What will you take with you?

[Rachel-K]

Hi all,

If we've all had a pause after finishing the novel, I'm wondering what sticks with you most after your reading? Is there a passage or a particular image?

For me, surprisingly, it is not the violence. I think it is scenes from the developing friendship, Aziza's stutter. And perhaps the sense of how some characters changed for me through the reading--Jalil ultimately seems weak and not charming, Miriam's mother's desperation and anxiety grow more apparent long after she's gone.

What will be the overall impression you carry with you from this novel? (And if you've already read Kite Runner, I'd love to hear how you "keep" that novel, too.)

[hudsonsmom]

I definitely felt the violence while I was reading it and long after. There was more though. Lost youth was something I really thought about. These poor girls were so young when they were married off. It made me so sad to think about women in Afghanistan and what little opportunity and choice they have.

[IBIS]

I've always loved reading. Some stories transform me by opening up windows into culturally different worlds. They introduce me to characters living inside these alien cultures which I would otherwise never know.

A THOUSAND SPLENDID SUNS is such a story. I enjoyed reading it, and basked in the warmth of the good writing. I met Mariam and Laila, shared the details of their childhoods, became citizens with them of war-torn Afghanistan, and suffered with them at the hands of their abusive husband; I shared the joys of their friendship; I cried at the self-sacrifice of Mariam, and I wished Laila and her children well in their hope-filled future.

I loved Mariam and Laila because they came to life for me. Like real-life friendships, I take with me the feelings this book aroused in me.

[scheeber]

A Thousand Splendid Suns was one of very few novels that have had a profound impact on my life. The relationships that were formed and the bonds between people, good and bad, make me appreciate the relationship I have with people a lot more. I realized how truly blessed I am to live in a time and place where I can make my own decisions, especially being a girl. I was shocked as a child when I learned that by the time I get into high school, some girls my age are already married. They are married to most of the time an older man, whom they have never met, and they do not have a choice.

    I am proud of people who stood up to say that women should never be treated as less of a person than men. Although, I do believe that culture and traditions are very important. If some people are happy with their ways of life, I think that we all need to be tolerant of their choices, because everyone has their own free will.