A Thousand Splendid Suns by Khaled Hosseini

Our second book of 2010

A Thousand Splendid Suns

by Khaled Hosseini (2007)

Brief synopsis

This is a story of the lives of 2 women, born some 20 years apart, who live through the tumultuous times of the last 30 years in Afghanistan. It portrays their strength in the face of adversity and the development of a friendship which grew out of animosity.

Our discussion

We began with discussing the main characters in the book and the scenes in the story which most moved/impressed us. It then led to a discussion of the the value of education and condition of women in general in the Arab world.

• Is Rasheed a truly evil man or is he a victim of circumstances as well?
• The quest for happiness for both women in an environment of abuse, betrayal and hardship
• The beautiful relationships between the two women at the end, between Laila and Tariq, Mariam and Mullah Faizullah, Laila and her father, Mariam and Aziza
• This book shows that even in a cultured society, women are taken advantage of in times of war and religious extremism
• Although the story is about the oppression of women, it is also one of hope. You also see the beauty of the Afghan society and culture through the eyes of Laila's educated father, the celebration of the Muslim faith through the Mullahs and Mariam's teaching of the Koran to Aziza

For those of us who have read the previous book The Kite Runner, this second novel is just as satisfying. We like Hosseini's writing style and to learn more about his background, his character choices and conditions in Afghanistan, there are interesting discussion videos on his website : http://www.khaledhosseini.com/index.htm

Our next book is The Guernsey Literary & Potato Peel Pie Society by Mary Ann Schaffer & Annie Burrow

We have given A Thousand Splendid Suns 9 out of 10

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People of the Book by Geraldine Brooks

People of the Book

Geraldine Brooks

Brief synopsis

This is the story of discoveries made by a young Australian woman while restoring an ancient Hebrew book, The Sarajevo Haggadah.

Our discussion

Only one person out of our group of 11 found the book an easy read. Others found the nature of the book to be fragmented and that it jumps around a bit too much. We found that the passages describing the past journey and the people who saved the book were the more enjoyable and illuminating as they were well researched.

A few found the "Australian" voice of Hanna to be annoying and not a true representation of Australians today. Many felt the book's ending was also disappointing.

Some interesting facts emerged during our discussion about the author : Geraldine is a converted Jew herself and that she is paying for the education of a Muslim doctor.

In conclusion, this book juxtaposes the stories of hope and tolerance against the sometimes violent events that happened in history but as a novel, falls short of its promise. It was suggested that her book "Year of Wonders" was much more successful.

Our next book is "A Thousand Splendid Suns" by Khaled Hosseini

We have given People of the Book a rating of 7 out of 10

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The Slap by Christos Tsiolkas

The Slap

This book was the most interesting and controversial of our selections from last year's 8 books. Reactions were divided as to whether we love it or hate it! Upon seeing one of our members reading the book on the plane, the flight attendant commented "I can't go past the first chapter of this book...you are finishing it?!?"

We do recommend this book as it does give the reader a glimpse into Australia's multicultural society of today.

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Our other 2009 books