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It's difficult to imagine a harder first act to follow than The Kite Runner: a debut novel by an unknown writer about a country many readers knew little about that has gone on to have over four million copies in print worldwide. But when preview copies of Khaled Hosseini's second novel, A Thousand Splendid Suns, started circulating at Amazon.com, readers reacted with a unanimous enthusiasm that few of us could remember seeing before. As special as The Kite Runner was, those readers said, A Thousand Splendid Suns is more so, bringing Hosseini's compassionate storytelling and his sense of personal and national tragedy to a tale of two women that is weighted equally with despair and grave hope.
We wanted to spread the word on the book as widely, and as soon, as we could. See below for an exclusive excerpt from A Thousand Splendid Suns and early reviews of the book from some of our top customer reviewers.--The Editors
An Exclusive Excerpt from A Thousand Splendid Suns
We have arranged with the publisher to make an exclusive excerpt of A Thousand Splendid Suns available on Amazon.com. Click here to read a scene from the novel. It's not the opening scene, but rather one from a crucial moment later in the book when Mariam, one of the novel's two main characters, steps into a new role.
Early Buzz from Amazon.com Top Reviewers
We queried our top 100 customer reviewers as of March 6, 2007, and asked them to read A Thousand Splendid Suns and share their thoughts. We've included these early reviews below in the order they were received. For the sake of space, we've only included a brief excerpt of each reviewer's response, but each review is available for reading in its entirety by clicking the "Read the review" link.
Joanna Daneman: "His style is deceptively simple and clear, the characters drawn deftly and swiftly, his themes elemental and huge. This is a brilliant writer and I look forward to more of his work." Read Joanna Daneman's review
Seth J. Frantzman: "Khaled Hosseini has done it again with 'A Thousand Splendid Sons', presenting a new, dashing and dark tale of two generations of women trapped in a loveless marriage, bracketed by great events." Read Seth J. Frantzman's review
Donald Mitchell: "Khaled Hosseini has succeeded in capturing many important historical and contemporary themes in a way that will make your heart ache again and again. Why will your reaction be so strong? It’s because you’ll identify closely with the suffering of almost all the characters, a reaction that’s very rare to a modern novel." Read Donald Mitchell's review
Lawrance M. Bernabo: "All things considered, following up on a successful first novel is probably harder than coming up with the original effort and Hosseini could have rested on his laurels in the manner of Harper Lee, but as "A Thousand Splendid Suns" amply proves, this native of Kabul has more stories to tell about the land of Afghanistan." Read Lawrance M. Bernabo's review
Amanda Richards: "There are parts of this book that will have grown men surreptitiously blotting the tears that are on the verge of overflowing their ducts, and by the time you get to the middle, you won’t be able to put it down. Hosseini's simple but richly descriptive prose makes for an engrossing read, and in my opinion, "A Thousand Splendid Suns" is among the best I have ever read. This is definitely not one to be missed." Read Amanda Richards's review
N. Durham: "All that being said, "A Thousand Splendid Suns" is a bit more enjoyable than Hosseini’s previous "The Kite Runner", and once again he manages to give we readers another glimpse of a world that we know little about but frequently condemn and discard. However, if you were one of the many that for some reason absolutely loved "The Kite Runner", chances are that you'll love this as well." Read N. Durham's review
John Kwok: "Khaled Hosseini's "A Thousand Splendid Suns" is a genuine instant literary classic, and one destined to be remembered as one of 2007's best novels. It should be compared favorably to such legendary Russian novels like "War and Peace" and "Doctor Zhivago"." Read John Kwok's review
Thomas Duff: "Normally I'm more of an action-adventure type reader when it comes to novels and recreational reading. But I was given the chance to read A Thousand Splendid Suns by Khaled Hosseini (author of The Kite Runner), so I decided to try something out of my normal genre. I am *so* glad I did. This is a stunning and moving novel of life and love in Afghanistan over a 30 year period." Read Thomas Duff's review
Charles Ashbacher: "This book manages to simultaneously capture the history of Afghanistan over the last thirty years and how women are treated in conservative Islamic societies.... In many ways it is a sad book, your heart goes out to these two women in their hopeless struggle to have a decent life with a brutal man in an unforgiving, intolerant society." Read Charles Ashbacher's review
W. Boudville: "Hosseini presents a piognant view into the recent tortured decades of the Afghan experience. From the 1970s, under a king, to the Soviet takeover, to the years of resistance. And then the rise and fall of the Taliban. An American reader will recognise many of the main political events. But to many Americans, Afghanistan and its peoples and religion remain an opaque and troubling mystery." Read W. Boudville's review
Mark Baker: "I tend to read plot heavy books, so this character study was a definite change of pace for me. I found the first half slow going at times, mainly because I knew where the story was going. Once I got into the second half, things really picked up. The ending was very bittersweet. I couldn't think of a better way to end it." Read Mark Baker's review
Grady Harp: "Hosseini takes us behind those walls for forty some years of Afghanistan's bloody history and while he does not spare us any of the descriptions of the terror that continues to besiege that country, he does offer us a story that speaks so tenderly about the fragile beauty of love and devotion and lasting impression people make on people." Read Grady Harp's review
Robert P. Beveridge: "When I was actively reading it, the pages kept turning, and more than once I found myself foregoing food or sleep temporarily to get in just one more chapter. When I had put it down, however, I felt no particular compulsion to pick it back up again. It's a good book, and a relatively well-written one, but it's not a great book. Enjoyable without leaving a lasting impression." Read Robert P. Beveridge's review
B. Marold: "While the events in Afghanistan and the wider world create a familiar framework for the stories of these two women, it is nothing more than a framework. The warp and weft of everyday life, and the interaction of the two women and their close relatives is the heartbeat of the story." Read B. Marold's review
Daniel Jolley: "Khaled Hosseini has written a majestic, sweeping, emotionally powerful story that provides the reader with a most telling window into Afghan society over the past thirty-odd years. It's also a moving story of friendship and sacrifice, giving Western readers a rare glimpse into the suffering and mistreatment of Afghan women that began long before the Taliban came to power." Read Daniel Jolley's review
Many of you have brought it to my attention that my website needed updating. Instead of updating the old website, I have been working on a new www.khaledhosseini.com in anticipation of the publication of A Thousand Splendid Suns. It's completely redesigned now, and I hope you'll take a look.
Dear readers: Thank you for these kind comments. I cannot begin to tell you how moved I am by your words of support. Writing a second novel is always a challenge, particularly for a writer fortunate enough to have his first so embraced. When I finally finished writing A Thousand Splendid Suns last fall I was so close to the project I had no idea whether it would please my readers. I am thus especially delighted, now, by the passionate responses that itis already generating. I am struck by your support and encouragement and feel singularly blessed that this novel seems to be resonating with early readers in the same way that The Kite Runner did. I look forward to sharing A Thousand Splendid Suns with all of you this May.
I am thrilled to announce that on
May 22 Riverhead Books will release my second novel, A Thousand Splendid
Suns. As with my first novel, The Kite
Runner, A Thousand Splendid Suns is a
story of friendship, this time between two Afghan women brought together by war,
loss, and fate. Spanning nearly half a century, it's a story of love,
resilience, and self-sacrifice. I am very proud and fond of A Thousand Splendid
Suns, and excited at the opportunity to share it with
you. I hope that you will enjoy reading it as much as I enjoyed writing it. As
ever, I thank you for your interest and support.
With his second novel, Khaled Hosseini proves beyond a shadow of doubt that "The Kite Runner" was no flash in the Afghan pan. Once again set in Afghanistan, the story twists and turns its way through the turmoil and chaos that ensued following the fall of the monarchy in 1973, but focuses mainly on the lives of two women, thrown together by fate.
The story starts decades before the Taliban came into power in 1996, and ends after the era of Taliban rule. The main character begins life as a "harami" - the illegitimate daughter of a wealthy man and one of his housekeepers. Forced to live in a small shack with her emotionally disturbed and possibly epileptic mother, Mariam lives for Thursdays, the day her father comes to see her, bearing small gifts and showering her with the affection she craves. Naturally, Mariam wants to be a part of her father's life and fit in with his legitimate family, but when she attempts to force his hand, she is rebuffed and feels betrayed by his reaction. Her impetuous actions bring an end to the life she has known for fifteen long years, and lead to an arranged marriage to a much older man, a shoemaker, whose views on the rights of women mirror those that the Taliban would soon enforce.
During the time that Mariam is dutifully enduring her unhappy marriage, a neighbor gives birth to a baby girl, whom they name Laila. By her ninth birthday, Laila has grown up to be a beautiful child with blonde hair, turquoise-green eyes, high cheekbones and dimples. Unfortunately, her mother lives only for the day her older sons will return home from fighting the jihad, and is consumed by the vision of a free Afghanistan. Laila's best friend is a boy named Tariq, her confidant, defender and co-conspirator, and by the end of communist rule in 1992, Laila is fourteen, and beginning to see Tariq in a different way that she does not quite understand.
The enthusiastic rejoicing at the end of the jihad is silenced by the internal battles of the Mujahideen, and when the bombs start falling on Kabul, Laila and Tariq are forced apart. Circumstances can make strange things happen, and Laila soon becomes a part of Mariam's husband's household, by necessity rather than choice. The rest of this unforgettable story reflects the heart-rending sacrifices of these women, and allows the reader a peek behind the burqa, to the heart of Afghanistan.
There are parts of this book that will have grown men surreptitiously blotting the tears that are on the verge of overflowing their ducts, and by the time you get to the middle, you won't be able to put it down. Hosseini's simple but richly descriptive prose makes for an engrossing read, and in my opinion, "A Thousand Splendid Suns" is among the best I have ever read. This is definitely not one to be missed.
Amanda Richards
27 of 31 people found the following review helpful:
A Brutal but Moving Story of Life in Afghanistan, May 24, 2007
Mariam's life revolves around her father's visits. While she lives in a hut with her mother, it's the weekly visits from her father that are the light of her existence. All that changes when she turns fifteen and is forced to marry an older man she has never met. Rasheed lives on the other side of the country, so Miriam leaves behind the only people she has ever known to live with a stranger. Rasheed is a strict man, and Miriam finds herself with restrictions on her new life.
On the day the Soviets invade Afghanistan, another woman is born. Laila is raised in a progressive family. Her father encourages her to learn as much as she can in school. Her mother suffers from depression and leaves her alone most of the time. Her best friend is a neighbor boy, Tariq, who lost a leg to a land mine years earlier.
Laila lives just down the street from Mariam, yet they hardly interact until the struggle for control in Afghanistan brings tragedy to their street. Then their lives become irrevocably linked. Despite the 19 years age difference between them, a strong bond of friendship is formed. Will it be enough to endure the hardship ahead?
I tend to stick to light entertainment and rarely read the more serious works of literature. However, several friends I respect loved Khaled Hosseini's first novel, so I decided to give this one a try. And I'm glad I did.
This book isn't light entertainment by any stretch of the imagination. The writing style produces an almost melancholy air right from the start.
I tend to read plot heavy books, so this character study was a definite change of pace for me. I found the first half slow going at times, mainly because I knew where the story was going. Once I got into the second half, things really picked up. The ending was very bittersweet. I couldn't think of a better way to end it.
Not to say I wasn't interested before then. Mariam and Laila are two very real, interesting characters. I felt for them and became a very real part of their struggles over the course of the book.
Adding to the book's richness is the historical background. The novel covers 40 years of Afghani history. While that is never the focus of the novel, it is an ever present backdrop to the personal struggle of the two women. We in the west often forget how much we truly have to be thankful for. Here, we get a picture of life in the midst of a civil war and under an oppressive regime.
I can understand why my friends were so taken with Hosseini's first novel. I know I will read it at some point. This new book comes highly recommended.
Customer Reviews
Average Customer Review: Write an online review and share your thoughts with other customers.
This is a powerful story of two Afghan woman who endure the bitter turmoils that have ravaged their country. We often hear about Afghanistan in the news but seldom do we have a personal account of the social life there. Hosseini offers an remarkable potrayal of Afghan life from the experiences of two women. Through this book readers can learn about veiled aspects of Afghan life and culture. The book is a testament to the power of love to triumph over difficult circumstances.
I read this book with Nexus: A Neo Novel which is completely different kind of novel with a psychological and spiritual theme. Both books successfully reveal the power of love to transform people in their own unique way.
Move over! Hosseini comin' through...., June 6, 2007
I won't go into what this story is about, it's been well summarized throughout the previous reviews.
This book was painful to read, but so beautifully written I couldn't stop reading to catch my breath or wipe my tears. I didn't want the book to end. I dreaded coming up on the final page; this story could have gone on for an eternity and it still wouldn't have been long enough for me. The two main characters...oooo....those two lovely ladies. It was love at first sight for me!
Mr. Hosseini is nothing short of a genius. How he can put out two fantastic books in a row is beyond me. May I live long enough to read his third, fourth, fifth, and I pray, tenth book!
I was so very pleased when I read "A Thousand Splendid Suns" because it is often a little disappointing to read a book that follows such an amazing first release. NOT IN THIS CASE. NO DISAPPOINTMENT HERE. Quite the opposite. I could not put it down, just like "The Kite Runner". Amazing. I have already told my entire family about it being a "must read". The pressure is on now........can he go for three in a row? I will be waiting at the counter for his third book.
After Gunderson couldn't follow-up Snow Falling on Cedars and Frazier missed with his follow-up to Cold Mountain, it was with some trepidation that I opened Hosseini's second novel. I was not disappointed in the least. This is a terrific novel. Perhaps I only gave it a four because almost nothing compares to Kite Runner and that is the book to which this is naturally compared.
The book follows the lives of two Afghani women from childhood through adulthood. Their lives encompass Afghanistan's war with the Soviets, its civil war resulting in Taliban control and then America's taking out of the Taliban. Mr. Hosseini's stark writing style adds to the maxim that if "war is hell" multiple wars suffered by the same people is something worse than hell. Add to the wars the oppressed position of women in fundamentalist Muslim culture and the women's lives are not pretty. One begins life as a bastard child, the other as a girl who is to be educated. Both end up in the same household with a fundamentalist Muslim man. Their trails to that place and away from it are heart-wrenchingly poignant.
Like Kite Runner, Hosseini gives the reader an education on life in Afghanistan over the last several decades. Just as life in that country during that time was was oppressingly depressing, so was most of the book, except for the fact it shows the human determination and will to live and survive. However, also like Kite Runner, it finished with a glimmer of light in the end.
Mr. Hosseini does not preach nor bash the reader over the head with any message but one. His straight-forward writing style and story-telling leave the reader to reach his own conclusions. His one message was clear, however: Life in Afghanistan has been awful for everyone but thugs and warlords for the past 40 years or so. The country has been devastated and one is left to wonder how the general population ever survived.
The two women, and the ancillary characters are extremely believable and have great depth. They will be remembered by the reader for a long time.
The reviews at the top of Amazon's listing show that the only readers who did not like Splendid Suns were those that did not like Kite Runner. If, like me, you thought Kite Runner was one of the best books to come along in a long, long time, you will definitely enjoy this book.
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"His style is deceptively simple and clear, the characters drawn deftly and swiftly, his themes elemental and huge. This is a brilliant writer and I look forward to more of his work." 
"All that being said, "A Thousand Splendid Suns" is a bit more enjoyable than Hosseini’s previous "The Kite Runner", and once again he manages to give we readers another glimpse of a world that we know little about but frequently condemn and discard. However, if you were one of the many that for some reason absolutely loved "The Kite Runner", chances are that you'll love this as well." 
"Hosseini presents a piognant view into the recent tortured decades of the Afghan experience. From the 1970s, under a king, to the Soviet takeover, to the years of resistance. And then the rise and fall of the Taliban. An American reader will recognise many of the main political events. But to many Americans, Afghanistan and its peoples and religion remain an opaque and troubling mystery." 
based on 75 reviews.
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