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Here are comments from our group of Advance Readers about Khaled Hosseini's A THOUSAND SPLENDID SUNS.
Anita from Forest Hills, NY
Have you previously read a book by Khaled Hosseini?
I have read his other book, THE KITE RUNNER, and enjoyed it, but this one far surpasses it.
What other authors do you read?
I also read books by Nicholas Sparks, James Patterson, Sophie Kinsella, and many other authors.
What did you think of A THOUSAND SPLENDID SUNS?
I loved A THOUSAND SPLENDID SUNS. This is a very special book to be adored by all who read it.
Would you ever read a future book by Khaled Hosseini?
Yes, of course, I would love to read many more books by this author.
Thank you for giving me the opportunity to read an advance copy and tell all my friends not to miss this book.
Barb from Chambersburg, PA
Have you previously read a book by Khaled Hosseini?
Yes, I read and thoroughly enjoyed THE KITE RUNNER.
What other authors do you read?
I read many different authors, across many genres.
What did you think of A THOUSAND SPLENDID SUNS?
I devoured this book in one day. What an outstanding story. I would not have thought it possible, but I would rate A THOUSAND SPLENDID SUNS better than THE KITE RUNNER. The characters are very strong, and the sense of Afghanistan and her people is transporting. I would like to talk to these characters and see their homes, I feel as though I know them. What an accomplishment. I will be recommending this book to everyone I know, and my book group will be adopting this as one of our discussion books. Well done!
Would you ever read a future book by Khaled Hosseini?
I will read anything Mr. Hosseini writes.
Cynthia from Fayetteville, NC
Have you previously read a book by Khaled Hosseini?
Yes, I had just recently finished THE KITE RUNNER, so I was thrilled to be selected for his latest book.
What other authors do you read?
Ian McEwan, Mark Bowden, Dorothea Benton Frank, Anne Rivers Siddons, Anita Shreve, Pat Conroy, Hampton Sides, Charles Frazier, Robert Baer, Erik Larson, Jeff Shaara, David McCullough, and Cormac McCarthy, just to name a few. I love the Southern authors and historical writers.
What did you think of A THOUSAND SPLENDID SUNS?
I thought it quite splendid, indeed. Like Hosseini's first book, THE KITE RUNNER, I learned quite a bit about the culture, and that the people have been through so much, so much more than I was aware of. We see the faces on TV, we read about them in the paper, but we don't get details, the ones that make them seem like us. It moved me, and I cried. I loved the way he intertwined the stories and characters. Just when you thought one story was over, it had only just begun. I have an Afghani war rug hanging on my wall, brought back to me by a Special Forces Colonel, and I went to it, touched it, after I had finished the book. It now means more to me than it did before. It has a dove of peace, both our countries' flags, and stick figures jumping from twin towers, but now I think more about the person who might have made it. I will be telling everyone I know about this author. I volunteer at the Airborne & Special Operations Museum, here in Fayetteville, NC. I have met many brave Afghans, along with our own brave soldiers. I know I will have more questions to ask them now.
Would you ever read a future book by Khaled Hosseini?
Yes, by all means, I look forward to many more books from this author. Hopefully, they will still be about the country of Afghanistan, as I believe there is so much more to learn, but hopefully he will write about experiences here in America as well. We need his knowledge. This war is so complicated and he brings to light many reasons that it is so.
Thank you so much for this wonderful opportunity. I could not put this book down and it was one of those you pray for a happy ending, after so much misery, but you don't want the story to end either.
Jean from Salt Lake City, UT
Have you previously read a book by Khaled Hosseini?
Yes, THE KITE RUNNER.
What other authors do you read?
Robert Parker, Michael Connelly, Janet Evanovich, Lisa Scottoline, Sue Grafton, Donna Leon, Michael Koryta, Chris Grabenstein and Margaret Coel, to name a few.
What did you think of A THOUSAND SPLENDID SUNS?
I thought A THOUSAND SPLENDID SUNS was a fabulous tale about the courageous women of Afghanistan. Hosseini takes the reader on a descriptive and emotional ride through the turbulence of Afghanistan. Hosseini does an excellent job of weaving fiction into the factual fabric of Afghanistan's history. This book was equally as good, or even possibly better, than THE KITE RUNNER. The women and their stories stay with you long after the last page is turned. Thank you very much for this advance reading copy. I was honored to read A THOUSAND SPLENDID SUNS and offer my comments.
Leon from Miami, FL
Have you previously read a book by Khaled Hosseini?
Yes, THE KITE RUNNER continues to be one of the best books I have read in the past couple of years. I was excited to hear that Khaled Hosseini had published another book due primarily to my admiration of THE KITE RUNNER.
What other authors do you read?
I read primarily nonfiction (history, travel memoirs, biographies) with a fair share of fiction as well. Apart from the classics, my favorite contemporary authors include Margaret Atwood, Paul Russell, Bruce Feiler, Kent Haruf, Bill Bryson and Paul Theroux. My favorite book that I've read so far this year is THE SHADOW OF THE WIND by Carlos Ruiz Zafón --- I would recommend it to anyone.
What did you think of A THOUSAND SPLENDID SUNS?
I was truthfully worried that A THOUSAND SPLENDID SUNS would be a letdown after THE KITE RUNNER, but after the first few pages, all worry was swept aside and I was pleased to see that Hosseini had created another gem. In many respects, the development of the characters in A THOUSAND SPLENDID SUNS was of a grander scale and better than those of THE KITE RUNNER. As soon as Hosseini had you "hooked" on Mariam's story, he abruptly switched gears and introduced/developed Laila's story. He then successfully briefly pitted both these characters against each other, led them to an uneasy truce, and finally to a deep friendship faced with a common enemy. Although the story reached a predictable conclusion, A THOUSAND SPLENDID SUNS was an excellent read and many of the characters will remain with me for some time.
Would you ever read a future book by Khaled Hosseini?
Definitely.
Maureen from Middletown, CT
Have you previously read a book by Khaled Hosseini?
Yes, I read and loved THE KITE RUNNER --- probably one of my all-time favorite books. It stayed with me for a long time afterwards.
What other authors do you read?
Jodi Picoult, Anita Shreve, Philippa Gregory, Lisa See and many more.
What did you think of A THOUSAND SPLENDID SUNS?
This is probably one of the best books I have ever read. I loved it. I couldn't put it down. I fell in love with Mariam and Laila --- they were more like a mother and daughter than friends. I also loved Tariq, and had huge hatred for Rasheed and his cruelty. This book brought me to tears --- reading about the lives these people lived in Afghanistan was so heart-wrenching. I really didn't want this book to end. Now it will be difficult for me to find a book to read that is as good --- a testament to Khaled Hosseini's writing! [I will definitely recommend this] to my two book clubs, and my reading friends. It is another book that I will think about for a long time to come and whenever I hear news stories pertaining to Afghanistan. Although THE KITE RUNNER was a phenomenal book, I liked A THOUSAND SPLENDID SUNS more because it was about the story of women and their struggle in Afghanistan.
Would you ever read a future book by Khaled Hosseini?
Yes, absolutely.
Tamara from Grass Valley, CA
Have you previously read a book by Khaled Hosseini?
No, all of my friends that read THE KITE RUNNER loved it. I think I need to read it now.
What other authors do you read?
I will read just about anyone. Barbara Kingslover, Jane Austen, Clive Cussler, Jonathan Safran Foer. I just finished VEIL OF ROSES by Laura Fitzgerald (Iran) and I loved WATER FOR ELEPHANTS by Sara Gruen. I feel there are many good books to read without reading books that use gore or sex to carry the story.
What did you think of A THOUSAND SPLENDID SUNS?
It is a well-written book. I was really interested in the characters and the story of Afganistan through their eyes. Living in the USA, we only hear bits and pieces of what is going on. Years ago, I remember seeing a program on Afganistan and I was saddened and shocked at how the cities were bombed out by the war; they were just rubble --- museums and artworks were distroyed. All the loss and suffering is a loss to everyone. The way the women are treated in other countries is inhumane. My father, who is a Marine and survived the shelling on the beaches of Iwo Jima, has only one leg, so I could relate to that struggle.
As I read the story, I kept thinking about the dates and years mentioned, and what I was doing at the time. I kept thinking about how good my life was and is. This story makes me think that we need to be careful about how the world proceeds, with all the angry radical men ready to kill, mame and rape and destroy the world because they feel entitled to in the name of their God. Because we are so insulated in the USA, I kept asking myself as I read the book, if what I was reading was how bad things really were and are. This is because I fear things have been and are really this bad in Afghanistan and other places in the world that we hear about on the news. As I read, I kept hoping we are being told the truth of things as Khaled Hosseini knows them. We, as citizens of the USA, need truths about what is going on everywhere else. This novel is a good way to let everyone know about the world we share. This is an important book.
Would you ever read a future book by Khaled Hosseini?
Yes, it would be interesting to read story about UNHCR.
Eric from Laveen, AZ
Have you previously read a book by Khaled Hosseini?
I previously read THE KITE RUNNER.
What other authors do you read?
I read a large variety of authors. I read a lot of Kurt Vonnegut, George Orwell, John Steinbeck and other classic authors. As for current authors, I read the Alex Cross novels by James Patterson, Kazuo Ishiguro, George Pelecanos and Michael Crichton, among others.
What did you think of A THOUSAND SPLENDID SUNS?
I really enjoyed the book. It usually takes me a hundred pages or so to really get into a book, but the tragic moment at the end of Chapter 5 had me hooked and I finished the book the next day. I enjoy novels in which there is a dual narrative, two characters that interact but also have enough of a story to sustain the novel by themselves.
I enjoyed the construction of the novel as well. I read nothing about the book beforehand and believed that Miriam would be the sole main character. By devoting the first fourth of the book to Miriam, Laila's emergence becomes a surprise. Alternating the narratives through the latter third of the novel was a great literary choice as we see the seminal events in the story from both of their perspectives.
Lastly, the best novels are the ones in which the reader can enjoy the narrative but also learn something as well. The wealth of cultural knowledge throughout this book has already provided various discussion topics among my friends and family and I am recommending this book to every reader I know. I would grade the novel an A-.
Would you ever read a future book by Khaled Hosseini?
Without a doubt. His first two novels have been incredible.
Suzanne from De Kalb, TX
Have you previously read a book by Khaled Hosseini?
Yes, I read THE KITE RUNNER.
What other authors do you read?
I read a variety of authors --- Martha McPhee, Anita Shreve, Jodi Picoult, Cormac McCarthy, Chris Bohjalian and Elizabeth Jane Howard are some I've enjoyed lately.
What did you think of A THOUSAND SPLENDID SUNS?
I have already recommended this book to several people and passed my copy to my daughter. I felt as if I got a very painless lesson on the political history of this time period of Afghanistan. And, more importantly, I got a reminder of how the innocent civilians suffer during a war. I would describe this book as a love story depicting love on so many different levels: a mother for a child; a father for a child; an unlikely friendship between two woman; the young, new love between teenagers; the love that persevered when all hope was lost; and a love of a people for a country. As a reader, I cared deeply about the characters and the outcome of the book. Hosseini's descriptive prose often reads like poetry, and I found myself marking sentences and passages for re-reading. I can see this book as a choice for required reading in English classes.
Would you ever read a future book by Khaled Hosseini?
Yes, I am looking forward to the next one.
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