A Thousand Splendid Suns by Khaled Hosseini

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, heartwrenching novel of an unforgiving time, an unlikely friendship, and an indestructible love, a stunning accomplishment.



Here is a very emotional book, from the author of The Kite Runner, Khaled Hosseini.  It has been in my TBR pile years, basically since I read The Kite Runner (and the only reason I read that one was because my son nagged and nagged me till I did).  This book basically has the same story.  I am part of a TBR group on Goodreads.  Every month we exchange names, for January this was my book.
My thoughts are hard to put into words.  I enjoyed, is that even the right word to use?  From the POV of two women, it is hard to believe this is written by a man.  The story is an eye opener to how women are treated, their hopes and dreams are like dust in the wind.  The emotions felt while reading this was powerful. The author was able to put me right in the neighbour and feel the story.  Yes it can be taken as a depressing and brutul story, but also of hope and the toughness of the human spirit.

The description says it all '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''heartwrenching'
 'struggle to survive'

“One could not count the moons that shimmer on her roofs,
Or the thousand splendid suns that hide behind her walls.”

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