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Two Amazing Novels to Consider

I’m going to take a bit of a break from politics today to tell you about another author that I have become extremely fond of.  Khaled Hosseini is an author and a physician who was born in Afghanistan and currently lives in San Jose California.  Mr. Hosseini has written two novels, The Kite Runner and A Thousand Splendid Suns, the latter of which I just finished reading.  Both novels have Afghanistan as the setting, and both novels begin pre Soviet invasion.  In addition to A Thousand Splendid Suns, I have also read The Kite Runner and seen the film that was adapted from it.

The Kite Runner is the story of a young boy named Amir who grows up in a privileged household in Kabul and befriends the son of his father’s servant.  The novel takes us through the interesting and often time sad life of Amir.  The Kite Runner is an amazing novel that spent quite a bit of time on the New York Times bestseller list, as did his second novel A Thousand Splendid Suns. In addition to The Kite Runner being a great story, it also teaches the reader a great deal about Afghanistan and the country's culture.  The novel shows us the horrors of Afghanistan under Taliban and Soviet rule, and gives the reader a better sense of what life was and is like in a country that has been ravaged by years of war.

A Thousand Splendid Suns is equally as good a novel as The Kite Runner. A Thousand Splendid Suns tells the story of two Afghan women, Mariam and Laila, and how their lives cross each other.  A Thousand Splendid Suns also takes us through the history of Afghanistan, and how different peoples’ lives were affected by the Soviet invasion and then rule under the Taliban.

I really don’t want to give anything away as far as the plot line of these novels go.  If you are considering reading either one of these novels and want to learn a little bit more of what they are about, you can clink the links that are imbedded in the titles found in the first paragraph of this post.  If anyone has seen the film version of The Kite Runner and liked it, you will absolutely love both of these novels.  The film doesn’t come close to doing the novel justice.

Both of these novels are excellent.  The stories are unique, and Mr. Hosseini’s ability to tell a captivating story is tough to match.  There is a reason why both of these novels have spent a significant amount of time of the New York Times bestseller list.  Both novels are also listed on Amazons best books of the year, 2003 for The Kite Runner, and 2007 for A Thousand Splendid Suns. I don’t often recommend authors or books, but both of these novels are absolutely amazing.  I haven’t met anyone yet who has read either one of these novels and didn’t thoroughly enjoy them.  I hope you will give Khaled Hosseini a try, he is an amazing author that has made a significant splash in the literary world after only publishing two great novels.

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