A THOUSAND SPLENDID SUNS - your thoughts please

[MaryAnnSingleton]

ok, so my book group is doing this at the momen t and I'm slowly getting through it ( not much time to read atm)
my friends have finished it and rate it highly - it's ok so far,in my opinion - what do you think ?

I loved it. Couldn't put it down - I could see that it was somewhat overwrought but I loved it anyway. At one point I actually had to stop reading it as it was keeping me awake with anger.

Sorry, those aren't very book groupy type comments so not very helpful!

I've just finished it(also for book group).
I found it harrowing and distressing-felt it was a worthy read but didn't feel it was a great novel.
I thought The Kite Runner was a better novel.

oh dont' get me started on this book! it is so badly written. wooden and stiff. the characters are cardboard and thin. sentimental and cliched. if you've read a newspaper in the past 5 years there nothing new here. i accept that's not necessarily the job of fiction but, lordy, at least develop characters beyond the principle one /2. I wish I hadn't read it as it made me realise everything that was wrong with KR (which I enjoyed). KR has much better, original story but suffers the poorly developed characterisation beyond the young boy.

He was clearly encouraged to write another book quickly to cash in on the success of KT.

umm.. i think i got started. i could continue but i'll spare you all.

It might just be the worst book I have ever read, and that's against some tough competition.

If I didn't have to finish it for book club it would have flown off the window days ago.

It made me think this book is on bestsellers list because US/UK audience is atoning for having invaded Afghanistan. "We bombed these people to kingdom come, the least we can do is to suffer a book about their medeival ways" and all that.