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| A Thousand Splendid Suns | 
 enlarge | Author: Khaled Hosseini
Publisher: Riverhead
Category: Book
List Price: $25.95
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New (122) Used (212) Collectible (40) from $6.68
Avg. Customer Rating:  1295 reviews
Sales Rank: 125
Media: Hardcover
Number Of Items: 1
Pages: 372
Shipping Weight (lbs): 1.3
Dimensions (in): 9.1 x 6.2 x 1.3
ISBN: 1594489505
Dewey Decimal Number: 813.6
EAN: 9781594489501
ASIN: 1594489505
Publication Date: May 22, 2007
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| Customer Reviews:
 An Afghani 'War and Peace' That Promises To Be One of 2007's Best Novels May 22, 2007
72 out of 81 found this review helpful
Khaled Hosseini's "A Thousand Splendid Suns" is a genuine instant literary classic, and one destined to be remembered as one of 2007's best novels. It should be compared favorably to such legendary Russian novels like "War and Peace" and "Doctor Zhivago". And yet it is ironic to compare Hosseini's latest novel to such classic works written by Tolstoy and Pasternak, especially in light of their country's recent sordid history with Afghanistan, Hosseini's country of birth. However, I believe that this comparison is most apt, since he joins them in recounting most vividly, an intense, horrific period in his homeland's recent history, which shows no immediate prospect yet of a peaceful resolution. Hosseini also demonstrates that he is both a literary master of exquisite detail and dialogue which so easily reminds me of Salman Rushdie's extraordinary literary skills; these are demonstrated most notably in his great early novel "Midnight's Children". Indeed Hosseini, like Rushdie, is yet another South Asian writer committed to writing great novels in the English language, demonstrating once more the Indian subcontinent's rapid ascendancy as an important source of original first-rate English language literature. Fans of "The Kite Runner", his critically acclaimed literary debut, will rejoice after reading his second novel, and share my observation that he has become one of our most compelling writers of contemporary fiction.
Afghanistan's tumultuous, tragic recent history is told in riveting, exquisite detail by Hosseini, which is seen through the eyes of two extraordinary young intelligent women. We are introduced first to Mariam, the harami (bastard) daughter of wealthy Jalil Khan, a prominent Herat businessman, and his servant, Nana. And then later, but still early on in the novel, we will meet Laila, the youngest child of Babi and Fariba, both members of Kabul's early 1970s educated middle class. Mariam's heart-wrenching efforts in trying to gain her father's acceptance as his legitimate daughter lead unexpectedly to personal tragedy and a new life as the wife of Rasheed, an elderly Kabul shoemaker. Against her own free-spirited will, and inquisitive nature, Mariam reluctantly submits to age-old Islamic Afghani customs even as she realizes that some fellow Afghani women - Khan's legitimate daughters from his three wives - are acquiring a Western-oriented educated lifestyle in the provincial city of Herat. In Kabul, Afghanistan's capital, the relatively illiterate, young Mariam soon finds some solace in a brief, tenuous friendship with the older Fariba. Fariba's husband Babi is a Kabul University-educated former teacher fully conversant in both traditional Afghani literature and Western civilization. When Kabul erupts into a bloody civil war soon after the fall of its Communist regime, Babi will teach their daughter Laila both modern Western mathematics and medieval Afghani poetry at home; its war-ravaged streets permanently ending her attendance at a local Western-oriented primary school.
Hosseini has cleverly compared and contrasted traditional Islamic Afghani customs with Western civilized values, especially with respect to women, through the unexpected metamorphosis of Laila's character from a free-spirited, intelligent school girl to a tradition-bound Afghani bride, as Rasheed's second wife, forced into this arrangement by both a romantic farewell tryst with Tariq, her childhood best friend and lover, and a personal tragedy brought on by a vicious civil war on the streets of Kabul between rival Afghani tribal warlords. Eventually she will find a soul mate and a friend in the older Mariam, both realizing that they've become virtual slaves to their older husband, who is all too willing to hide behind fundamentalist Islamic tradition as he makes their lives within his household a living embodiment of Hell.
Nearly fifty years of tumultuous, often bloody, Afghani history are described in graphic detail via Hosseini's elegant, poetic prose. The 1973 coup d'etat against the Afghani monarchy, led by a member of the royal family, is followed five years later by another coup against the self-proclaimed president for life, leading inexorably to a Communist regime and the Soviet occupation of Afghanistan. The relatively tranquil Soviet occupation, and then later, evacuation of Kabul is succeeded by the bloody civil war amongst warlords, and the subsequent rise and fall of the Taliban regime. All of these events are interwoven neatly by Hosseini into the tragic lives of his two heroines. And yet, as readers will find out eventually, not all is lost in the mutually entangled lives of torment and pain for these two women, since Hosseni does end his novel on a hopeful, indeed triumphant, note. A triumphant note that is most worthy for a novel which successfully carries through the ambitious literary scope of Hosseni's fictionalized recent history of Afghanistan, much in the same fashion as his literary predecessors Tolstoy and Pasternak. A splendid 21st Century novel that is most worthy of comparison to "War and Peace" and "Doctor Zhivago".
 Very disappointed October 25, 2007
65 out of 105 found this review helpful
I can't believe the rave reviews this book has gotten, both from professional reviewers and here on Amazon. I thought the plot was melodramatic, the characters cardboard, the writing overdone. I felt very, very glad I hadn't bought the book but simply borrowed it.
Though the "Kite Runner" had problems, it also had some vivid descriptions of Kabul and Afghan life, which were what drew me in. I suspect most of these were autobiographical; it was in the book's second half, which was more fictionalized, that I thought the writer lost his way. Still, it was a good debut, and I thought he'd be able to correct the unevenness of the manuscript with his second effort. I was looking forward to it.
No. Absolutely no. The defects of the last part of "The Kite Runner" were here in force. I could not empathize with the characters or get into their heads at all, despite being a woman. It's not impossible for a writer of one sex to successfully write about the other sex, but difficult, and I applaud Hosseini's ambition. Still, I don't think he succeeded at all here. The women were cardboard figures that could have been any generic oppressed Afghan woman -- neither ever really came to life, making it hard for me to see them as anything but political constructs. It's as if Hosseini decided he would write a story about "oppression of women under the Taliban" and allowed the theme to devour the story, much to the story's detriment. The male characters were cardboard as well, as if he'd pulled "generic oppressor" figures out of a hat. Yes, they may well exist in Afghanistan. But as fictional characters, they never came to life. Nobody is so good and so bad as all the characters here.
And the triteness! The overwriting! We're hit over the head with the same image several times -- the t-shirt clad torso of one character falling down after an explosion, for example, with the same cringe-inducing reference to the t-shirt he was wearing. There were other embarrassing turns of phrase. The emotions of the characters aren't shown either; we're told that they're in agony, or whatever, but we don't see it. It's a soap opera set in Afghanistan -- very easy to read, but little of real substance. Afghan Lite, as it were.
We also don't have the same vivid sense of Afghan life that we got in the first part of "Kite Runner." That's probably because Hosseini had left the country and had to rely on second-hand stories of what went on. This isn't an insurmountable problem necessarily, but he didn't manage to overcome it. Most of the descriptions of what happened were generic too.
I wonder if one reason for the raves is that it seems politically incorrect to criticize a book about Afghanistan, especially Afghani women and their troubles? Or that this book gives people a sense that they're learning about Afghan life, which allows them to seem knowing about the news without actually making much mental effort, and that's why it's been so successful. In any case, a real disappointment.
The Sins of the Fathers Are Visited on Everyone May 22, 2007
49 out of 52 found this review helpful
A THOUSAND SPLENDID SUNS tells the wonderful, intensely moving story of how two modern Afghan women overcome the great challenges that have faced women in Afghanistan and rise above their victimization. Khaled Hosseini has succeeded in capturing many important historical and contemporary themes in a way that will make your heart ache again and again. Why will your reaction be so strong? It's because you'll identify closely with the suffering of almost all the characters, a reaction that's very rare to a modern novel.
In Part One, you meet Miriam at age five as she learns that she is a harami (an illegitimate child). Miriam's wealthy father, Jalil, had seduced a housekeeper, Miriam's mother, Nana, six years earlier and now provides for both of them in a remote shack where he can keep a low profile. Despite his concern about his reputation, Jalil adores the attention that Miriam devotes to him. All proceeds in an artificial and harsh way until one day Miriam decides to demand her father's attention. The consequences shape her world for the rest of her life.
In Part Two, the story moves to focus on Laila, who was born to Miriam's acquaintance Fariba at the end of Part One. Laila's rearing is almost totally the opposite of Miriam's. Laila is loved by both her parents with whom she lives and has many chances to develop her knowledge and skills. Laila lives in Kabul while Miriam grew up in the countryside outside of Herat. Laila is beautiful while Miriam is plainer. They also grow up in different times: Miriam is old enough to be Laila's mother. Miriam never had a male friend while growing up, while Laila is fascinated by the one-legged Tariq. All is going well for Laila until the war intrudes to send her life off into an unexpected direction.
In Part Three, the two women begin to share a destiny and develop a relationship. Their lives are more fundamentally changed by this relationship than by anything else that has happened to them. The magic of the story is most evident in Part Three.
In Part Four, we come into the present, when Afghanistan is once again opening itself to possibilities.
The time span of the book is from 1964 to the present. In the background, you are kept up-to-date on political events that shake the entire country. In some cases, those political events turn into revolutions and wars. In many cases, the violence intrudes into the lives of the book's characters. It's like reading War and Peace as adapted to modern Afghanistan.
The book also deals with issues of class, religion, sexual roles, child rearing, work, education, and community. These issues are highlighted in terms of the different regimes and attitudes of the controlling male characters. For Afghanistan was a world where the men called the shots, unless they chose not to do so. Although the issues that are raised and the way that they are raised are pretty predictable, it's a tribute to Mr. Hosseini that you won't see them coming. He moves his characters and action around in such a way that you won't see much foreshadowing of what's to come. Part of that skill comes in making each page so interesting and engaging that you are pulled away from thoughts like "I wonder where he's going next with this plot." I found myself deeply inside the story throughout. That's rare for me, especially in a story that focuses on female characters.
It's early in the year, but I wouldn't be surprised if A THOUSAND SPLENDID SUNS turns out to have been one of the very top novels of 2007.
I highly recommend this book and encourage you to discuss it with your friends. This novel would be a great choice for your book club.
You Will Be Disturbed & Will Feel Great Empathy. July 30, 2007
47 out of 49 found this review helpful
This is not a book for the timid, this is a melancholy story with four parts that eventually overlap. This emotional rollercoaster ride of a story covers the period from 1964 to roughly the present day in the hardluck country of Afghanistan. It centers on the lives of two women, Mariam { a harami= illegitimate} raised in a hut by her mother, the only highlight of her destitute life is the Thursday visits from her father. When her fathers family rejects her she is forced into a marriage with the brutal shoemaker Rasheed. A devout follower of the Taliban's cruelty towards females. Laila lives down the street from Mariam in very different circumstances. She is raised in a modern family, by a loving father & depressive mother.
The book covers the issues of class, religion, work, education, sexual roles, & raising children. All are highlighted by the tumult of Afghanistan's history. This is a very descriptive, well written story, you can feel & sense the characters lives. The first half was a little slow, & it is clear that this will be a "blue journey." The sacrifices these two women gives the reader a slideshow of the harshness of their lives. Part three, is the peak of the story. This is where the two women's relationship truly meshed. The fourth part sees Afghanistan opening to modernity & is less traumatic. A very good & poignant read.
So very, incredibly, disappointing June 4, 2007
36 out of 78 found this review helpful
The promise of exquisite language, unfailing insight, and depth of characters whom readers come to care about and claim as their own in The Kite Runner is no where to be found in Splendid Suns. It is, rather, more like many well-intentioned but failing first novels - obvious, prosaic, amateurishly predictable, and disappointing throughout. Its structure is contrived, its editing sorely lacking, and its emotional arc sophmoric. There are no surprises, no complexity; the storytelling is Writers' Workshop 101. As for weaving personal stories within a political fabric of devastating reality, readers should go to When a Crocodile Eats the Sun: A Memoir of Africa by Peter Godwin, a superb book in every way. Mr. Hosseini can justifiably be accused of writing a followup to Kite Runner as fast and as furiously as he could - a painful waste of a talented writer's time and effort. Let's hope his third book is a return to his more thoughtful, patient, and satisfying writing. JK An avid reader in NYC
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