I recently finished reading Khaled Hosseini's A Thousand Splendid Suns. It was a good book and quite un-putdownable.The story revolves around the lives of two women - Mariam, an illegitimate daughter of a rich man married off to an old abusive husband when she was very young. And Laila - a rebellious and intelligent daughter of an educated progressive father. It is about how their lives intertwine, the sufferings they go through which eventually become the bond that strengthen them. It gives you glimpses of the history of Afghanistan, from the Soviet era to the rise and fall of the Taliban.
It is a sad story and my heart went out for the two women. The horror and pain these two women have to endure, reminded me of Princess, a biography about a Saudi Arabian princess which I had read more than a decade ago.
Even though I found the story gripping, there are times when I felt the story to be dragging along. Other than that, the book is extremely well written, the characters are strong and well defined and the story is heart wrenching. I definitely recommend it!
PS-> Anyone seen the Kite Runner movie yet?
