Book 14 - 2019
Book 14: A Thousand Splendid Suns by Khaled Hosseini - 367 pages
Description from bookdepository.co.uk:
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.
Thoughts:
Another book purchased at the biannual book sale for $2. Another book that always appears in the must-read list. I maybe picked up this book to read at the wrong time in my life. Dealing with my own troubling health issues, reading about the tragedy of Mariam and Laila’s life only served to depress me more. Putting that aside, this is a compelling story, particularly once Mariam and Laila’s friendship develops. Both married to Rasheed, both suffering as a result of a life that has been unkind, a country that is troubled and a merry go round of cultures that ever increasingly devalue them, they find solace, confidence and love in each other. The background story of Afghanistan in the 70s-00s demonstrates how much our lives are dictated by the circumstances of our birth. I ended up reading the last 150 pages over a single day (partly because I was in hospital!), and thoroughly enjoying it despite the heavy topic. If you’re prepared for the emotional rollercoaster and the physical violence depicted, it’s a very compelling read.
14 / 50 books. 28% done!
3218 / 15000 words. 21% done!
Currently reading:
Journey to the West by Cheng-En Wu - 673 pages
Security Studies: An Introduction edited by Paul D. Williams - 620 pages
Top Secret Twenty-One by Janet Evanovich - 326 pages
And coming up:
The Second Chronicles of Thomas Covenant: Volume 3: White Gold Wielder by Stephen Donaldson - 500 pages
The Odyssey by Homer - 324 pages
Saga: Volume 8 by Brian K. Vaughan and Fiona Staples - 146 pages
Description from bookdepository.co.uk:
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.
Thoughts:
Another book purchased at the biannual book sale for $2. Another book that always appears in the must-read list. I maybe picked up this book to read at the wrong time in my life. Dealing with my own troubling health issues, reading about the tragedy of Mariam and Laila’s life only served to depress me more. Putting that aside, this is a compelling story, particularly once Mariam and Laila’s friendship develops. Both married to Rasheed, both suffering as a result of a life that has been unkind, a country that is troubled and a merry go round of cultures that ever increasingly devalue them, they find solace, confidence and love in each other. The background story of Afghanistan in the 70s-00s demonstrates how much our lives are dictated by the circumstances of our birth. I ended up reading the last 150 pages over a single day (partly because I was in hospital!), and thoroughly enjoying it despite the heavy topic. If you’re prepared for the emotional rollercoaster and the physical violence depicted, it’s a very compelling read.
14 / 50 books. 28% done!
3218 / 15000 words. 21% done!
Currently reading:
Journey to the West by Cheng-En Wu - 673 pages
Security Studies: An Introduction edited by Paul D. Williams - 620 pages
Top Secret Twenty-One by Janet Evanovich - 326 pages
And coming up:
The Second Chronicles of Thomas Covenant: Volume 3: White Gold Wielder by Stephen Donaldson - 500 pages
The Odyssey by Homer - 324 pages
Saga: Volume 8 by Brian K. Vaughan and Fiona Staples - 146 pages