Reviews

A Thousand Splendid Suns by Khaled Hosseini

saramitra's review

5.0

"she's the noor of my eyes and the sultan of my heart." I could turn a thousand and live a thousand more and yet, this sentence will always stick with me as if it has always been a part of me. lord, lord, lord... where do I even begin?! Nana's behavior was concerning at first but eventually, it made sense. Mariam toiled through her life - a legitimate ending to all the illegitimate beginnings. The best part of Khaled's works is the letters the characters write, and somehow it never manages to reach the person it was intended for - creating a bittersweet moment. Redemption, hope, and tragedies. This book cannot replace my love for Kite Runner but it definitely moves mountains when it comes to light through the dark night. I love how a lot has been spoken about Kabul and Herat - it makes me want to visit those places, those streets, and divulge myself there. "you cannot stretch your leg in Kabul without your feet touching a poet or a musician" ah- how much I love these small bits of culture! I was so fascinated by the word "hamsheera" that I now consider it a part of my everyday life. Words would always fall short to describe the beauty of this book. Love it a lot <3

storeytale's review

4.5

 Heart-wrenching and eye-opening.

marlisphillips's review

4.0

Even better than his first book. I hope he keeps writing.

maddielanka's review

emotional hopeful informative tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? N/A
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.5

A thousand splendid suns is such an inspiring and eye opening book. It is a book that inspires women to rise up. It takes you along a heartbreaking but beautiful journey through living in a time of war. This book really resonated with me because I myself am a privileged young women. I can’t imagine living in the circumstances both Laila and Mariam did. I 100% recommend this book to absolutely everyone. It changes your perspective on the Middle East and the circumstances women have to live in. 

evidasbooks's review

challenging dark emotional hopeful sad tense slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

jfrie65's review

5.0

It's rare that a book provokes this much emotion and stress. A beautiful story of hope.

sprangalang's review against another edition

3.5

Interesting

miaowmao's review

4.0

“Like a compass needle that points north, a man's accusing finger always finds a woman.”

sweetpea86's review

challenging emotional sad medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

5.0

Wow. I have not read a book quite like this before. I enjoyed it from start to end. It is harrowing at some points and I would have to stop reading to process the emotion I felt. 
The bond between the two main characters is unbreakable and heartfelt. The story is one that I will remember and one I am likely to re-read again and again.

oceanecohen's review against another edition

challenging emotional hopeful sad tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

3.5