A Thousand Splendid Suns Khaled Hosseini

An amazing read of triumph over adversity. How grateful we should be to live in the West. A wonderful insight into life in Afghanistan. An absolute must.

Thought provoking and sometimes harrowing, this is engaging from cover to cover.

I loved this book.A really good read but thought provoking too.

A fantastic story; evocative and insightful. Loved it.

Having got stuck in a bit of a 'chic lit' rut I decided to try out something a little more thought provoking. I'm so glad I did although this is still a love story of sorts. Love between a mother and her child, a woman and her lover, and two women who discover a friendship in an unexpected place and learn how deep it's love can be. This is a story about two heroines facing awful oppression and some very harrowing times. A light read it is not but it is certainly worth the effort.

Wonderfully written and very thought provoking. Definately worth a read.

This was a really really good book by the same author as Kite Runner, but from a woman's perspective. Immensely moving, and thought provoking, sad but possibly strangely uplifting too (not sure why, just so well written I think). I didn't find it quite as depressing as The Kite Runner, but perhaps its because I knew the sort of thing I was in for...

A fantastic book. I would recommend it to everyone. It even had me crying at one point I was so involved in the story I didn't even realise. I can't wait to read the kite runner.

I had just finished The Kite Runner when I picked this up and thought there was no way I would enjoy it as much. I ended up enjoying it more. It's an amazing story and I haven't found myself sobbing over a book to this degree for a very long time. It's a book everyone should read.

An epic story that will melt your heart. The central characters (both wives of the same man at the same time) become entrenched in each other's lives to the death. Literally. It will restore your faith in human nature and the bonds that bind people together. A very inspiring and uplifting message runs through it of humans adapting to anything and not always for the best. I am amazed it it written by a man and tells the tale so eloquently of what woman have to endure in Afghanistan.

Initially I thought that I would like this book, but it is an amazing read. It portrays very well the life of a woman in Afghanistan which saddens and shocks you at the same time. You are spurred on page by page as you need to find out what happens next. A story of love from different perspectives but never the less powerful

By far the best book I read all summer was 'A Thousand Splendid Suns' by Khaled Hosseini, author of 'The Kite Runner.'
It is an incredibly moving and beautifully written story of two women whose lives become inextricably intertwined; Mariam and Laila. These women, who ultimately become like mother and daughter to one another, struggle against unfathomable hardship and adversity in the war-torn city of Kabul, Afghanistan.
There is much sadness in this book and it will make you weep. The extreme brutality and horror of life as it is depicted in Afghanistan is also deeply shocking. The beauty of the story is in how it shows the strength of the human spirit; how these two women move forward with courage and hope and find their ultimate reason in love.
One of the best books I have ever read. A new modern classic.

Brilliant book, I couldn't put it down. It was quite shocking in places, but made me think about how hard life is for women in some countries.

I enjoyed the contrast with the kite runner - the women's perspective was fascinating and subtle. The writer never screams the message of oppression and Ifelt that leant the novel an authentic feel.

This book is thought provoking and sad from the minute you pick it up. But its so beautifully written that even during harrowing chapters you really cant put it down.
Gives you a glimpse of life for a woman during the taliban.
Brilliant book.

It the most incredible book I have read in a long time. Truly beautiful in its narrative and captures you from page one. I cried and cried throughout the book, it makes you feel as if you are there with the characters feeling what they feel. The whole book was a roller-coaster ride, I could not put it down.

amazing, un-put-down-able, i cried for the last quarter,hadn't read the kite runner and was glad i read this first. shocking, horrible, but couldn't put it down. unbelievable that this was probably real.

This was a book I couldn't put down. But I didn't half find it depressing, and what freaks me out the most is that the atrocities that happened in this book happen in real life daily. This book really made me think about how easy my life is compared to many and I even stopped moaning about minor things for a while!

Yet another terrific book from this author. After reading the Kite Runner, I was expecting great things, but he has excelled himself with this one. I actually loved it more than it's predecessor, maybe because it was about the role of women and their plight during a time of hardship? I was moved to tears in some of the passages about the injustice of the lives of the characters and was so involved in the setting and their lives that I'm afraid the family took a back seat whilst Mummy finished the book!

This book was so powerfully written that at one point I thought I was going to be sick when I read what had happened to one of the central characters. It is not an enjoyable book to read at times, but it is vividly written and makes you aware of the atrocities that have happened in Afghanistan and of the hardship that is ongoing.

It came recommended by someone at work and it's thought provoking stuff. It is beautifully written and sucks you in to the tragedy that many people live just a step or two away from. The detail is fabulous and you really can see and smell Kabul as you read. Don't expect an easy time of it though - you really have to think about what decisions you would have made if you had found yourself in the same position. It also brings home just how different cultures are and how far we have to go to ensure that women are treated fairly while still respecting the culture they come from. Had me in floods of tears at the end as I sat by the hotel pool safe in my world!

I loved this book. I couldn't put it down. I agree it maybe lacked some authenticity and a true depth of knowledge of Afganistan but even so I found the book drew me in and absorbed me into the characters lives.

This is probably the most moving, beautiful story I have ever read. If you loved the Kite Runner, you'll adore this.

Enjoyable read, very easy to read, emotional, thought-provoking, interesting, perhaps not as deep as expected but still an enjoyable read.

This was such an incredible book (can't believe someone has put it in worst books of the year!!!). It may seem a bit slow at the start but the plot soon races along and it's so thought provoking but not in an 'issues book' kind of a way. Read it, you won't regret it.

Cardboard characters, story only about two women getting beat up for years. No feel for Afghanistan, no description of landmarks/surroundings except for the two Buddha statues Taliban blew up, probably because author left Afghanistan as a child and doesn't remember anything. Probably why 80% of the story passes indoors - he doesn't have anything to say about life in Afghanistan aside from 'women are beaten up all the time'.

To anyone who knows a bit about Islam, this book stnds out as a phony - words & phrases misspelled, traditions botched, etc. Just one example: Maryam says her name means 'tube flower', and has studied the Quran but doesn't realize that Maryam = Mary, mother of Jesus.

Apologies to those who nominated it for 'best book ever'.

Cardboard characters, story only about two women getting beat up for years. No feel for Afghanistan, no description of landmarks/surroundings except for the two Buddha statues Taliban blew up, probably because author left Afghanistan as a child and doesn't remember anything. Probably why 80% of the story passes indoors - he doesn't have anything to say about life in Afghanistan aside from 'women are beaten up all the time'.

To anyone who knows a bit about Islam, this book stnds out as a phony - words & phrases misspelled, traditions botched, etc. Just one example: Maryam says her name means 'tube flower', and has studied the Quran but doesn't realize that Maryam = Mary, mother of Jesus.

Apologies to those who enjoyed this book.

I found this thought-provoking and a bit shocking. I am very glad I've read it. The authors descriptive language drew me in and I feel I have a clear picture of the world in which the characters lived.

Beautiful book - couldn't stop crying!! But it was wonderful.

For anyone who has read The Kite Runner this book will not disappoint. A fascinating story of life in Kabul for a young woman, it had me gripped from beginning to end.

Magnificent. Thought-provoking, harrowing and beautifully written.

This is one of the best books I have ever read. It's up there with To Kill A Mockingbird, Wild Swans, Roots... It has opened my eyes to the plight of women in Afghanistan.
It's tragic and harrowing, but beautifully written.

Simple - this is the most heart-wrenching, terrifying, life-assessing book I have ever read. It is a masterpiece.