''A Thousand Splendid Suns''- Book Review

Author: Khaled Hosseini
Published: 2007

Genres: Novel, Historical fiction

Rating: 5 out of 5

Review

A Thousand Splendid Suns is Khaled Hosseini's second book. The book describes the unrest in Afghanistan from the 1970s to the early 2000s- which was also the subject of Hosseini's first book, The Kite Runner. 

A Thousand Splendid Suns describes in detail the sufferings of women in Afghanistan during the Taliban rule. I loved this novel. Very much. It is a superb, fascinating, deeply moving tale, a an absolute page turner, very informative, and very touching.

A Thousand Splendid Suns tells the story of two women, Mariam and Laila. Mariam is the illegitimate daughter of Jalil, a wealthy man, and Jalil's former housekeeper. Mariam grows up in an isolated village with her mother, whom she calls ''Nana''. Jalil often visits Mariam, and Nana constantly comments against Jalil, trying to sink him in Mariam's estimation. But however, Mariam still deeply loves her father, and eagerly anticipates for his visits. One day, when Mariam goes to visit her father- Nana commits suicide, thinking that Mariam would drift away from her. Soon, Mariam is married to a man much older than her, Rasheed. Though initially he behaves well with her, he starts getting extremely abusive after she suffers from multiple miscarriages. 

Laila is two decades younger than Mariam. She grows up in the home of a loving, educated father, and a mother who has never been much of a mother to her. In the midst of the unrest in the country, Laila becomes orphaned, and is sheltered by Mariam and Rasheed. Laila comes to know that she is pregnant by her childhood friend Tariq, and when news comes to her that Tariq has died, she agrees when Rasheed proposes to marry her, who is at least forty-five years older than her. 

Though Mariam and Laila are initially very hostile with each other, gradually they form a deep friendship. During the Taliban rule in Afghanistan, everything changes. Women's sufferings increase. Poverty, starvation... Mariam and Laila, along with these sufferings, are also tortured by their husband, Rasheed. Their life turns upside down because of so much sufferings... but their deep friendship and unity will help them to survive and face the tortures that is inflicted by their husband.

The novel gives a clear portrait of the unrest in Afghanistan from the 1970s to the 2000s. The novel gives focus on the torture that the women faced during the Taliban rule.  

I liked the characterization and the characters. The two protagonists, Mariam and Laila, are developed excellently. The novel explores their childhood, background, happiness, sufferings... Personally, I cannot decide who is my favorite among the two- both are equally well developed. I felt sympathy for Laila for her sufferings, and I felt both sympathy and admiration for the brave and memorable Mariam. 

I loved this novel, a lot. It was beautiful and lyrical. I had also liked The Kite Runner, but A Thousand Splendid Suns... was great. 

5 out of 5

''The Kite Runner''- Book review

Author: Khaled Hosseini
Published: 2003
Number of pages: 324

Genres: Novel, Historical fiction 

Rating: 4 out of 5

Review

Khaled Hosseini's ''The Kite Runner'' was an overwhelming, emotional read. It is a wonderful novel that kept me very interested in the storyline. Hosseini's writing style is extremely remarkable, and with descriptions of the recent Afghanistan history, and with emotional and overwhelming content, this is a very good book... The only fault I found was: some of middle part is slightly not as good as the first and last parts of the book. But let's talk about it later.

Amir is the son of a wealthy father, and lives in a luxurious house. They have a Hazara servant, Ali, whose son, Hassan, is very close friends with Amir. Amir and Hassan had grown up together, they play together, Amir reads stories to the illiterate Hassan, and they fly kites during the kite flying tournaments held during the snowy winters. Amir has always felt detached from his father; his father is always cold to him, they never had a close or warm relationship.

During the kite flying tournament held in the winter of 1974, Amir thinks that winning in the tournament will give him an oppurturnity to become close with his father. He wins, and Hassan runs to catch the last cut kite. But he isn't coming back. Where is he? Amir wonders. And then he notices a very brutal thing happening to Hassan... and he doesn't have the courage to stop the incident... and he is filled with guilt and remorse over what happened...

Decades later, Amir, who, along with his father, had fled to America after the Soviet Union military had attacked Afghanistan, receives a phone call from his late father's friend, Rahim Khan, who tells him to come to see him in Pakistan, as he is very ill. Rahim Khan had always been a very inspirational person in Amir's life. So Amir goes to meet him. And then, Rahim Khan indicates that there is a way by which Amir can forget the guilt over had happened to Hassan almost three decades ago, and he must travel to Afghanistan for a task.

The first part of the novel, where there are vivid descriptions of Amir and Hassan's carefree childhood, to the parts of the incident, and Amir's guilt, are excellently-written. These first chapters were great. But then in the middle part, where his marriage to Soraya was described- I felt sort of irritated. I mean, I thought these elements weren't that much essential! I know, for the development of depth of the novel, it was needed. But I thought is somewhat moved away from the main storyline. The final chapters, however, were very appeasing, as emotionally overpowering as the first ones, perhaps more.

The poverty and misery described in this novel is also very vivid, intense. The novel gives a portrait of the free Afghanistan and Afghanistan under the Taliban rule.

I liked most of characters... Amir, Soraya, Hassan, Sohrab. The characters are well-developed. The antagonist, Assef, though he appears only in a few scenes, is also very well-developed, and I felt hatred for Assef the moment he was introduced.

This is a heartwarming, emotional book, and I'd recommend it. 

4 out of 5

''Roots: The Saga of an American Family''- Book review

Author: Alex Haley
Published: 1976

Genres: Novel, Historical fiction

Rating: 5 out of 5

Review

It took me ten days to read this book- or even more than that- and I can't describe how overwhelmed I am! Alex Haley's vivid, well researched, overall emotionally wonderful novel has completely impressed me. It's really a must-read for all bookworms and history lovers.

The author of ''Roots'', Alex Haley, an African-American, had heard from his grandmother and great-aunts, about Kunta Kinte, his ancestor born in Africa, who had been kidnapped by white men and brought to America and made a slave. The descendants of Kunta Kinte kept the family history alive by orally passing the stories to the next generations, and this how the story had reached Alex Haley.

At his adult life, Haley became extremely interested in learning more about his family history, to form and realize more from the broken fragments of the story he had heard from his grandmothers. Then started a hard and long research of twelve years. Alex Haley, after trips to different libraries, going through old censuses, records, documents and reports and also going to The Gambia, where Kunta Kinte originally was from. He met griots, oral historians of Africa, who informed him more about his African ancestor, the family legand, Kunta Kinte. And finally, after twelve years of hard research, Haley could form a more clear and vivid picture of his family history.  Roots is the result of his research.

Roots tells the story of family history of Haley from the birth of his great-great-great-great-grandfather Kunta Kinte. Kunta was born and raised in strict tradition and cultures. He was just like any other free person- working, learning, playing, in the midst of the green beauty of nature, and strict cultures of Africa. And then when he was, at the age of seventeen, kidnapped by white people (whom Africans called ''toubobs'') and on a big ship, under physical tortures and harsh conditions, transported to America, where he was enslaved.

But Kunta never gave his hope up. He always used to abide by his culture and traditions learned in Africa. He also, personally, firmly denied the name ''Toby'' which the white people called him by. And he also tried to run away FOUR TIMES, only to be discovered and given severe, extremely severe punishments.
 
Kunta's daughter, Kizzy, passed the story of her father to her son George, George passed the story of Kunta to his sons, and then like this, ultimately it reached Haley, Kunta's fourth great-grandson, who worked hard for years to construct a detailed portrait of his family history.

Certainly, ''Roots'' is not entirely factual. In fact, Haley himself had called the book ''faction'', a mixture of facts and fiction. On writing this book, Haley had not only researched his own family history, but also had to study in depth about African cultures, history, traditions, as well as about the political situations of America during the 18th and 19th centuries.

''Roots'' spans over two hundred years (from 1750 to the 1970s). Every character was in some way memorable. I had mixed feelings for Kunta Kinte, feeling sympathy at times, and also I felt him irritating a couple of times, but when the story shifted to Kunta's daughter Kizzy, I realized how attached I had become to the character. Kunta's story is for over four hundred pages, more than half of the book, and readers can easily become attached with the character.

I had many favorite characters. Kunta, Bell, Kizzy, Matilda, Irene, Tom (George's son), Cynthia, Uncle Mingo, Miss Malizy, and so many others.

The story shifts and gives emphasis on the next generations, and it is wonderful how Haley made us give importance to whomever the story shifted to. The last few chapters are narrated by Haley from the first person point-of-view, narrating his growing up, coming across the pieces of his family history, and joining them together through years of hard works, efforts, and determinations.

Roots is not just a tale of the two hundred years in the lives of the family, but it is also  thoroughly detailed about those times, filled with details about the situations and the events occurring. It is a thorough examination of human nature. AND about how history and genealogy are so valuable, and if even a slightest part of it is carefully preserved, we can join the pieces together BY research. I've always been interested in genealogy, and ''Roots'' was an emotional and wonderful read for me.

5 out of 5!