Thousand Splendid Suns, A (Winner Of British Book Awards

Description: Mariam is only fifteen when she is sent to Kabul to marry Rasheed. Nearly two decades later, a friendship grows between Mariam and a local teenager, Laila, as strong as the ties between mother and daughter. When the Taliban take over, life becomes a desperate struggle against starvation, brutality and fear. Yet love can move a person to act in unexpected ways, and lead them to overcome the most daunting obstacles with a startling heroism.

Review: 'In case you're wondering whether A Thousand Splendid Suns is as good as The Kite Runner, here's the answer: No. It's better' Washington Post 'Only the hardest of hearts could fail to be as moved' Glamour 'A masterful narrative ... He is a storyteller of dizzying power' Evening Standard 'Hosseini has that rare thing, a Dickensian knack for storytelling' Daily Telegraph

Prizes: Winner of British Book Awards: Richard & Judy Best Read of the Year Award 2008. Shortlisted for British Book Awards: Reader's Digest Author of the Year Award 2008 and British Book Awards: Sainsbury's Popular Fiction Award 2008 and Independent Booksellers' Book of the Year Award: Adults 2009.

Author Biography: Khaled Hosseini was born in Kabul, Afghanistan and moved to the United States in 1980. His first novel, The Kite Runner, was an international bestseller, published in thirty-four countries. In 2006 he was named a US goodwill envoy to the United Nations Refugee Agency. He lives in northern California.