• A Thousand Splendid Suns

  • By: Khaled Hosseini
  • Narrated by: Atossa Leoni
  • Length: 11 hrs and 43 mins
  • 4.6 out of 5 stars (14,401 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
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  • 4.5 out of 5 stars
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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars

This author can write.

This author can write. I very much enjoyed the Kite Runner but wondered if the success was freshman luck. Not the case. this is very much a similar tale but told from a female persperctive. Terrific!. Now I can't wait to see if he can write something this well not involving the Afghan war. I hope so....

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    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

Wow

this is one of those stories that just stays with you for a long time! It was beautifully read and so hard to put down!

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

Better the second time

A thousand splendid moments to consider. A eyeopening to the ME where love and loss are universal with a bit more brutality than experienced in our Western culture. A recommended experience.

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars

Beautiful

I cried from the over powering emotions that emerged from this story. Just beyond amazing.

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  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars

Good

Another good, but pretty dismal book of life in the east. Well written and easy to follow, but it is pretty depressing. I would listen to it again.

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars

Extraordinary

This tale was just one of the finest character studies I have ever read. Simpathetic without being soppy. The language and turns-of-phrase are beautiful. I enjoyed this book almost as much as the Kite Runner. The narration was also excellent.

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

Magnificent is an understatement

One of the best books I have ever read. Khaled Hosseini paints a picture that leaves a deep impression in the heart of the reader. No amount of praise is enough for this book.

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

absolutely beautiful story, will make you cry

Having read Kite Runner, I was eager to read this story. it did not disappoint. The women's issues here are captured well in a respectful way, and truly wisks you away to a time and place that so many read in the headlines, but never really get to hear about, the voiceless masses subjected to Taliban rule. A beautiful story - well done.

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    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

Soul touching

One of the best books I have ever read! I cried so many times during the course of this novel and found myself truly feeling the pain of the women in the story!

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    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

Beautiful!

Such a beautiful story of love and forgiveness in the backdrop of a tragic history.

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