Customer Reviews:
 Great story September 27, 2008
As there are so many others who have reviewed this book I simply say that is thought this was one of the best books I've read. It's fast-paced, realistic and moving. Mr Hossein surely is one of the best modern writers around and writes in such a way that the reader gets enough of the story but not so much that the details get in the way and the story becomes bogged-down. Arguably, this book is even better than The Kite Runner!
 More of the same (but not so good) September 26, 2008
2 out of 2 found this review helpful
I'm half way thru and it feels suspiciously like KiteRunner2. When I put it down I have to practically cut my hand off to stop me reading the next chapter. All very ferociously moving writing. But will it have any substance? Or will we see another empty Hollywood 'interpretation' a year or so down the line . . .
(four hours later)
OK, I stayed up and finished it - it's definitely a 'page turner' Clever writing technique that keeps you on tenterhooks all the way through.
On the other hand, I felt emotionally manipulated. The story lacks the underlying spirit of joy buried in The Kite Runner and the relevance of the title, in this case, is little more than a bit of poetry that fails to impress. Some of the details about Afghanistan are interesting, but it feels formulaic: massively heartbreaking stories about chief protagonists, heavy dashes of war realism thrown in to keeep the momentum going half way through, and a dose of unconvincing Schmaltz to top it off. What's worse, the jacket description gives away major plot points so you know exactly what will happen.
With The Kite Runner, this remarkably skilful author shocked us into a new vision of the Afghan world. With A Thousand Splendid Suns, he just churns out more of what the fans want to read.
 Informative and readable but.... September 22, 2008
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
I was looking forward to reading this book as I really liked `Kite Runner'. But I did not think A `Thousand Splendid Suns' was as strong as `Kite Runner'. The characters are well drawn, but I felt Hosseini does not understand women as well as he so fully understood and got inside the skin of the male characters of `Kite Runner' from childhood to adulthood. I feel the bitterness of the Afghan women, specially Miriam, but somehow I do not empathise with them. To me, their lives seem squalid rather than difficult and troubled.
The book was almost documentary, and for me was not as evocative as Kite Runner in portraying Afghanistan itself. It was as if the author concentrated too much on the story, which moves swiftly (too swiftly?) and never sags, but without giving the same amount of attention to the characters, which to me often lacked depth. And with so much emphasis on the terrible treatment of Afghan women by their menfolk and their society, which forms the bulk of the book, it is hard to accept that it is easy for a widow to remarry, as happens at the end. It seems an easy plot point to keep the story moving, But jars with everything that has gone before.
That said it is very readable and in many ways informative, although the political events have a `pasted in' feel and do not blend in as naturally as they should. And I would rather spend a day read this than much of the hyped up pulp on the market.
A Thousand Splendid Suns September 17, 2008
This is a very moving and gripping tale that brings the reader into the lives of the characters. I learnt so much of the Afghan way of life and made me understand how the people of that country have suffered over the years. I highly recommend this well written book.
superb September 10, 2008
Put simply, this is a beautful book. Wonderfully written and will melt the stoniest of hearts. It is a harrowing tale in places, and has remained with me, even though I read it some months ago. I know little about Afghanistan as perhaps it once was, so the setting was fascinating. But a fantastic read, and strongly recommended.
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