A Thousand Splendid Suns (End!)

Pages: 94-367 (Wow! I'm so happy that I got to read so much already. )

Favorite Quote: "Mariam is never very far. She is here, in these walls they've repainted, in the walls they've repainted, in the trees they've planted, in the blankets that keep the children warm, in these pillows and books and pencils. She is in the children's laughter. She is in the verses Aziza recites and in the prayers she mutters when she bows westward. But, mostly, Mariam is in Laila's own heart, where she shines with the bursting radiance of a thousand suns" (366).

Many people can probably relate to this quote. We all feel loss at some point, and Laila's feelings here express a kind of peace that we all want to feel afterwords someone disappears from our life. Laila's learned the best way to cope, to calmly accept and "endure" just as Mariam's mother advised. However, Mariam's mother, Nana's enduring had a different feel, a sullen stubbornness to stick to self-righteousness. Laila, like Mariam, has learned how to "endure" with grace, to accept what happens and to gain peace at heart. They're both better people for it.

In fact, Laila and Mariam both had examples of the first type of enduring. Both their mothers, Fariba and Nana rejected happiness in favor of wallowing in the past tragedies. Perhaps, the experiences with such defunct mothers is what steered Laila and Mariam to eventually change their own lives to better forms. The message of hope and eventual peace pervades the book even in its darkest moments, but I think that Hosseini may have overdone it a bit.

Although A Thousand Splendid Suns is a wonderful story, it seems a little too unlikely. Events happen that don't seem to be very probable to happen in the way they did. Maybe all the tragedy is overplayed, a missile exploding in Laila's house and killing her parents right before they are all about to leave war-torn Afghanistan. It's very dramatic, but more of these kinds of events make them seem cheesy. On the other hand, the book seems to have some very good intentions, detailing on how relationships change between people over time, how people are brought together or torn apart. Like The Kite Runner, this novel really focuses on the characters, the human aspect of stories. The extensive and vivid cast of characters is what really makes the reader feel like he/she is in the story, right alongside Mariam and Laila.

Rating of the book: 8/10 (The difference between this and The Kite Runner is just how real the book feels, other than that, it's a wonderful read.)

A Thousand Splendid Suns (#1)

Pages: 1-94 (Part 1)

Although it is told in third person, the main character of Part 1, Mariam, feels very much alive. The clarity of the way her thoughts and emotions are illustrated is striking when the slightly detached air of the story is taken into consideration. Even though there really aren't too many scenes described in the stretch of time Part 1 encompasses, the ones Hosseini does pick to elaborate on are vividly painted to make it seem like the reader has lived through it all and has really connected to the characters. Khaled Hosseini proves again that he is a master story teller.

A Thousand Splendid Suns seems to be a study in perspectives. Mariam's thought processes shift as she goes through many different experiences, from living on the outskirts of society as a bastard child to being forced into a marriage with a man 30 years older than her. We see her originally clinging to believing that her father is a good man, truly caring for her and rejecting the cynical pessimism of her mother. But then, she realizes the truth and her viewpoints completely turn around, now scrutinizing people's actions through the lens of her mother's attitude. Mariam's relationship with her husband also changes beginning in fear and uncertainty to care and tenderness to abuse and growing farther apart after several miscarriages.

The tragedy seems a little veiled though. It feels as if a few scenes were rushed, not pumping out all the potential feeling, but every where else, it's phenomenal. Although the book's plot doesn't seem to really go anywhere, it's greatest strength is the connection it forms with the reader, the bridge for emotions, feelings, the ups and downs of the characters to really flow. It's a nice change from all the plot-driven, not really in depth books that are really popular today.

Rating of the book so far: 9/10 (It's good, but I'm a little iffy about it)

(Mariam means white tuberose--the flower above)

A Thousand Splendid Suns by Khaled Hosseini (Begin!)

A Thousand Splendid Suns
by Khaled Hosseini

First thoughts:

I really loved The Kite Runner, and the author's writing style was just so appealing. I'm really hoping that A Thousand Splendid Suns is just as great. I'm wondering if A Thousand Splendid Suns will teach me any more about Afghan culture, since I really enjoyed that aspect of reading The Kite Runner. Let's see how it goes!

Watership Down (End!) and End of Quarter entry

Pages: 300-481

Watership Down was really an amazing book. I really enjoyed reading it and the whole story was very engaging. The end was very creative and although I first read it in its form in Fire Bringer, it was lovely. It's nice to know what the original is in these kinds of situations, and Fire Bringer was original and quite something, I can now clearly see the influences of Watership Down on it.

End of Quarter 1:

Blogging was actually a lot easier than I thought it would be because I can actually just write what I'm thinking which isn't so hard. For my entries this past quarter, I usually analyzed quotes or characters actions because those are what really interest me in books. I did include different topics in each entry though. Blogging also helped me somewhat. I delved deeper into the books and writing my thoughts down helped me to really understand those once vague ideas in the back of my mind.

For the second quarter, I'd like to read a little more so I can write more entries on different books. Watership Down was a rather hefty book, and many different factors kept from reading more. I thought I did a pretty good job with my blog entries, though, so I don't really know what to improve on in them. What would really get me more involved and excited would be to read more.