A Thousand Splendid Suns

by Khaled Hosseini

Publisher of Nominated Edition:

Bloomsbury Publishing

Penguin Books Canada

Riverhead Books

Mariam is only fifteen when she is sent to Kabul to marry Rasheed. Nearly two decades later, a friendship grows between Mariam and a local teenager, Laila, as strong as the ties between mother and daughter. When the Taliban take over, life becomes a desperate struggle against starvation, brutality and fear. Yet love can move a person to act in unexpected ways, and lead them to overcome the most daunting obstacles with a startling heroism.

(From Publisher).

Khaled Hosseini was born in Kabul, Afghanistan and moved to the United States in 1980. His first novel, The Kite Runner, was an international bestseller, published in thirty-four countries. In 2006 he was named a US goodwill envoy to the United Nations Refugee Agency. He lives in northern California.

Selected by Gateshead's Readers' Groups -"Better than the ' Kite Runner' - fantastic book"

A fascinating look at Afghanistan for those with little knowledge of that troubled country. A heartbreaking read that still manages to leave the reader with a sense of admiration and optimism.

A captivating tale from which you don't want to get up, this book tackles life under oppression - from family, society and government. Set in contemporary Afghanistan the book gives us some understanding of daily life in Afghanistan, and the effects of revolution and war on daily lives.

Fantastically popular with both individuals and readers groups.

A moving story of a country we only know form the war news, allows an insight into the daily life of women locked into a system of inhumanity; wonderful poetic language!

The author of this book has a sense of personal and national tragedy to a tale of two women that is weighted equally with despair and grave hope.

A richly descriptive novel which simply depicts life under an oppressive regime in the middle of a civil war. The fall of the monarchy in Afghanistan in 1973 into chaos and particularly the heartrending personal struggles of two women are most eloquently observed, a truly engrossing read.

This is a novel that manages to sweep the reader up in a drama that never loses its human focus. Hosseini's use of Afghani history as a backdrop to his story show his mastery of story telling.

This beautiful novel illuminates the story of the friendship between two women and how it sustains them in the face of extreme brutality and desolation. It does not shrink from the bleak reality of modern Afghanistan but still shows that, even in these extreme circumstances, there is redemption in friendship and love.

Incredibly moving, Khaled Hosseini has produced a novel, which is both tragic and uplifting. Difficult to put down.

Hosseini's richly descriptive prose provides an emotionally powerful glimpse into the world of Afghan women. This moving novel captures historical and contemporary themes, and allows the reader to share the experiences of its characters. A moving story.

Both sad and beautiful. Hosseini's novel explores the bonding of two women with diverse backgrounds in order to survive in a male dominated Afghanistan.

Dense, pressure packed guide to Afghanistan society.

The author's description of two women gives a very good insight into Afghani society. It is a very well written book.

Original and unusual history.