Opening Sentence: "...Mariam was five years old the first time she heard the word harami..."

Hosseini's first book THE KITE RUNNER was an 'A' read for me - I was moved beyond description. So it was with much trepidation that I opened this his latest offering. Could he do two in a row? The short answer, for me, is yes. This book looks at women, the relationships between mother and daughter, friends and wives. The story concentrates on tow women, from different backgrounds and different decades, who come together as wives of the same man.

Mariam is the older woman, so the reader is introduced to her first. Shunned by most of society as the illegitimate daughter of a wealthy man, she is married off to Rasheed when she is 15, after her mother commits suicide. In her mid-teens by this stage, she is taken to another part of the the country and forced to wear a burka and is brutalised by her new husband. As she suffers from one miscarriage after another Rasheed treats her with more and more contempt.

Laila is the beautiful daughter of a loving man who encourages Laila to study - her mother is obsessed with her two older brothers who are off fighting with the Afghanistan rebel forces, and neglects Laila as she retires to her bed to mourn firstly the fact the brothers are off fighting, and secondly when they are both killed. As Laila's family pack up to leave , to escape from the constant fighting between different political factions who are fighting for control of Afghanistan after the Russians departure, a rocket lands on their house. Laila, at 14, is the only survivor. She is tricked into marrying Rasheed her rescuer.

From this point the story concentrates on the two women and how they survive their brutal and cruel husband against a background of complex political upheaval that slowly erodes the rights of woman. Showing great sensitivity to the plight of women in his homeland - Hosseini is blunt in his portrayal of how badly women were treated. The story moves along at a cracking pace - the story building up scene by scene. The complex political upheavals are all there in the back ground - yet at the same time making significant impact on the lives of the two women. Hosseini doesn't get so bogged down in the politics that a readers eyes start to glaze over, However, it is crucial to the story that the political background gets a mention and he has done a great job in finding the balance.

I gave this book an A, his previous book, scored an A+. Why the difference? The ending - there was just something about it that didn't sit right. Oh all the i's were dotted and the t's crossed - but it was just too happy ever after - too much blue bird of happiness. I hope one day his ending rings true - but there is still upheaval in Afghanistan. The Afghanistan of old has not yet returned.

Picked up at the biggest meet-up ever.

The story highlights the plight of Afghanistan people, the fighting amongst each other and the rule of the taliban. It is the real people of Afghanistan, their hopes, their dreams and their hardships shown through the lives of Mariam and Laila.

Great book. I couldn't put it down.

Next it is off to my secret santa person.

This book arrived from my Secret Santa. Thank you so much - I really enjoyed the extras sent with the book as well - and had to look up dragon fruit online as I'd never had it before. I love trying new things!

I've heard great things about this book, and really thought The Kite Runner was an excellent first book by the author so I'm looking forward to reading this one.

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

A few years ago I was an extra in a short movie based in Kabul. I was part of a street scene that still seems 'real' to me to this day. I only spent a few hours wearing a burka, but it left a very lasting impression.

I found this to be an exceptionally good read and throughout found myself continually surprised by how the story moved along. I'm glad it was fiction, but saddened that many of the things these fictional women went through are just a small part of what life is like for real women in some parts of the world.

I would definitely read other books by this author. His first book was excellent and his second is also very well written. Parts of this book will stay with me forever.

RELEASE NOTES:

Left in the adjacent classroom on the tables in the classroom area. Enjoy!

Just began reading it. Got caught up in the first couple of pages.

CAUGHT IN HACKHAM WEST SOUTH AUSTRALIA AUSTRALIA