseini's debut novel, showed his true talent and the fact that he could really be something else. It was sad, but at the same time exciting and I didn't wanna put it down. I saw the movie when it got released and I really liked it a lot too, it was almost exactly like the book. So I must admit I was excited for A Thousand Splendid Suns.
While I admit this was a solid book, it's not great. It has a good storyline and it has good characters, but I am not a fan of the way this book reads out.
The story is the life of two Afghan women, Mariam and Laila, as they pass through life in Afghanistan. Both of them are married to a slob named Rasheed. Rasheed is a cruel and sadistic man who abuses them and beats them to death. The book showcases their lives through the years as both of them struggle to cope with Rasheed.
The book has a good story and good characters, but the reason for this being only a 3 star book is due to the fact that it is VERY poorly written. Hosseini stretches out a short story to 400+ pages, and adds in extremely detailed descriptions of objects. Hosseini just TELLS us what happens as opposed to showing us what happens and at times he just says that one of the characters told someone else something without quoting it ("Mariam told him she did not.") And the second half of the book... takes... forever... to... get... anywhere.
Another note is that normally I'm a fast reader, but this one took me literally a month to finish due to how slow it is. As a result, everything is just too safe. Not interesting safe, but boring safe.
I really want to give this book a full 5 star rating. But I just can't. It's a good book and all, just it's not written very good, and there are LOTS that could have been done better. To Mr. Hosseini, PLEASE let your next book be better!
Book Review: Poignant, unputdownable... brilliant
Summary: 5 Stars
This is a poignant story about (primarily) the lives of two Afghan women in the late 20th/early 21st century. Others have discussed the plot, so I'll just mention the reasons this one has stuck with me (I first read it when it came out a couple years ago).
Most important is Hosseini's ability to connect with the reader. I've read a lot of fiction from other cultures, and sometimes have had difficulty in relating to the characters or the story. Not so here. Although Afghan culture and many of the characters' assumptions about life are foreign to me, I was still completely drawn in to the lives of the main characters. Essentially, Hosseini uses Western storytelling tactics to tell an Afghan story, not an everyday feat. (It would be interesting to know whether it still appeals to Afghan readers.)
Speaking of Afghan stories, it's refreshing to read a book about Muslims where not all men are evil; there's quite a variety here. Understandable, since the author is male--but then, few male authors portray women so well. And this book provides a window into Afghan culture that most of us would never see otherwise.
While trying to avoid spoilers, I'd like to advise potential readers not to be scared off by reports of this book's brutality. It's intense, yes, and sometimes tragic, but rest assured that there's light at the end of the tunnel.
A Thousand Splendid Suns, while covering the last 30-40 years of Afghan history, does continue right up to modern times; I didn't see any political statements here (wasn't looking for them, either), but the book did leave me abnormally interested in Afghanistan-related current events for months afterwards: I was that concerned about these characters. Logically, of course, that's ridiculous, but it's a testament to just how amazing this book is. Seriously--read it.
Book Review: A screenplay turned into a novel
Summary: 1 Stars
I did not read THE KITE RUNNER nor did I see the film. I knew the subject matter of A THOUSAND SPLENDID SUNS before I purchased the book so I was prepared for the story. I'm a bit mystified as to why so many people believe this book is "lyrical," "not to be missed," "outstanding," etc., etc., and all the other platitudes associated with it. Color me stupid, but I didn't think the writing was inventive or creative or even interesting. It's not bad writing, but it certainly isn't great by any means. The story reads like the first draft of a screenplay that's been turned into a novel. It seems the author invented scenarios for a sweeping historical saga that would look good on the screen, but completely failed to bring the characters to life in the novel.
As for the story itself, it's not over the top given the Afghan culture and how women can be treated; rather, there are some serious plot points (or rather plot holes) that do not make any sense (e.g., the ages of Mariam's father and Rasheed; how did they get away successfully the second time, but not the first; why wait so long between the first and second attempts to leave Rasheed; etc.) . As hard as life was for Mariam, I could not feel her pain or empathize with her situation. Honestly, here, I think Mr. Hosseini failed with the female voices - most of it did not seem truthful or "real." It felt artificial and contrived. The early relationship between the young Laila and the young Tariq reads like a bad romance novel.
When Mr. Hosseini incorporates the rise of the Taliban into his story, I did not find it believable or involving. It was merely a plot device (unfortunately) to move the story along. Somewhere out there is a great historical novel/story about the rise of the Taliban and its affect on Afghanistan women, but this isn't the book.
Book Review: Beloved spirit takes flight from inhumanity
Summary: 5 Stars
The subject matter of A Thousand Splendid Suns (embedded in the harsh realities of recent decades in Afghanistan) is terribly distressing. The narrative is drenched in sadness, and Khaled Hosseini's empathic approach to character development drew me in. Like The Kite Runner, his home city of Kabul is a primary character in the book--a rollercoaster personality through its shifting sands of successive revolutions and invasions.
Hosseini's novel is shaped by these events and imbued with their devastating impacts on his common folk characters. The continuum throughout the book is the subjugation of women. The level of seething brutality and neglect that men heap upon their wives and daughters--with such extravagant impunity--wrenches the gut and rips the heart.
We have all read about the treatment of women in Afghanistan under the Taliban. It's disheartening to read about their continued oppression through forced marriages, violence, and lack of opportunities years following the U.S.-led invasion. What Hosseini's work of fiction does for me, however, is translate a personal connection--a tunnel into the soul of our shared humanity that is otherwise lost in the reporting of events and statistics.
As I neared the final chapters of the story, I was looking for a Hollywood-like finish to the misery and suffering. But this is Afghanistan, where the road to redemption is strewn with potholes, mines and martyrs. In the end, there is more of the same, but with flourishes of transformation, courage, sacrifice, hope, forgiveness and love.
Book Review: Hosseini's 2 for 2!
Summary: 5 Stars
At first, I was a bit hesitant to read this book-I read The Kite Runner which was an amazing work in both its story telling and artistry. I was sure that Hosseini wouldn't be able to accomplish another great piece of work (especially when told from the perspective of two women). Not only was I wrong, but in some ways, I think it surpassed his first novel.
I find that Hosseini has a gift for writing compelling narrative that is often painful and cringe-inducing to read; yet at the same time, difficult to stop. The struggles that Laila and Mariam have to go through are often so traumatic and emotional that I found myself nearly welling up with tears. But Hosseini's ability to show their strength and perseverance is absolutely brilliant and what makes it overall so moving. On top of that, the breathtaking descriptions of scenery and culture from Afghanistan are amazing and I found myself researching the country-something I couldn't say after the first book.
If there was some type of criticism which I might lobby, it would be when the events of 9/11 are brought up and then discussed amongst the characters. As a native New Yorker who lived near the World Trade Center at that time, it brought up a lot of my own personal feelings/biases and started to take me out of the story. However, maybe this was what Hosseini intended. Either way, it was far from a deal-breaker.
I wholeheartedly recommend this book to someone looking for an engrossing and emotional story. As long as you can deal with its mature themes it's a definite must-read.