A Thousand Splendid Suns

By: Khaled Hosseini

Narrated by: Atossa Leoni

Length: 11 hrs and 43 mins

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)

Powerful and tear-jerking ending

i end up crying for a while after reading this book. it's powerful and moving.

Gripping history

A history we should study in the west. This historical fiction told from a personal history and viewpoint is a most gripping way to etch this part of our world into western consciousness, It compels the reader to closely follow current events, knowing that some of the tragedy is still being relived. We must ask ourselves what is to be done and what must each of us do for a more just world?

Such a touching story.

Wonderful sense of a culture not readily realized by the west. I was mesmerized. good listen.

Well written

This story takes one into the war stricken Afghan community of the late nineties and early two thousands. The story allowed me to cry with the characters, pray with them, fear with them and laugh with them. It is a story that I will never forget, and it is one of those books that I wished would never end.

bittery sweet

beatiful story with painful reality. some part i had to skip becouse the domestic vioence was too brutal.

A Book Everyone Needs to Read

absolutely love this book. I have listened to it twice. It's a book we all need right now, it gives you so much perspective. Remarkable story.

A very good book

I can't tell is an amazing book, but is entertained and makes you very but very happy for being a woman in not Muslim country.

Wonderful

I loved this audio book and story. I listened to this on my commute and, have to admit, I actually found myself excited to hit red lights so I could maximize my time in the car to hear more of the story. I like fiction but often listen to non-fiction. This of course was fiction but with enough history/facts thrown in to learn a lot about history of Afghanistan. Highly recommended.

A must read story for females.

An eye opening story that intertwines two lives so well. I could not stop listening. The emotion is raw and the characters are lovable.

An absolutely incredible story

So happy my girlfriend made me read this book. It gives a perspective that is very much needed