This is by the same author who wrote Circle of Friends. My mom has a few of her books, so I snagged a few while I was at home to last me through the rest of my vacation. I actually just started this one today (with only a few days left of vacay). I may have time to read it while sailing tomorrow. If not, I'll just take it back and read it poolside back in VA.
Holy cow, what a fast read! I think I read this in 24 hours, flat. The chapters are very short, but smartly so; it keeps you turning the pages. This was a great book for vacation: engaging and full of adventure/drama, but nothing too deep or intense. Easy to pick up and put down (cause goodness knows, we have a tendency to run to do this and that during vacation), but also keeps your attention for any long period of time you have to sit and really dig into it. I certainly recommend it. I may actually be leaving this one with my dad for him to read after I leave.
A few chapters into this one. Not quite hooked yet. We'll see ...
I'd heard of this book, and how great it was supposed to be, long before I picked it up. I'm glad to say it lived up to the hype. I wouldn't call it the best book I ever read, but it certainly ranks right up there as a masterpiece. Some folks recommended I read this one before A Thousand Splendid Suns, since he wrote this one first, but I ended up not being able to read them in order. No worries; it's not like one was a sequel. As I mentioned in my review of A Thousand Splendid Suns, the most interesting element to me was the difference in perspectives between the two books. I remember finding myself deeply and personally disappointed with the lead character in this book. He seemed spoiled, self-centered and spiteful. I even mentioned to my mom at one point that I felt compelled to keep reading because I was really waiting on a turning point for this character to redeem himself. He did, I'll say that much. And like Hosseini's other book that I read, it was an insightful glimpse at a culture I was terribly unfamiliar with, beyond the bizarre and distorted exposure we receive from the media. Like A Thousand Splendid Suns, it was moving and sad at some points, but uplifting at others. An excellent read.
Reading this now ... UPDATE: Finished this while on vacation (July 2008). This was a VERY, very good read. Quite heart-wrenching and eye-opening at times, but once I got into the meat of it (and actually had TIME to read it uninterrupted) I truly couldn't put it down. I read this before Hosseini's other, somewhat more heralded book, The Kite Runner. Interesting difference, this one is written from the perspective of two female characters. Kite Runner is written from a male character's perspective. In a country like Afghanistan, that makes a huge difference. So it was an enlightening look at the culture in that part of the world, as well as a wonderful story of human struggle, hope, loss and triumph.
Quite an interesting read. It's taking me a little while to work my way through it because you really have to pay attention to their ages and the dates, and I'm trying to read it closely so I catch everything. Its plot is very deeply inter-woven throughout. But the love story, so far, is fascinating and wonderful! UPDATE: I finished it! (See the link in the right sidebar to the full review I wrote.)
I'd seen several people reading this on the Metro, and I'd read several good reviews of it. It's supposed to be great for Metro-reading, actually, because it's a collection of essays -- easy to pick up and put down. But. For one thing, I HATE buying things just because everyone else has it -- in books, fashion, or otherwise. And for another, my Metro ride is very short. So even reading a brief essay would be a challenge. So ... I decided to buy it anyway and read it in the quiet (and stealth) comfort of my own home. (Shhh ... don't tell anyone.)
This is my current on-the-train and weekend reading. Pretty interesting so far. Upate: Finally finished it during my Thanksgiving travels. I truly enjoyed this book -- which is quite a shock considering I'm not typically drawn to historical works. I'll write a post about the book when I get a chance. But wanted to post an update that I have finally finished it and shipped it off to my dad. His turn!