Reviews

I love this author so much. I read A Thousand Splendid Suns a few years ago and finally got around to this one. And holy cow. I think comparing the two books makes it even more interesting. Seeing Afghanistan from the point of view of a well to do young man versus women.
As for this book on its own, there were sometimes that I wished plots could have been more detailed, but mostly I was satisfied with how the story progressed. Definitely a tear jerker, lots of times. But still really really good.

kayliee's review against another edition

Go to review page

5.0

Read this as required reading in high school, it's an amazing book.

sunnykenna's review against another edition

Go to review page

dark emotional reflective sad medium-paced

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

4.75

mashthepotat's review against another edition

Go to review page

emotional reflective medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

cheyarsen's review against another edition

Go to review page

5.0

We read this book as a class in English and it was absolutely amazing. It was heartbreaking and beautifully written. My only complaint would be that I wanted more. Definitely an amazing read!

jackleopards's review against another edition

Go to review page

5.0

Only one word could describe this book and that is ‘masterpiece’. I flew through the pages and was easily enthralled with Hosseini’s simple yet meaningful and poignant narrative about family, betrayal, redemption, and forgiveness with a mix of class, culture, Islamic practices and beliefs, double standards, and parental pressure. As much as this was fictional, I couldn’t get off the thought of reading this as a memoir as I follow Amir’s (MC) struggles as a son to seek validation from his diplomat father and as a better friend to Hassan (their servant’s son) by repenting all of his contemptousness and inequitable treatment throughout the years.

“War doesn’t negate decency. It demands it, even more than in times of peace.”

Along with its great storyline, true to life characters, and equally grotesque and exquisite setting, I found it as a necessary read as I get to see how Afghans suffered during the fall of their coutry’s constitutional monarchy and the rise of foreign conquerors in which they were caught in the tide of war and destruction back in the day.

“After all, life is not a Hindi movie. Zendagi migzara, Afghans like to say: Life goes on, unmindful of beginning, end, kamyab, nah-kam, crisis or catharsis, moving forward like a slow, dusty caravan of kochis.”

Although I haven’t shed a single tear, the book was indeed a sad coming of age story of filial relationship and brotherhood. This was one of the best reads I had for a long time and that would probably resonate with me for a long time. I would highly recommend this book to anyone a thousand times over.

jen_nicole's review against another edition

Go to review page

challenging emotional reflective medium-paced

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

5.0

More...