All lit circle discussions for A Thousand Splendid Suns should occur in
this thread. Please remember, Blog posts are due Thursday nights by
10pm. Posters in this group include: Marleigh, Janie, Jack and Sandeep.
Part one of our book was about one family and part two was about a family a few doors down in the same neighboorhood. Although they are so close in distance, part two only breifly mentions events in part one a few times. I believe that both parts were setting up background stories and information that leads to the families, or what is left of them, being connected later on. Wether from saving one another, or finding each other in later lives, I believe they end up being tied together in the book. And certain things said and done in both parts are foreshadowing things to come later on in the book. I am curious and excited to continue to read and find out how this is accomplished.
I agree with Janie. I think the way the book is set up is very interesting. Personally, I got really hooked on the characters in Part One, and was slightly disappointed to realize that Part Two concerned completely different characters. However, that disappointment vanished quickly as I became attached to the characters in Part Two as well. The way Hosseini made the two sets of characters subtly interact kept my interest. For example, one day when Laila and Tariq are walking down the street, they have a casual run in and brief conversation with Mariam and Rasheed, temporarily connecting the two parts. I am also excited to see how this plays out in the rest of the book. I think Hosseini organizes the book this way so that the reader gets background information from many different angles and sees how the conflicts of the times affect multiple types of people.
I personally like the way the author set up the novel. I enjoyed reading both parts because the different perspectives allowed insight into the lives of both characters. Part one allowed readers to see things from the eyes of Mariam, while part two allowed readers to see Laila's perspective. The author shows that even though Mariam and Laila have lived completely different lives, they ultimately end up in the same situation. He also shows that it is difficult for women in Afghanistan to become independent. I believe that the different parts of the novel serve as a form of foreshadowing that shows that Mariam and Laila's lives will eventually become one.
Finally the two parts become connected through this reading. The characters introduced to us in part one cross paths with the characters we meet in part two. At first the reason they crossed paths was for a helpful reason because Mariam and Rasheed saved Laila's life. Yet once Rasheed tells Mariam he wants a courthship with Laila, they are no longer on mutually nice terms with one another. As this part of the book progresses not only do Laila and Mariam become friends through their mutual dislike for Rasheed, but other characters from part one in Mariam's life are presented again and some people from Laila's life are introduced again also. I really enjoyed this part of the book becasue we are finally able to see how the two parts come together. But I have a feeling now that they are connected, more people from their past are going to come into play and I am excited to see how this is done. Influential people in both Mariam and Laila's life have not come back into play like I would have expected them to do and I have a feeling and a hope that this is what is done through the last part of the book.
In this week's reading, we learn much more about Laila and Mariam's relationship. Mariam starts off despising Laila and blaming her for everything that has happened. Soon Mariam learns that Laila is not a bad person and definitely not her enemy. They become friends and start to share each other's pain. Hosseini uses the relationship of Mariam and Laila to show readers how people can come together with shared pain. He allows readers to see how bad their life was and how they wanted an escape. Hosseini also reveals to readers the differences in the treatment of a girl and a boy in Afghanistan. Rasheed treats Zalmai much better than Aziza. He puts Zalmai on a pedestal and treats Aziza like dirt. Hosseini also shows that life is getting worse and worse for everyone in Afghanistan, especially for women.
I also love how the first two parts came together in this section of the reading. Both Mariam and Laila experienced a great deal of hardship before crossing paths in this awkward way, and I think this is why they butt heads so much at first. Each woman begins to take out the pain and suffering of her life on the other, which is shown when they scream at eachother over a misplaced kitchen utensil. They both have so much to scream about that it feels good to just yell. But as time progresses, they realize they can lean on eachother to overcome their suffering, and the two become friends in a way that would seem impossible for two women sharing one husband. With a husband like Rasheed, however, I'm sure they're glad to have each other as a support system. Rasheed treats them terribly, beating them for every little mistake, and nearly killing them for large mistakes like attempting to run away. No one cares if women are abused; it is actually accepted. This shows how poorly women are regarded in this society, and how much worse their lives are getting, like Sandeep said.
In this weeks reading there are alot of surprises. As the pain and suffering from their husband finally ends for Mariam and Laila because Mariam killed him, they finally have the oppurtunity to live happy with one another and the kids. But Mariam realizes the sad truth that someone has to take the blame for what has happened so she chooses to so that Laila can live happily with not only her kids but also the love of her life who we first saw in part 2 who has finally come back for her. This shows how close Mariam and Laila have grown together. At first they hated one another but now they are willing to sacrifice even their lives for one eachother. As Mariam is executed for what she did, she thinks of how she is proud of how she is leaving this life as a friend and a gaurdian. I find this so sweet because she is finally at peace with herself due to all the great things she has done in life for both Laila and her kids.We also again see Tariq who fought trhough everything and came back to Laila to finally make her his wife and they are able to live happily with one another and their kids. It is such a powerful book that shows so many incredible relationships that grew through many hardships. It also shows us that not giving up and always hanging on and fighting can end in amazing ways.
I would just like to say that I am in love with this book. It just kept getting better and better with every turn of the page. My favorite part of this book is how the author connected everything. His technique of writing is truly amazing. As for the characters, this reading section made me gain a lot of respect for Mariam. I admire her ability to finally stand up for her self and others. Also to protect the people she loves.I know that the author has showed us how Mariam has struggled to truly find herself but showing her standing up for herself reveals to readers that she is happy with herself. I also admire Laila much more.At first, I believed that Laila was just a young, naive girl who really only cared about finding her way back to her true love. But Laila going back to Mariam's childhood home shows readers that she cared about Mariam too. The author did a very nice job showing the love Mariam and Laila share. I also loved how the author brought Tariq back into Laila's life. I believe the separation between them made their love even stronger.They lived many years without each other but still weren't able to let go of their love for each other. Overall, in my opinion this novel is very well written. It also is a novel not just for girls. It has romance but it also has suspense and action. I would recommend this book to anyone and everyone.
I'm so sad this book is over! :( I have seriously enjoyed reading this book. One thing I found itneresting from this section is comparing Laila and Tariq's marriage to her marriage with Rasheed. Tariq never once beats Laila or even thinks about beating her. He treats Aziza and Zalmai equally and loves both of them dearly. Rasheed, on the other hand, beat Laila for every little thing she did, and he clearly showed preferential treatment to Zalmai, treating Aziza like garbage. It seems like the whole family can relax with Tariq in the picture. Laila knows that Tariq will always treat her and her children right, and she never has to wonder if he will be there for them. He acts with Laila's best interests in mind and truly cares for her, as a husband should. He even said that he would move wherever she wanted to move because he would follow her to the ends of the earth. This touched my heart and made me smile just thinking about how happy this must have made Laila. Finally, she found a husband who truly loves her and treats her well, unlike Rasheed. I loveee Laila and Tariq, and this book!
9 comments:
Part one of our book was about one family and part two was about a family a few doors down in the same neighboorhood. Although they are so close in distance, part two only breifly mentions events in part one a few times. I believe that both parts were setting up background stories and information that leads to the families, or what is left of them, being connected later on. Wether from saving one another, or finding each other in later lives, I believe they end up being tied together in the book. And certain things said and done in both parts are foreshadowing things to come later on in the book. I am curious and excited to continue to read and find out how this is accomplished.
I agree with Janie. I think the way the book is set up is very interesting. Personally, I got really hooked on the characters in Part One, and was slightly disappointed to realize that Part Two concerned completely different characters. However, that disappointment vanished quickly as I became attached to the characters in Part Two as well. The way Hosseini made the two sets of characters subtly interact kept my interest. For example, one day when Laila and Tariq are walking down the street, they have a casual run in and brief conversation with Mariam and Rasheed, temporarily connecting the two parts. I am also excited to see how this plays out in the rest of the book. I think Hosseini organizes the book this way so that the reader gets background information from many different angles and sees how the conflicts of the times affect multiple types of people.
I personally like the way the author set up the novel. I enjoyed reading both parts because the different perspectives allowed insight into the lives of both characters. Part one allowed readers to see things from the eyes of Mariam, while part two allowed readers to see Laila's perspective. The author shows that even though Mariam and Laila have lived completely different lives, they ultimately end up in the same situation. He also shows that it is difficult for women in Afghanistan to become independent. I believe that the different parts of the novel serve as a form of foreshadowing that shows that Mariam and Laila's lives will eventually become one.
Finally the two parts become connected through this reading. The characters introduced to us in part one cross paths with the characters we meet in part two. At first the reason they crossed paths was for a helpful reason because Mariam and Rasheed saved Laila's life. Yet once Rasheed tells Mariam he wants a courthship with Laila, they are no longer on mutually nice terms with one another. As this part of the book progresses not only do Laila and Mariam become friends through their mutual dislike for Rasheed, but other characters from part one in Mariam's life are presented again and some people from Laila's life are introduced again also. I really enjoyed this part of the book becasue we are finally able to see how the two parts come together. But I have a feeling now that they are connected, more people from their past are going to come into play and I am excited to see how this is done. Influential people in both Mariam and Laila's life have not come back into play like I would have expected them to do and I have a feeling and a hope that this is what is done through the last part of the book.
In this week's reading, we learn much more about Laila and Mariam's relationship. Mariam starts off despising Laila and blaming her for everything that has happened. Soon Mariam learns that Laila is not a bad person and definitely not her enemy. They become friends and start to share each other's pain. Hosseini uses the relationship of Mariam and Laila to show readers how people can come together with shared pain. He allows readers to see how bad their life was and how they wanted an escape. Hosseini also reveals to readers the differences in the treatment of a girl and a boy in Afghanistan. Rasheed treats Zalmai much better than Aziza. He puts Zalmai on a pedestal and treats Aziza like dirt. Hosseini also shows that life is getting worse and worse for everyone in Afghanistan, especially for women.
I also love how the first two parts came together in this section of the reading. Both Mariam and Laila experienced a great deal of hardship before crossing paths in this awkward way, and I think this is why they butt heads so much at first. Each woman begins to take out the pain and suffering of her life on the other, which is shown when they scream at eachother over a misplaced kitchen utensil. They both have so much to scream about that it feels good to just yell. But as time progresses, they realize they can lean on eachother to overcome their suffering, and the two become friends in a way that would seem impossible for two women sharing one husband. With a husband like Rasheed, however, I'm sure they're glad to have each other as a support system. Rasheed treats them terribly, beating them for every little mistake, and nearly killing them for large mistakes like attempting to run away. No one cares if women are abused; it is actually accepted. This shows how poorly women are regarded in this society, and how much worse their lives are getting, like Sandeep said.
In this weeks reading there are alot of surprises. As the pain and suffering from their husband finally ends for Mariam and Laila because Mariam killed him, they finally have the oppurtunity to live happy with one another and the kids. But Mariam realizes the sad truth that someone has to take the blame for what has happened so she chooses to so that Laila can live happily with not only her kids but also the love of her life who we first saw in part 2 who has finally come back for her. This shows how close Mariam and Laila have grown together. At first they hated one another but now they are willing to sacrifice even their lives for one eachother. As Mariam is executed for what she did, she thinks of how she is proud of how she is leaving this life as a friend and a gaurdian. I find this so sweet because she is finally at peace with herself due to all the great things she has done in life for both Laila and her kids.We also again see Tariq who fought trhough everything and came back to Laila to finally make her his wife and they are able to live happily with one another and their kids. It is such a powerful book that shows so many incredible relationships that grew through many hardships. It also shows us that not giving up and always hanging on and fighting can end in amazing ways.
I would just like to say that I am in love with this book. It just kept getting better and better with every turn of the page. My favorite part of this book is how the author connected everything. His technique of writing is truly amazing. As for the characters, this reading section made me gain a lot of respect for Mariam. I admire her ability to finally stand up for her self and others. Also to protect the people she loves.I know that the author has showed us how Mariam has struggled to truly find herself but showing her standing up for herself reveals to readers that she is happy with herself. I also admire Laila much more.At first, I believed that Laila was just a young, naive girl who really only cared about finding her way back to her true love. But Laila going back to Mariam's childhood home shows readers that she cared about Mariam too. The author did a very nice job showing the love Mariam and Laila share. I also loved how the author brought Tariq back into Laila's life. I believe the separation between them made their love even stronger.They lived many years without each other but still weren't able to let go of their love for each other. Overall, in my opinion this novel is very well written. It also is a novel not just for girls. It has romance but it also has suspense and action. I would recommend this book to anyone and everyone.
I'm so sad this book is over! :( I have seriously enjoyed reading this book. One thing I found itneresting from this section is comparing Laila and Tariq's marriage to her marriage with Rasheed. Tariq never once beats Laila or even thinks about beating her. He treats Aziza and Zalmai equally and loves both of them dearly. Rasheed, on the other hand, beat Laila for every little thing she did, and he clearly showed preferential treatment to Zalmai, treating Aziza like garbage. It seems like the whole family can relax with Tariq in the picture. Laila knows that Tariq will always treat her and her children right, and she never has to wonder if he will be there for them. He acts with Laila's best interests in mind and truly cares for her, as a husband should. He even said that he would move wherever she wanted to move because he would follow her to the ends of the earth. This touched my heart and made me smile just thinking about how happy this must have made Laila. Finally, she found a husband who truly loves her and treats her well, unlike Rasheed. I loveee Laila and Tariq, and this book!
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