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  • A Thousand Splendid Suns

  • Written by: Khaled Hosseini
  • Narrated by: Atossa Leoni
  • Length: 6 hrs and 28 mins
  • 4.3 out of 5 stars (18 ratings)

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A Thousand Splendid Suns

Written by: Khaled Hosseini
Narrated by: Atossa Leoni
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Publisher's Summary

Propelled by the same superb instinct for storytelling that made The Kite Runner a beloved classic, A Thousand Splendid Suns is at once an incredible chronicle of 30 years of Afghanistan history and a deeply moving story of family, friendship, faith, and the salvation to be found in love.

Born a generation apart and with very different ideas about love and family, Mariam and Laila are two women brought jarringly together by war, by loss, and by fate. As they endure the ever-escalating dangers around them, in their home as well as in the streets of Kabul, they come to form a bond that makes them both sisters and mother-daughter to each other, and that will ultimately alter the course not just of their own lives but of the next generation. With heart-wrenching power and suspense, Hosseini shows how a woman's love for her family can move her to shocking and heroic acts of self-sacrifice, and that in the end it is love, or even the memory of love, that is often the key to survival.

A stunning accomplishment, A Thousand Splendid Suns is a haunting, heartbreaking, compelling story of an unforgiving time, an unlikely friendship, and an indestructible love.

©2007 TKR Publications, LLC. All rights reserved (P)2007 Simon and Schuster Inc. All rights reserved.

What the critics say

"Another searing epic....[Hosseini's] tale is a powerful, harrowing depiction of Afghanistan, but also a lyrical evocation of the lives and enduring hopes of its resilient characters." (Publishers Weekly)
"Unimaginably tragic, Hosseini's magnificent second novel is a sad and beautiful testament to both Afghani suffering and strength. Readers who lost themselves in The Kite Runner will not want to miss this unforgettable follow up." (Booklist)

What listeners say about A Thousand Splendid Suns

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

Had to listen to this right after Kite Runner

And it did not disappoint. My wife is from Afghanistan, and the stories she tells me are reflected in the book. Heartbreaking story. Makes you feel lucky to live in the West.

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  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
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  • Jeanie
  • 2007-10-31

Truly a literary work

True literature gently opens the mind like a spell. Words flow into the reader's soul like water and paint pictures of the places and the people that populate the story. Such is Hosseini's work as he takes us into the lives of a beautifully human people as they struggle to live and grow in a hostile, dangerous and hate filled place. Read it, share it and grow yourself.

12 people found this helpful

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  • Alanna R.
  • 2018-09-07

This is not the complete version of the text

As my students and I were listening to this text, we realized that this version leaves out significant pieces of information or skips chunks of the text we were reading. So, this version does not work for us. I had to use one of my other credits to hopefully get the unabridged version.

5 people found this helpful

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  • Kindle Customer
  • 2016-05-14

Don't read if you are sensitive to cruelty.

The writing and performance are done well, but the story is just too hard to stomach. It was a book club selection. That is the only reason I even tried it, as I hated The Kite Runner, by same author.

2 people found this helpful

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  • Karen
  • 2019-01-05

The audiobook doesn’t match the book

When following along with the book, the audio randomly skips paragraphs, and does not follow the book. Save yourself the trouble, and skip the audio.

1 person found this helpful

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  • Robin Johnson
  • 2013-02-15

Loved it!!

What made the experience of listening to A Thousand Splendid Suns the most enjoyable?

Wow! What a wonderful way to walk in the shoes of Afghan women during one of the countrys most tumultuous times. I learned so much from these AMAZING and strong women. Highly recommend.

1 person found this helpful

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  • Shelbi Kartes
  • 2022-12-16

Skipped a lot

I am disappointed with how it was read. It skipped a lot of the paragraphs in the chapters and I kept getting lost when reading it with the physical book.

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  • kenny
  • 2022-09-07

A heart wrenching yet beautiful story!

I loved it. It was one of those stories where I just HAD to finish it. The story is beautifully narrated and shares the lives of a war torn country and its history. of pain. love lost, but found again. I caught myself almost crying at the end and now I am grieving the end of this book. I'm not sure how I came to find this story, but I am so glad I got to experience it. Highly recommend!

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  • Ody I.
  • 2021-11-17

So many pages were skipped :(

Audible narrator did not do a good job reading the entire book. A LOT of pages were skipped, missing the juice of the story. E.g page 79, 80 thru 85, 86-88 and a whole lot more..I had the opportunity of listening on audible and reading along with my hard copy. it was very pitiful to find so many skipped pages.. I couldn't even listen on audible while driving or riding the train afraid that I will miss a lot of stories In between sadly :(

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  • D
  • 2021-07-05

One of My Favorite

This story is heart-wrenching but also strangely up-lifting. That people living in such cruel circumstances can find strength, love, joy and forgiveness within themselves is a lesson to all of us. I know this story is fictional but I find myself worrying about the future for the characters, given current developments in Afghanistan. Beautifully written and engagingly narrated. One of my all-time favorite Audible books.

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  • Lucy M.
  • 2021-06-22

Great story! recording too edited

loved the story, but was dismayed by how much had been edited out. I was simultaneously reading the book, so it was very noticeable. Wish I'd noticed that the audio version was an edited version.