- Paperback: 208 pages
- Publisher: William Heinemann Ltd (6 May 2004)
- Language English
- ISBN-10: 043401141X
- ISBN-13: 978-0434011414
- Product Dimensions: 19.8 x 13.6 x 2.2 cm
- Average Customer Review: 3.5 out of 5 stars See all reviews (20 customer reviews)
- Amazon Bestsellers Rank: 999,267 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
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Review
"A surprisingly tender book. . . . Amid the terror a classic story about love sneaks through: love lost, love imagined, love morphed into madness." --"The New York Times Book Review"
"A novel very much in the tradition of Albert Camus, not only in its humanism and concern with the consequences of individual choices but also in its determination to bear witness to the absurdities of daily life. . . . [A] chilling portrait of fundamentalism run amok and its fallout on ordinary people." -- "The New York Times"
"Beautifully written. . . . It puts a human face on the suffering inflicted by the Taliban. . . . Disturbing and mesmerizing, The Swallows of Kabul""will stay with you long after you've finished it." "-- San Francisco Chronicle "
"Riveting. . . . Spare, taut, and pristinely clear prose . . . . An uncanny knack for making moral tension palpable. . . . Extraordinarily moving." "-- The Philadelphia Inquirer"
"Stunning. . . . [Khadra] conveys the physical dep --This text refers to an alternate Paperback edition.
"A novel very much in the tradition of Albert Camus, not only in its humanism and concern with the consequences of individual choices but also in its determination to bear witness to the absurdities of daily life. . . . [A] chilling portrait of fundamentalism run amok and its fallout on ordinary people." -- "The New York Times"
"Beautifully written. . . . It puts a human face on the suffering inflicted by the Taliban. . . . Disturbing and mesmerizing, The Swallows of Kabul""will stay with you long after you've finished it." "-- San Francisco Chronicle "
"Riveting. . . . Spare, taut, and pristinely clear prose . . . . An uncanny knack for making moral tension palpable. . . . Extraordinarily moving." "-- The Philadelphia Inquirer"
"Stunning. . . . [Khadra] conveys the physical dep --This text refers to an alternate Paperback edition.
Book Description
A major bestseller in the tradition of THE KITE RUNNER and THE BOOKSELLER OF KABUL
--This text refers to an alternate
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First Sentence
ATIQ SHAUKAT flails about him with his whip, trying to force a passage through the ragged crowd swirling around the stalls in the market like a swarm of dead leaves. Read the first page Browse Sample Pages
Front Cover | Copyright | Excerpt | Back Cover
ATIQ SHAUKAT flails about him with his whip, trying to force a passage through the ragged crowd swirling around the stalls in the market like a swarm of dead leaves. Read the first page Browse Sample Pages
Front Cover | Copyright | Excerpt | Back Cover
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Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
42 of 42 people found the following review helpful
Format:Hardcover
This is simply a superb book which comes very highly recommended. It is a fictional story set in modern day Afghanistan, under the fierce rule of the Taliban. The author succeeds in conveying to his readers the true feelings and oppression of day to day life under such a regime. A world in which women have no rights at all, where simply laughing in the street could earn you a lashing and listening to music is banned and where public executions by stone-throwing, a practice not seen in England for centuries, was rife until very recently. Though disturbing at times the book is a very real journey into a culture and civilisation many of us have heard much about via the press but few can imagine the thoughts of its people - until now. A Must read.
16 of 16 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
Set in Kabul under the rule of the Taliban regime, this impressive novel takes us into the lives of two couples: Mohsen Ramat, who comes from a family of wealthy shopkeepers whom the Taliban has destroyed; Zunaira, his beautiful wife, who was once a brilliant teacher and is now no longer allowed to leave her home without an escort or covering her face with a burqa. Intersecting their world is Atiq Shaukat, a prison keeper, a man who has sincerely adopted the Taliban ideology and struggles to keep his faith, and his wife, Musarrat, who once rescued Atiq and is now dying of sickness and despair.
Desperate and exhausted Mohsen wanders through Kabul when he is surrounded by a crowd about to stone an adulterous woman. Numbed by the hysterical atmosphere of the crowd and drawn into their rage, he too throws stones at the face of the condemned woman buried up to her waist. With this gesture the lives of all four characters move toward their destinies.
The novel shows in a realistic way how women survive in a world where they can be beaten up for laughing with their husband. It shows a country where people have been deprived of almost everything. Where the Taliban rule, love between a man and a woman, joy, music, freedom have been banned, replaced by violence and hatred, all in the name of God. A stunning read of high literary quality.
Desperate and exhausted Mohsen wanders through Kabul when he is surrounded by a crowd about to stone an adulterous woman. Numbed by the hysterical atmosphere of the crowd and drawn into their rage, he too throws stones at the face of the condemned woman buried up to her waist. With this gesture the lives of all four characters move toward their destinies.
The novel shows in a realistic way how women survive in a world where they can be beaten up for laughing with their husband. It shows a country where people have been deprived of almost everything. Where the Taliban rule, love between a man and a woman, joy, music, freedom have been banned, replaced by violence and hatred, all in the name of God. A stunning read of high literary quality.
11 of 11 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
I bought this book because I enjoy reading about lifestyles different from my own.
When I started this book I had doubts that I would enjoy it but before I knew it, I had finished - because I became absorbed into it.
It was fascinating to read about what life may be like under the taliban.
The story is very interesting, but possibly disturbing.
Definitely a book to keep for re-reading again.
When I started this book I had doubts that I would enjoy it but before I knew it, I had finished - because I became absorbed into it.
It was fascinating to read about what life may be like under the taliban.
The story is very interesting, but possibly disturbing.
Definitely a book to keep for re-reading again.
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
The most depressing book i have ever read
This book is the most depressing book i have ever read. I continued with it until then end as i was convinced there must be a happy ending but i was wrong. Read more
Published 4 months ago by Ann-Marie Wotherspoon
Swallows of kabul
I found reading this book to be quite a chore. At times I have skipped pages just trying to find a thread of a story. Read more
Published 5 months ago by Phoebe
An Islamic Morality Tale
The swallows are the veiled women of Kabul, who flit through the ruined alleys like fugitives in a perpetual "half-life" of oppression. Read more
Published 9 months ago by Antenna
The twinkle in the eye of the opressed Afghan women
Breathtaking short story. Gives us a inner view of local Afghan lifestyle during Taliban government.
A brilliant romance with a sour ending!
A brilliant romance with a sour ending!
Published 9 months ago by Pedro Gaia
Disturbing
This has to be one of the most depressing books I've read. Not a book to be read for enjoyment. Unlike many other books which deal with difficult subjects, there's just no... Read more
Published 10 months ago by Shouna Falconer
Excellent
This book was a bit difficult for me(non english) to understand as some difficult words are used but that didnt stop me read and enjoying this book. Read more
Published 11 months ago by Naveed
Harrowing though lacking in detail
I enjoyed this book and although I was gripped by some parts of the book I found myself drifting off too. Read more
Published 15 months ago by Manda Moo
"After all, she is only a woman."...
... That is the final assessment of one of the "Taliban" characters in the book, as he is urging his friend to "dump" his wife of 20 years because she is terminally ill. Read more
Published 16 months ago by John P. Jones III
I want to kill myself!
If you want to be depressed - read this book. It is very well written, but is so depressing. It's testament to the author's skill to make you feel as miserable as the characters... Read more
Published 23 months ago by Louisa
A Grim Reminder
This book is a grim reminder of what life was like under the Taliban rule - oppressive and terrifying. It is not a comfortable read. In fact it is tense, disturbing but absorbing. Read more
Published on 6 Jan 2010 by Gareth Hayes
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