Kendra's Comments: I knew next to nothing about the living conditions and social customs of the war torn country Afghanistan. This audiobook tells the story of two women growing up in Afghanistan and what kind of lives they lead in a country that barely tolerated the existence of women. The time period starts with the Soviet invasion era to the time of the Taliban and finally present day period of rebuilding and occupation. The story is engaging and I was completely entranced from the beginning. This novel made me angry at times, and ready to cry at other times. It is hard to imagine that this is a fictional story because the emotions that are evoked are so raw and heart wrenching. I listened to the audiobook version, and was ultimately glad I did because I was able to hear the correct pronunciations of the names of the characters and the small amount of foreign language sprinkled throughout. The language issues are not overbearing, however and should not keep you from reading this really wonderful novel. For more info, check out this interview with the author Khaled Hosseini. Status at GPL.
