Thursday, March 19, 2009

A Thousand Splendid Suns, by Khaled Hosseini

What an amazing book!

I also read (actually, listened to) The Kite Runner by Hosseini but I had a hard time warming up to it because it was read by the author himself, who didn't do as good a job of it as an actor would have. This one was read by actress Atossa Leoni, who did an awesome job.

While I liked that first book, I absolutely loved this one, even though sometimes it was so painful to listen to because you were afraid of what was almost inevitably going to happen next.

I have rarely felt so emotionally tugged left and right when reading a book, but this one packs a wallop.

My suggestion would be to mentally prepare for a tough emotional ride, but one that is also going to be extremely satisfying and even instructive of the Afghan culture and way of life.

Probably, given the news we've heard of life in the Arab world, the knowledge that what was described in the book was in no way an exaggeration or a fakery added to the feelings of powerlessness and sadness for the characters.

In any case, a great read and a very touching, emotional book. Don't miss it.

Grade: 10

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