Where the book was from:- My own copy
ISBN: - 978 0 7475 8589 3
Pages: - 418pp
Genre: - General Fiction
Location:- Afghanistan
How I came across it: - So impressed by The Kite Runner I wanted more Hosseini
Rating: - ***** *****
(but only because I haven’t got an 11* category)
One sentence summary:- The four comments on the cover of my copy say it all – “A suspenseful epic”; Unforgettable”; “Heartbreaking”; and “ “A masterful story”.
Describe the plot without giving anything away:- Mariam is only fifteen when she is sent to Kabul to marry the middle-aged Rasheed. Her future and that of a local academic’s daughter, Laila, are bound together over the next two decades as the rule of Afghanistan changes, each successive change being harder and harder upon the womenfolk.
General comments:- I defy anyone with a heart to read this tale without having tears in their eyes. Even finer than The Kite Runner, this is Hoseini’s tribute to the women of Afghanistan. Powerful, gripping, and all the other words one can use about a first class story apply here. This is not only the best book I have read this year but for some years past. It should be essential reading for those who want to know how a story is crafted and for anyone who has even the vaguest of interest in world affairs or the role of women in society.
Quotations:- Strangely for a book of such importance and enjoyment and significance I made a note of no quotations – perhaps I was too engrossed in the story to make notes!
AUTHOR Notes:- Khaled HOSSEINI was born in Khabul, Afghanistan, in 1965 and his family received political asylum in the USA in 1980. He is a doctor and lives in California. The Kite Runner was his first novel.
I too thought this was excellent. I've read a lot of non-fiction on the same theme recently and I'd recommned anything by Jean Sasson if they have her books in your library.
ReplyDeleteI'm glad you've read it. I was going to keep my copy to pass on to you! I'll look out for Jean Sasson.
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