Two Times As Splendid

I was absolutely in love with Khaled Hosseini’s first novel The Kite Runner that I became a walking advert for it, preaching to all my friends even lending my copy out to ensure it got read! So when I heard that he was releasing his sophomore novel A Thousand Splendid Suns I preordered my copy (in paperback of course…for the long tube rides) right away and couldn’t wait to get my head around it. I was nervous – at first, as I remembered the emotional adventure that I endured while reading The Kit Runner, could I go through that again? Would my high expectations of the new novel let me down?

When my copy arrived I was giddy as a kid with a ship-it (80’s child!) and couldn’t wait to meet the new characters. From the first sentence I was hooked…"Please, not now I’m trying to read" escaped from my lips more than I'd like to admit – sorry! After reading it cover-to-cover I was sad to let it go....it was another incredible story. The characters are endearing, brought together by unfortunate circumstances; the backdrop is set, once again, in war-torn Afghanistan – first by the Soviets, and then by a civil war. I don’t want to give too much away, as I think it’s better to find out for yourself what happens…but this is one bestseller that should not be missed. My expectations were met; I went on another emotional ride (which almost left me in tears on the tube) and fell in love with two amazing characters.

Some More Splendid Information:

• The Kite Runner has been made into a movie. At the moment it’s in post-production with Marc Forster (Stranger Than Fiction & Finding Neverland) as the director. Set to release in January 2008….can’t wait!

• Khaled Hosseini was named a goodwill envoy to UNHCR (United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees) which is the UN Refugee Agency in 2006.