“Laila came to believe that of all the hardships a person had to face none was more punishing than the simple act of waiting.”


Genre: Fiction
Pages: 372
Published: May 22, 2007
Rate: 4 ⭐⭐⭐⭐
Goodreads Synopsis
A Thousand Splendid Suns is a breathtaking story set against the volatile events of Afghanistan’s last thirty years – from the Soviet invasion to the reign of the Taliban to post-Taliban rebuilding – that puts the violence, fear, hope, and faith of this country in intimate, human terms. It is a tale of two generations of characters brought jarringly together by the tragic sweep of war, where personal lives – the struggle to survive, raise a family, find happiness – are inextricable from the history playing out around them.

Propelled by the same storytelling instinct that made The Kite Runner a beloved classic, A Thousand Splendid Suns is at once a remarkable chronicle of three decades of Afghan history and a deeply moving account of family and friendship. It is a striking, heart-wrenching novel of an unforgiving time, an unlikely friendship, and an indestructible love – a stunning accomplishment.
–front flap

My Take
I quite enjoyed A Thousand Splendid Suns. This book is such a page turner and I’m glad I finally got to read it. This is Khaled Hosseini’s second book and I have to say, the writing is so much better! I loved it.

I quite loved the dual narrative, Mariam and Laila, though I found myself heavily invested in Mariam’s story line more. For some reason I struggled with liking Laila. I’d feel sorry for her for what she was going through, but in general I just didn’t like her.

“But after four years of marriage, Mariam saw clearly how much a woman could tolerate when she was afraid.”

One thing that surprised me about A Thousand Splendid Suns is that it wasn’t as evocative as The Kite Runner was, to me. Khaled is as vivid as ever with his descriptions but I found that I wasn’t really moved. Except for the pebble scene. That had me clenching my teeth so hard!

All in all A Thousand Splendid Suns is a wonderful read, a sad one at that, and I actually do recommend it if you haven’t read it yet.

Have you read A Thousand Splendid Suns? What did you think about it?