• A Thousand Splendid Suns

  • By: Khaled Hosseini
  • Narrated by: Atossa Leoni
  • Length: 11 hrs and 43 mins
  • 4.6 out of 5 stars (14,411 ratings)

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A Thousand Splendid Suns  By  cover art

A Thousand Splendid Suns

By: Khaled Hosseini
Narrated by: Atossa Leoni
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Publisher's summary

Propelled by the same superb instinct for storytelling that made The Kite Runner a beloved classic, A Thousand Splendid Suns is at once an incredible chronicle of 30 years of Afghanistan history and a deeply moving story of family, friendship, faith, and the salvation to be found in love.

Born a generation apart and with very different ideas about love and family, Mariam and Laila are two women brought jarringly together by war, by loss, and by fate. As they endure the ever-escalating dangers around them, in their home as well as in the streets of Kabul, they come to form a bond that makes them both sisters and mother-daughter to each other, and that will ultimately alter the course not just of their own lives but of the next generation. With heart-wrenching power and suspense, Hosseini shows how a woman's love for her family can move her to shocking and heroic acts of self-sacrifice, and that in the end it is love, or even the memory of love, that is often the key to survival.

A stunning accomplishment, A Thousand Splendid Suns is a haunting, heartbreaking, compelling story of an unforgiving time, an unlikely friendship, and an indestructible love.

©2007 TKR Publications, LLC. All rights reserved (P)2007 Simon and Schuster Inc. All rights reserved.

Critic reviews

"Another searing epic....[Hosseini's] tale is a powerful, harrowing depiction of Afghanistan, but also a lyrical evocation of the lives and enduring hopes of its resilient characters." (Publishers Weekly)
"Unimaginably tragic, Hosseini's magnificent second novel is a sad and beautiful testament to both Afghani suffering and strength. Readers who lost themselves in The Kite Runner will not want to miss this unforgettable follow up." (Booklist)

What listeners say about A Thousand Splendid Suns

Average customer ratings
Overall
  • 4.5 out of 5 stars
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    10,261
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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars

wendygai

A fantastic,sad and moving story, beautifully written and read. I also loved The Kite Runner audio book

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Exceptional

A poignant depiction of life in Afghanistan during the terrible time of the Taliban. This powerful and moving story showed me how to hope when all is lost and how to endure when you have nothing left to give. This is the story of two women in Afghanistan that are brought together by tragedy and force and terror. They are each described separately and each life is shown separately and then they are brought together to endure trials that neither could have ever imagined. It is sad and tragic and hopeful all at once.

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Amazing

Truly a wonderful book. Wish I could find more books that are so GREAT to enjoy !

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars

Aghanistan revealed!

Having no knowledge of this exotic and distant world, I was quickly educated (and horrified) at this beautiful story of two memorable women from opposite areas of life. With so much fear and trepidation about those of Islamic faith in the middle and far East, this book brings a calm and clarity of everyday life, albeit so horrendous, in our otherwise stormy world.

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    5 out of 5 stars

Wonderful story and wonderful narration!

Any additional comments?

This is an incredible story, a story that takes you on a wonderful journey. You will be joyous and you will be heartbroken as you take this journey but it is completely worth it. This is a book that truly transports you to another time and place and submerges you in the beauty of pain of another life.

The narration is wonderful as well. The narrator truly brings this story to life and paints a vivid picture of both the joy and sorrow of the characters.

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

A True Rarity

This is a must read for any woman. A must read for anyone. It is a true masterpiece and work of raw emotion and reality. I went on a roller coaster of tears, laughs, sighs, mouth dropping shock. This book made my hairs stand at attention, sit up straighter, and fear as if I was the narrator in their moments of terror. Please ignore the nay sayers. You’ll want to read this over and over again and keep it as a treasure within your library of keepsakes.

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    5 out of 5 stars
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The Amazing Power of the Human Spirit to Overcome

One can only marvel at the human capacity to withstand tragedy and oppression and then to rise.

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    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

Unforgettable

This beautiful, difficult story is completly unforgettable. It is s story of women; their depth of strength, their persistence in unspeakable circumstsnces. It is a wonderful story of demolition and hope.

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Breathtaking

This book is an amazing journey through a life of hardship, tragedy, triumph, and significance. The authors careful construction of the characters and their relationships is brilliant. This book will “continue to shine in my heart like a Thousand Splendid Suns.”

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    5 out of 5 stars

This is a moving and unforgettable story that wraps you in its detail and brings you deep into the characters worlds.

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