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.
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
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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.
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.
The writing engrossed me. Much like the Kite Runner, Hosseini magically puts the reader in the city, neighborhood and house of his characters. Much to his credit, I found myself torn between wanting to yell at Laila to hush up, so that she'd avoid another beating, and kicking Rasheed myself, because he is a despicable
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Show MoreThe book really made me think of all the stuff that I take for granted, and how I should be more appreciative and how there are people with less than me who are just as happy if not happier. If you’re not a fan of books that are sad but shocking and at times harsh because you think they’re boring or they don’t fulfill you’re interests, then I would still recommend you try reading the book because it’s very intriguing but I can’t guarantee you’ll love it, and if you do enjoy books like that then I say it’s a must read! Such a great true
The book itself never became too boring to keep reading. The amount of detailing Remarque used was extremely effective. It was long enough to keep a vivid picture in the reader’s mind of what was happening, and wasn’t too long as to become tedious. There is only one criticism that some may have of this particular novel. Remarque usually named the characters just by their last name, but that was not always the case.
Yet, despite the length, the book was an enlightening experience. It was very well written, with a quick, intriguing pace. Although I typically avoid non-fiction, Moore’s writing style was captivating. The point of view alternated throughout, switching between the two Wes Moore’s stories. This was a tad confusing to read at first, as there were times that the point of view changes mid chapter.
Deliberately, Hassan’s acceptance of cruelty foisted on him connects to his realization that traumatic endeavors can happen to virtuous
But even though the consequences are harsh, Mariam knows that she has to follow through with it, for if she does not, Rasheed would kill Laila. She does not wish to kill Rasheed but Laila is one of the only true friends Mariam has ever had. Mariam does also not want to have one of the few people that bring her happiness, to be taken from her. These two acts demonstrate what it truly means to have courage, even in the hardest of times. Caring is something that seems to come rather naturally for both Laila and Mariam.
The words that the characters said and the words that were just plainly written in between it all. The book constantly mentioned the universe and I am such a space nerd, it really drew me in. It mentioned the universe not really in astronomy terms, but in terms of life and struggles. “The universe was good because he was in it” (Lockhart, 126). I fell in-love with not only the words but the meaning of the words.
The way that Hosseini writes about the differences between people in the novel The Kite Runner can be expressed through using examples throughout the novel. He uses traumatic events to show the ways people are discriminated against. An example is when Hassani is found in Baba’s house while he is in The United States of America. Hassan is found by the government and taken from the home; even though Baba asked him to watch over the house for
She knew how much of an abomination killing her husband would be to society, but she loved Laila enough to risk the punishment. Instead of running away from Kabul with Laila, Mariam stayed behind so that Laila would never get in trouble for killing Rasheed. She was then arrested and later shot for murder (371). Mariam sacrificed her own life so that Laila could marry Tariq and live happily and freely with her family. She gave up everything, even her life for those whom she loved, even though they biologically were not her children.
When Mariam unexpectedly killed Rasheed, Laila was terrified by what had happened and Mariam “had Laila lie down, and, as she
The novel, A Thousand Splendid Suns, is a story written by Khaled Hosseini about two women and the lives they had and what they faced as they grew up. It focuses on Mariam and Laila. The two were brought up in very different ways and they were raised by very different parents. Mariam was raised by a single mother since the father was mostly absent, only visited occasionally and she was a bastard child. Her mother bore her before marriage; she got pregnant for Jalil while working as a housekeeper at Jalil’s place who later threw her out.
The injustice Mariam endures in the novel, A Thousand Splendid Suns, leads Mariam on a struggling journey impacting her future path in life. The injustice that Mariam endures leaves a permanent mark on her life and impacts her from the beginning. Life wasted no time throwing the cruel injustices of life at Mariam. Mariam was marked a harami, otherwise known as a child without a father, even though her father Jalil was alive, near, and well. “She understood then what Nana meant, that a harami was an unwanted thing: that she, Mariam, was an illegitimate person that would never have legitimate claim to the things other people had, things such as love, family, home, acceptance.”
No matter what the critics say there’s no denying the fact that he knows how to write a story and a good one at that. His choice of the theme, the locales, the paintings is all exquisite and enchanting directly transporting the readers to the place of action in the novel. Also, the intelligent, agile yet the down-to-earth professor protagonist always takes our heart away with his insight, wit and cleverness. Brown effortlessly manages to please all the feminist readers and supporters alike by portraying his women in a strong light instead of the usual sexual one. He brings the complete package to us, the murder, the mystery, the threat and everything else.
Mariam longed to place a ruler on a page and draw important-looking lines”(Hosseini ). Mariam is an example of how women are banned from an education and whose life could have been changed by education. Instead of being educated, she is sheltered by her mother and lives the rest of her life without high expectations of herself. Nana teaches her that an Afghan woman has to endure the life that is chosen for her because she does not have a say. Nana even says "There is only one, only one skill a woman like you and me needs in life, and they don't teach it in school.
The character of Rasheed is an epitome of the male dominated Afghan society. He is an unsympathetic patriarch who treats his wives as pieces of property. He exercises his power over them and uses them for the satisfaction of his physical needs. In the beginning after marrying Mariam, Rasheed treats her well. He takes her out to show around the City of Kabul and also buys a beautiful shawl for her.
The novel starts by introducing Mariam, in the beginning, she’s a self-conscious young lady with a mother who is despicable and suffers from depression. Her father has entirely different family and shuns her when she tries to be indulged in his life. Mariam is the banished child, due to Nana and Jalil having intercourse while unmarried, resulting in Mariam being illegitimate. At a young age, she was forced to marry a severely abusive man named