Anyone read A Thousand Splendid Suns by Khaled Hussein?

[MorocconOil]

I started reading this at 7pm last night and couldn't put it down until 1 am when I finished it. It made me sob it was so sad. The depiction of life in Taliban Afghanistan was so harrowing. I think what shocked me most was the realisation that people in our lifetime have experienced such suffering (and still are). The description of a woman having a caesarian without any form of anaesthetic was particularly upsetting.

It certainly gave me some perspective about my own life and how easy it is in comparison.

Has anyone else read it?

I just thought it was a stressful environment for her in the orphanage. However I didn't want to speculate too much as the that part was one of the most painful parts for me. When she had to leave her there, the parting was unbearable.

I love this book! Hosseini writes beautifully. It is so sensitively written, you feel such empathy for the women.

I´ve just read three emotionally draining books on the trot:
A Thousand Splendid Suns
The Red Tent by Anita Diamant
Half of a Yellow Sun by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie (absolutely absorbing and heartbreaking).

To anyone who hasn´t read them ... go out and buy them tomorrow...

I just finished this book today and thought it was brilliant. The scene where Laila has to leave her daughter at the orphanage is harrowing, as is the one where Mariam is taken to the Ghazi stadium.

It is very upsetting but I found it less sentimantal than the Kite runner and I am really glad I read it.

I think the author has am amazing ability to convey landscapes as well as relationships. I felt I could really see all the places he describes and it has made me want to learn more about Afghanistan.