Like diamonds and roses hidden under bomb rubble, this is a story of intense beauty and strength buried under the surface of the cruel and capricious life imposed upon two Afghani women. She remembered Nana saying once that each snowflake was a sigh heaved by an aggrieved woman somewhere in the world. That all the sighs drifted up the sky, gathered into clouds, then broke into tiny pieces that fell silently on the people below. As a reminder of how people like us suffer, she'd said. How quietly we endure all that falls upon us. Staggeringly beautiful and deep and rich and sad and frightening and infuriating. There’s a lot I want to say about this book and so I cry your pardon if this review is a bit of a rambler. You should definitely read this book. I’ll probably repeat this again, but I want to make sure I don’t forget to say it. Buy the book and read it.I love good historical fiction, especially when set in places and/or periods of which I am not very familiar. Afghanistan certainly fit that description, which makes me feel a significant amount of personal shame given how intertwined the country has been with the history of the U.S. over the last 30 years. That same time frame is also the primary focus of the novel so I feel like I got a real taste of the history of this mysterious time. That said, the historical events described in the novel are merely spice for the narrative and are clearly not the entrée at this literary feast. However, I would likely recommend this book for the historical component alone even if I didn’t like the rest of the novel…oh, but I did so much like the rest of the novel. The story revolves around two women, Mariam and Laila, born 20 years apart, but whose lives are intertwined through the events of the novel. Mariam (born in 1959) is the illegitimate daughter of a wealthy merchant named Jalil who has 3 wives and 9 “legitimate” children. Mariam’s mother, Nana, was a servant in Jalil’s house whose affair with Jalil resulted in Mariam. As you might expect, the 3 wives were less than enthused and Nana and Mariam were forced to live on the outskirts of town, making Nana a bitter often cruel person to Mariam. The other main character is Laila (born in 1978) who lives in the same area as Mariam. Laila’s story begins with her close friendship with a boy named Tariq who loses a leg to a Soviet land mine when he’s 5 years old. Years later, with Kabul under constant rocket attacks, Laila’s family decides to leave the city. During an emotional farewell, Laila and Tariq make love. Later, as her family is preparing to depart Kabul, a rocket kills her parents and severely injures Laila. I don’t want to spoil the plot by giving away too many details, so let me just say that through a series of mostly tragic circumstances, Mariam and Laila both end up married to a serious scumbag named Rasheed. I want to clarify that last remark because I think it goes to the most chilling aspect of the novel for me. One of the novel’s primary strengths is the bright light the author shines on the nasty way women are treated in countries like Afghanistan. Now not being knowledgeable enough about the culture to make a well-informed analysis, I strongly suspect that the character of Rasheed, while made somewhat worse for dramatic effect, is close enough to what was “the norm” as to be positively sickening. Thus, when I say scumbag (which I whole-heartedly mean), part of the emotional impact of Rasheed’s actions came from my not seeing them as cartoonish, but as part of an “institutional evil” that was all too common. Bottom-line, Rasheed is an ignorant, mean-spirited, petty little pile of assbarf who will make even the most serene and passive reader feel like loading the .45 with hollow points and performing a gunpowder enema on his sorry, wretched chair cushion. Anyway, once Mariam and Laila find themselves together, the story deepens as these two women slowly learn first to live with each other and later to depend upon each other as they face almost daily challenges, mostly from their abusive husband. She lived in fear of his shifting moods, his volatile temperament, his insistence on steering even mundane exchanges down a confrontational path that, on occasion, he would resolve with punches, slaps, kicks, and sometimes try to make amends for with polluted apologies, and sometimes not. The lives of these women is an epic journey in every sense of the word and I felt like I was on a journey of my own as I road along with them. While there is much of darkness and pain throughout the book, Hosseini never allows the emotional tone of the story to descend in melodrama. There is little self-pity or wallowing in grief. There is pain, there is loss but there is no surrender. Instead, these women absorb tremendous blows (both figuratively and literally) and continue to live. There is a great passage near the end of the book that I am going to hide with a spoiler because it reveals the final fate of one of the characters, but it is simply a perfect summation of the strength and dignity that is the heart of this story. (view spoiler)[ Mariam wished for so much in those final moments. Yet as she closed her eyes, it was not regret any longer but a sensation of abundant peace that washed over her. She thought of her entry into this world, the harami child of a lowly villager, an unintended thing, a pitiable, regrettable accident. A weed. And yet she was leaving the world as a woman who had loved and been loved back. She was leaving it as a friend, a companion, a guardian. A mother. A person of consequence at last. No. It was not so bad, Mariam thought, that she should die this way. Not so bad. This was a legitimate end to a life of illegitimate belongings. (hide spoiler)]
I started this book with high expectations. I had been overwhelmed with every conceivable emotion when I read the “Kite Runner” and just couldn’t believe that his second book, “A Thousand Splendid Suns”, could possibly be as good.So it was with trepidation and yet excitement that I read this book. I had left the last dozen or so pages to read until the following morning, as I didn’t want to quite let it go, and as I sat there at 7 a.m. on the terrace, with a cup of coffee in my hand, I slowly finished the book. I breathed in deeply on reading the final sentence and looked down the valley, past the foothills at the Pic d’Anie, part of the magnificent Pyrenean mountain chain. The sun would be rising over the hills within the hour as I looked in the direction of Afghanistan, wondering how many Moslems had already prayed that morning in the mosques, with their prayer mats facing towards Makkah in Saudi Arabia.This book was an extraordinary, contemporary, social document covering Afghan history from before the Soviet war until after the Taliban rule. The violence that ensued from this period in time resulted in the inevitable violence towards women. I abhor any form of violence and live in fear what will happen should another war occur. To see in what low-esteem and contempt the average Afghan viewed women, especially the Taliban, quite shocked me, and yet I “lived and breathed” this book. Women were worth nothing.I think the reason this book had such a profound effect on me was due to living in Saudi Arabia for sixteen years and I could relate to a certain extent to what the women had to endure. Under the Qur’an, men were entitled to have up to four wives, and they were supposed to treat them all equally. Then a man could just arbitrarily state “I divorce thee” three times and that was the end of the marriage. Many women were just cast out from the family home and led a miserable existence begging on the streets. What was remarkable about these women, however, was their instinct for survival and they still managed to laugh and joke. The author’s own words were concise and to the point of life in Afghanistan at that time:“For almost three decades now, the Afghan refugee crisis has been one of the most severe around the globe. War, hunger, anarchy and oppression forced millions of people……to abandon their homes and flee Afghanistan to settle in neighboring Pakistan and Iran.”The book is basically the powerful story of two women, Mariam and Laila, whose lives become indelibly linked because of three men: Jalil, Tariq and Rasheed.Mariam was the illegitimate daughter of Jalil, living with her mother Nana in an isolated place outside of Herat. She really loves her father and decides that she wishes to live with him instead of her mother, with disastrous consequences; the upshot being that Mariam is forced to become the wife of Rasheed in Kabul.Laila is a good childhood friend of Tariq and they finally fall in love with far reaching results when Tariq leaves with his family for Pakistan. Laila, who’s a great survivor, and philosophical, as is Mariam, then becomes Rasheed’s wife.For the two women, life with Rasheed becomes a living hell. I kept on thinking, I just want something really evil to happen to this despicable creature (I have worse thoughts than that but best to keep quiet on that and not write them down).In reality Tariq, the childhood friend of Laila, is the catalyst in the book. I really admired him, he was my favorite character, and he was brilliantly portrayed.The writing style is simple as far as I’m concerned and there is an over excess of violence. However, the attention for detail is remarkable and this runs throughout the book: When Laila is recovering at Rasheed’s home after a bomb attack, Mariam sees a complete and utter change in her husband. He becomes unusually kind and gentle, and he is seen to be courting Laila.The humiliation of both Mariam and Laila at having to wear the burqa, thus putting them into insignificance to the outside world; the husband being the only person allowed to look upon their faces.The incident when Rasheed “makes love” to Laila for the first time. She to all intents and purposes is a virgin. She has a knife, cuts her finger and leaves some blood on the bed under where they were sleeping.Laila cooking a rather bad meal for Rasheed and the end results with the stones.Laila, Mariam and Rasheed with the shovel. This nearly blew my mind.Mariam in jail, refusing to see anyone, and then her journey to the football stadium. I had the most incredible feeling of time just stopping at this point and had great difficulty in turning the page. But then this happened to me on innumerable occasions throughout this wonderful book.I’m always intrigued with the titles of books and this one was no exception. This originated from a poem written by Saib-e-Tabrizi in the 17th century and is quoted by Laila’s father Babi when the family had decided to leave Kabul. He could, however, only remember these two lines:“One could not count the moons that shimmer on her roofs,Or the thousand splendid suns that hide behind her walls.”I just absolutely loved this book. However, I’m not happy having purely the Kindle version and so I’ve ordered the hardback. I still get more pleasure from a book.And I have Khaled Hosseini’s third book to look forward to in a few months: “And the Mountains Echoed”. Can this be even better? Is that possible? Yes!
What do You think about A Thousand Splendid Suns (2007)?
Another exceptional book by Hosseini. It’ll rip out your heart, have you crying buckets and buckets of tears while marveling at the triumph of the human spirit through severe and virtually unimaginable adversity as well as pure hell.The writing is absolutely beautiful. The pictures he paints with his words are so vivid that everything from the fun everyday life to the squalor that war brings to the ordinary person just flashes before your eyes like a movie. There are some parts that have no doubt happened to many people but to think that any of this is even remotely possible will just kill you especially the parts about what a mother will do to save her children. It’s not as violent as I thought it would be given that it takes place during the war in Afghanistan and there is hope, but the story will shake you to the core. You have people living a regular life, they go to work, they fall in love, they have a family, they make mistakes, they try to atone for their mistakes and then war hits and life as they know it changes within the blink of an eye. It’s not a story about war though it’s a story about people from different walks of life trying to go about the business of living as best as they can and trying to find a tiny corner of happiness. If you’re looking for gut-wrenching novel that will still make you smile with an OMG-that-was-incredible feeling once you reach the end, then look no further because you’ve found it.
—Eastofoz
I have never cried while reading a book,like I Did while reading this one!It is the story of poor, uneducated women who have to endure the hardships of life... The horrors and terrors that a lot of women have gone through during certain period in Afghanistan, the war torn country ,and the narration through the lives of two women Mariam and Laila..Going through All kinds of Physical abuse of hitting, kicking and slapping ,brutal beating ,etc….Struggling the cruel extremely sadistic Rasheed, And suffering all kinds of violence and subjected to his shifting mood and volatile temper.Witnessing the ugliness of war, the fate of loved ones, grieving for lost lives.And sadly this is not exclusive to Afghan society only it is happening in many other countries The unhappy, abusive marriages, oppressive governments and repressive Cultural mores .. It finds its echo in varying forms, in differing degrees, through the different time periods, across the world. The end of the novel give some hope in its last scene after all the violent accidents ,with Laila's pregnancy, Kabul rebuilding, and a loving family reunion. “I know you're still young but I want you to understand and learn this now. Marriage can wait, education cannot.And I also know that when this war is over Afghanistan is going to need you as much as its men maybe even more. Because a society has no chance of success if its women are uneducated. No chance.” Laila fulfilled her father’s dreams and he can rest in peace watching his brave daughter completing his path and teaching young Afghan children the true values and principles of Their social heritage and culture educating them how they could be good citizens in the future.In this critical age when personalities are shaped And what they learn will stay with them.And protecting them from falling in the hands of those who would mould them to absorb hatred ,violence and intolerance.
—Hend
ستبقى ذكرى هذه الرواية مرتبطة باللقاء الأول مع أصدقاء صالون الجمعة لذلك فضلت أن أسجل هذا للتاريخ :)المؤسف أننا قرأنا هذه الرواية الجميلة بترجمة ليست بنفس الجودة وأنا على ثقة أنه لو كانت الرواية بيد أكثر خبرة وإتقان لكانت مكتملة سلطت الرواية الضوء على فئة مغبونة وموجودة في كل مجتمع الفئة التي يطلق عليها ( ابن ، ابنة حرام ) وربما التركيز هنا على الفتاة لإن المجتمعات التي نعيش فيها هي مجتمعات ذكورية الرجل قد يسلك فيها بأي طريقة لكن الفتاة وفي مجتمع إسلامي فالفتاة تولد وقد وئدت كل حقوقها وأصبحت منذ اليوم الأول لولادتها عنوانا للخطيئة .. أعتقد أن أهم ما يميز رواية ألف شمس مشرقة هو أن بطلة الرواية كانت ابنة حرام لأن كل المآسي التي تعرضت لها مريم نتجت عن هذا الإنكار لوجودها إنكار الأب .. إنكار المجتمع .. وإنكارها هي لذاتها وهكذا حين تصارعت مريم مع ليلى في بداية الزواج لم يكن الأمر من أجل الزوج .. ولكن من أجل إثبات وجودهاالمنفي من الجميع حتى الأشياء التي كانت تقوم بها مريم لخدمة الزوج والبيت لهو الأمر الوحيد الذي كان يشعرها بذلك لذلك دافعت باستبسال عن وجودها في البيت عن الشخصيات فأنا أرى أمامي أنفس ممزقة ميتة أثقلت كاهلها الحروب والعادات القبلية والخلافات الطائفية والفقر والجوع بدءا من رشيد الذي كان يحلم بولد ومستعد للتصرف بكل دناءة لتحقيق حلمه فهذا ما يريده المجتمع ومن دون ولد يحفظ لك استمرارك كأنك لم تكن أحد !إن الكثير من المشاهد العنيفة في النص لهي أمر يثير الغيظ ويثير السخرية فنحن لسنا بمعزل عن ما حدث هناك الخلل الذي أشار له حسيني تعاني منه مجتمعاتنا بشكل أو بأخر بدرجة تعلو في مكان وتقل في مكان آخر لكنها حتما موجودة حسيني بلاشك سيضع كل هذه الأحداث في إطار الوضع السياسي الذي مرت بها أفغانستان إنها المكان المناسب بلد مزقته الحروب وأشعلته حرب الطوائف تختلف فيه الأعراق ما بين هازاري وطاجيك وبشتون وغيرهم وكل ساع لكي يحصل على نصيبه من السلطة .. والشعوب هي من تدفع الثمن وضع المرأة مأساوي في أفغانستان في تلك المرحلة وما عانته المرأة في ظل الحكم الطالباني لدرجة حرمانها من التعليم والعمل والسير بحرية دون عيون مترقبة لهو جدير بأن يكون سببا لتحيز حسيني لها في النص وهو سبب يجعلني أكن لهذا القلم كل التقدير والإحترام النهاية المحزنة لمريم جاءت مقابلها بداية جديدة لليلى وكأن الكاتب هنا أراد أن يعطي ضوءا أملا في حياة جديدة لأفغانستان وكأنه كان يقول النهايات الحزينة قد تقابلها بداية جديدة من أكثر ما لفت نظري في الرواية عالم الأحلام الذي أدخلنا فيه حسيني فليلى تحلم ومريم تحلم .. قد تكون أحلام طائرة وقد تكون بائسة وقد تكون كوابيس إلا إن هذا العالم المتخيل كان معبرا عن الخوف أو تأنيب الضمير أو الواقع المؤلم وهذه الأحلام كان لها دلالات ورموز وأعتقد إنها ساهمت في رفع رصيد النص نهاية أعتقد أن الرواية جميلة جدا .. صحيح أن مشاهد العنف فيها أزعجتني وخاصة مشاهد الضرب العنيف الركل والإهانة .. غير إنها خدمت النص وأوضحت مدى قسوة الحياة والمجتمع على المرأة حين لا يكون لها عضد أو نسب ..
—mai ahmd
