What do you think?
Rate this book
BAJO UN MILLON DE SOMBRAS
Bajo un millon de sombras es la historia de un nino de diez anos en el Kabul posterior al gobierno de los talibanes. Para Fawad y sus amigos, la liberacion de Afganistan no significa mas que algunos dolares faciles de conseguir mientras miles de extranjeros llegan a la ciudad con promesas de reconstruccion, de seguridad y de un futuro mejor. Cuando su madre consigue un trabajo de interna en la casa de Georgia, una inglesa colaboradora de una ONG, Fawad descubrira una nueva version de la cultura occidental. Viviendo con Georgia, James y May, Fawad se vera inmerso en un mundo desconocido y divertido, lleno de secretos, historias de amor y nuevas costumbres. Pero a medida que vaya perdiendo la inocencia, su genuino optimismo debera enfrentarse a los desafios de un pais sumido en el caos y en la lucha por encontrar la paz. / The Taliban have withdrawn from Kabuls streets, but the long shadows of their regime remain. In his short life, elevenyearold Fawad has known more grief than his father and brother have been killed, his sister has been abducted, and Fawad and his mother, Mariya, must rely on the charity of parsimonious relatives to eke out a handtomouth existence.
336 pages, Hardcover
First published March 1, 2009
151 people are currently reading
7229 people want to read
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 400 reviews
July 10, 2020
When I bought this book I was expecting something like The Kite Runner and a Thousand Splendid Suns, I was a little put off by the title of the novel. This book is nothing like the Kite Runner and I found it really entertaining, informative and a very intersting insight into Afghan Coulture and how they view western coulture. This story is told through the eyes of a young boy Fawad. The operning two sentances of the book had me totally hooked
" My name is Fawad and my mother tells me I was born under the shadow of the Taliban. Because she said no more I imagined her stepping out of the sunshine and into the dark; crouching in a corner to protect the stomach that was hiding me, whilst a man with a stick watched over us, ready to beat me into the world" and this is the wit that runs throughout the book and yet there are many serious issues in the book.
I loved the characters in this book and found them engaging,this is a quick read and the story flows along.
The only couple of flaws I found with the book was that at times I felt for a boy of 11 Fawad's character is a little unconvincing.
I did enjoy the novel and while it is not a Thousand Splendid Suns or the Kite Runner, it is a great read and I enjoyed it, it is a book I would recommend to friends.
" My name is Fawad and my mother tells me I was born under the shadow of the Taliban. Because she said no more I imagined her stepping out of the sunshine and into the dark; crouching in a corner to protect the stomach that was hiding me, whilst a man with a stick watched over us, ready to beat me into the world" and this is the wit that runs throughout the book and yet there are many serious issues in the book.
I loved the characters in this book and found them engaging,this is a quick read and the story flows along.
The only couple of flaws I found with the book was that at times I felt for a boy of 11 Fawad's character is a little unconvincing.
I did enjoy the novel and while it is not a Thousand Splendid Suns or the Kite Runner, it is a great read and I enjoyed it, it is a book I would recommend to friends.
May 4, 2013
Ova knjiga me je podsetila na "Lovca na zmajeve" i zato ju je Marso objavio... Nema Hoseinijevu jačinu ali je interesantna...
April 4, 2017
What happened here was that Andrea Busfield took a crap book (The Kite Runner) and wrote a cheap knock-off of it. It was such a blatant example 'if you liked that, read this' than I don't think anyone is even pretending that there was anything other trying to cash in on The Kite Runner's success.
Andrea Busfield is a British journalist who spent some time in Afghanistan, so her research at least goes beyond the Wikipedia but unfortunately she doesn't know how to use it and she makes her child narrator bizarrely culturally self-aware pronouncing various statements about Afghan culture and making poignant comparisons between the West and Afghanistan.
It is occasionally entertaining and the plot is coherent. But that's as generous as I'm going to be.
PS. Don't even get me started on the super tacky title.
Andrea Busfield is a British journalist who spent some time in Afghanistan, so her research at least goes beyond the Wikipedia but unfortunately she doesn't know how to use it and she makes her child narrator bizarrely culturally self-aware pronouncing various statements about Afghan culture and making poignant comparisons between the West and Afghanistan.
It is occasionally entertaining and the plot is coherent. But that's as generous as I'm going to be.
PS. Don't even get me started on the super tacky title.
February 7, 2010
You know the old adage about the “sum being greater than the whole of its parts?” Well, “Born Under a Million Shadows” is one of those books, for me, where the individual parts are much greater than the sum. This highly praised coming of age story has it all – rich multicultural details, a fascinating socio-political landscape, colorful characters, unexpected humor, and touching moments of beauty, tenderness, and domesticity. Why, then, did I find the book completely unaffecting? The entire time I read the novel, I kept asking myself, “Why don’t you like this book as much as you feel you ‘should’ like it?”
I think the biggest problem I had with the book was the narrative voice. I understand that Fawad, the eleven year old narrator, has seen some horrific things in his short life, things that undoubtedly gave him a worldly and rather adult perspective. The problem is that for most of the book, I simply didn’t believe that the story was being told by an eleven year old. Rather, it felt like a thirty-something year old recounting his formative years, a memory piece being written in the present tense. There are moments of incredible charm and believability in the narrative as written, but Fawad is simply too omniscient and philosophical to be a believable young narrator.
I know it may seem nitpicky to have this one small element dictate my entire response to a novel, but I strongly feel that when an author asks a reader to buy into a narrative conceit, they have a responsibility to that conceit. Busfield delivers in many, many ways, but I found her primary storytelling device disorienting and too great a pill to swallow.
I think the biggest problem I had with the book was the narrative voice. I understand that Fawad, the eleven year old narrator, has seen some horrific things in his short life, things that undoubtedly gave him a worldly and rather adult perspective. The problem is that for most of the book, I simply didn’t believe that the story was being told by an eleven year old. Rather, it felt like a thirty-something year old recounting his formative years, a memory piece being written in the present tense. There are moments of incredible charm and believability in the narrative as written, but Fawad is simply too omniscient and philosophical to be a believable young narrator.
I know it may seem nitpicky to have this one small element dictate my entire response to a novel, but I strongly feel that when an author asks a reader to buy into a narrative conceit, they have a responsibility to that conceit. Busfield delivers in many, many ways, but I found her primary storytelling device disorienting and too great a pill to swallow.
May 21, 2019
Afganistán se ha convertido en un lugar recurrente para mis lecturas, debe ser porque ese país y su pueblo me revelan belleza y dignidad. Siempre que aparece la palabra Afganistán en mi cabeza veo un cielo muy azul y siento la generosidad del sol, no podría ver y sentir estas cosas sino fuera por los libros. He leído varios libros de ficción y no ficción sobre Afganistán, y todos los he disfrutado, incluyendo este.
Bajo un Millón de Sombras es la primera novela de la periodista inglesa Andrea Busfield, quien estuvo en Afganistán cubriendo la caída de los talibanes. La historia, se desarrolla en Afganistán una vez han salido los talibanes de Kabul y lo han ocupado tropas extranjeras. La historia está narrada por Fawad, un niño de 8 años, que vive con solo con su madre, ya que su familia fue desmembrada por el régimen talibán. La historia adquiere la dinámica de encuentro entre las culturas del islam y la de occidente, a partir de las nuevas experiencias que tiene Fawad en la casa de extranjeros donde trabaja su mamá.
Es una novela que te despierta ternura, indignación, fraternidad y risa. Pasas buenos momentos y la lees muy rápido porque la escritura de la autora es tremendamente fluida y ágil, solo por la escritura de Andrea Busfield leería otro titulo suyo. No obstante, la historia no aporta nada nuevo sobre Afganistán, y si extrañas conocer más de los personajes, incluido Fawad, ya que de él conocemos lo que piensa de lo que ve en su entorno, pero no hay un proceso más personal e íntimo. Me parece difícil caracterizar a un niño en literatura, y creo que a Andrea Busfield se le iba perdiendo el personaje de Fawad, porque si bien ella lo plantea como un niño maduro hay planteamientos “muy adultos”, muy intelectuales, que cuando los lees, pierdes la noción (la conexión) de que es Fawad el que está hablando. Otra cosa que percibí, fue condescendencia hacia la cultura de Afganistán, cuando había encuentros entre occidente y el islam (situaciones o conversaciones que veía Fawad con los extranjeros). Es como que llegan los extranjeros con sus extravagancias, que en realidad son expresiones de libertad, y está el niño Fawad con su inocencia y su cultura, un poco folclórica…y Jajaja, nos reímos…eso percibí unas pocas veces, quizás ando sensible y estoy siendo muy dura, pero la verdad me parece antipático y hasta puede cansarme el complejo de prócer de la libertad que tiene occidente.
Con todo y todo, es un libro para disfrutar del tiempo, y es que la historia es bonita, te encariñas con los personajes y te sientes contento con un final feliz. Pero sí debo decir que es un libro que está lejos de aportar el conocimiento sobre Afganistán, y de inspirar la grandeza, la belleza, la emocionalidad de Mil Soles Esplendidos.
Me queda una duda, que me pone un poquito mal pensada (piensa mal y acertarás, eh escuchado por ahí). ¿Por qué en la portada aparece un niño que corre mirando atrás? O sea, no veo una cometa, pero por la postura del niño parece que está volando una. Y no lo entiendo, porque ni Fawad ni sus amigos tenían cometas, es más Fawad tenía una bicicleta.
Bajo un Millón de Sombras es la primera novela de la periodista inglesa Andrea Busfield, quien estuvo en Afganistán cubriendo la caída de los talibanes. La historia, se desarrolla en Afganistán una vez han salido los talibanes de Kabul y lo han ocupado tropas extranjeras. La historia está narrada por Fawad, un niño de 8 años, que vive con solo con su madre, ya que su familia fue desmembrada por el régimen talibán. La historia adquiere la dinámica de encuentro entre las culturas del islam y la de occidente, a partir de las nuevas experiencias que tiene Fawad en la casa de extranjeros donde trabaja su mamá.
Es una novela que te despierta ternura, indignación, fraternidad y risa. Pasas buenos momentos y la lees muy rápido porque la escritura de la autora es tremendamente fluida y ágil, solo por la escritura de Andrea Busfield leería otro titulo suyo. No obstante, la historia no aporta nada nuevo sobre Afganistán, y si extrañas conocer más de los personajes, incluido Fawad, ya que de él conocemos lo que piensa de lo que ve en su entorno, pero no hay un proceso más personal e íntimo. Me parece difícil caracterizar a un niño en literatura, y creo que a Andrea Busfield se le iba perdiendo el personaje de Fawad, porque si bien ella lo plantea como un niño maduro hay planteamientos “muy adultos”, muy intelectuales, que cuando los lees, pierdes la noción (la conexión) de que es Fawad el que está hablando. Otra cosa que percibí, fue condescendencia hacia la cultura de Afganistán, cuando había encuentros entre occidente y el islam (situaciones o conversaciones que veía Fawad con los extranjeros). Es como que llegan los extranjeros con sus extravagancias, que en realidad son expresiones de libertad, y está el niño Fawad con su inocencia y su cultura, un poco folclórica…y Jajaja, nos reímos…eso percibí unas pocas veces, quizás ando sensible y estoy siendo muy dura, pero la verdad me parece antipático y hasta puede cansarme el complejo de prócer de la libertad que tiene occidente.
Con todo y todo, es un libro para disfrutar del tiempo, y es que la historia es bonita, te encariñas con los personajes y te sientes contento con un final feliz. Pero sí debo decir que es un libro que está lejos de aportar el conocimiento sobre Afganistán, y de inspirar la grandeza, la belleza, la emocionalidad de Mil Soles Esplendidos.
Me queda una duda, que me pone un poquito mal pensada (piensa mal y acertarás, eh escuchado por ahí). ¿Por qué en la portada aparece un niño que corre mirando atrás? O sea, no veo una cometa, pero por la postura del niño parece que está volando una. Y no lo entiendo, porque ni Fawad ni sus amigos tenían cometas, es más Fawad tenía una bicicleta.
May 5, 2010
In Born under a Million Shadows, Andrea Busfield does several things well that make this novel work for me: First and foremost - she effectively conveys a fascination and beauty of a country which in my mind had so far been equated with images of war and burkas. Upon reading Fawad's story and those of his friends and family - I feel that I've been properly acquainted with Afghanistan now.
Busfield is a journalist who has traveled to Afghanistan and in her author's notes (in the back of the book), she writes that during her trips there, she encountered Afghan children who helped feed their families by begging from or catering to tourists and other Westerners. One little boy in particular, Fawad, was so charming and intelligent, that she decided to name her protagonist after him.
The Fawad of her book is funny, devious, very bright and certainly charmed me. Through his eyes we see what it means to be an Afghan, to possess indomitable spirit and humor in the face of much hardship.
The story as it unfolds is told from Fawad's perspective and this is where Busfield also succeeds. A strong and compelling "voice" can be hard to pull off; in this case Fawad's "voice" won me over completely.
"My name is Fawad and my mother tells me I was born under the shadow of the Taliban.
"Because she said no more, I imagined her stepping out of the sunshine and into the dark, crouching in a corner to protect the stomach that was hiding me, while a man with a stick watched over us, ready to beat me into the world."
"...All of us were born during the time of the Taliban, but I only heard my mother talk of them as men making shadows, so I guess if she'd ever learned to write she might have been a poet. Instead, and as Allah willed it, she swept the floors of the rich for a handful of afs that she hid in her clothes and guarded through the night.
"'There are thieves everywhere,' she would hiss, and angry whisper that tied the points of her eyebrows together.
"And of course she was right. I was one of them."
It is clear that Busfield writes from experience and a Westerner's love for Afghanistan - but she does not skim over the troubling issues, which are embodied by the difficult love affair between Georgie, the Englishwoman who shelters Fawad and his mother, and Haji Khan, an enigmatic and powerful Afghan man. Both Georgie and Haji Khan are making it their life's work to rebuild Afghanistan. They have a shared mission and they love each other passionately - but theirs is an impossible situation as they would have to overcome too many cultural and religious obstacles to be with one another.
In addition to being the emotional touchstone of the story, through Fawad, we also get a simplified (and probably biased) view of the politics and modern history of Afghanistan, how the Taliban rose to power, what happened under their rule, and what life is like there today. Amazingly, Busfield manages to intertwine these complicated issues with the narrative without overwhelming it.
Born under a Million Shadows immersed me in the culture of modern-day Afghanistan and the heart and soul of its people in a colorful and touching story.
Busfield is a journalist who has traveled to Afghanistan and in her author's notes (in the back of the book), she writes that during her trips there, she encountered Afghan children who helped feed their families by begging from or catering to tourists and other Westerners. One little boy in particular, Fawad, was so charming and intelligent, that she decided to name her protagonist after him.
The Fawad of her book is funny, devious, very bright and certainly charmed me. Through his eyes we see what it means to be an Afghan, to possess indomitable spirit and humor in the face of much hardship.
The story as it unfolds is told from Fawad's perspective and this is where Busfield also succeeds. A strong and compelling "voice" can be hard to pull off; in this case Fawad's "voice" won me over completely.
"My name is Fawad and my mother tells me I was born under the shadow of the Taliban.
"Because she said no more, I imagined her stepping out of the sunshine and into the dark, crouching in a corner to protect the stomach that was hiding me, while a man with a stick watched over us, ready to beat me into the world."
"...All of us were born during the time of the Taliban, but I only heard my mother talk of them as men making shadows, so I guess if she'd ever learned to write she might have been a poet. Instead, and as Allah willed it, she swept the floors of the rich for a handful of afs that she hid in her clothes and guarded through the night.
"'There are thieves everywhere,' she would hiss, and angry whisper that tied the points of her eyebrows together.
"And of course she was right. I was one of them."
It is clear that Busfield writes from experience and a Westerner's love for Afghanistan - but she does not skim over the troubling issues, which are embodied by the difficult love affair between Georgie, the Englishwoman who shelters Fawad and his mother, and Haji Khan, an enigmatic and powerful Afghan man. Both Georgie and Haji Khan are making it their life's work to rebuild Afghanistan. They have a shared mission and they love each other passionately - but theirs is an impossible situation as they would have to overcome too many cultural and religious obstacles to be with one another.
In addition to being the emotional touchstone of the story, through Fawad, we also get a simplified (and probably biased) view of the politics and modern history of Afghanistan, how the Taliban rose to power, what happened under their rule, and what life is like there today. Amazingly, Busfield manages to intertwine these complicated issues with the narrative without overwhelming it.
Born under a Million Shadows immersed me in the culture of modern-day Afghanistan and the heart and soul of its people in a colorful and touching story.
June 7, 2019
It’s a very interesting setting for a novel and I learned a lot about Afghanistan. However, I felt that the plot was aimless. It’s an easy book to read, but I never felt caught up in it. I’d describe it as okay, but not a standout for me.
September 27, 2010
This was kind of a coming-of-age story about a boy in Afghanistan. I thought it was going to be good but I just didn't care for it. I didn't like the narrative voice because I thought it was completely unbelievable -- there wasn't a good balance between childhood naivete and the 'grown-up' kind of insights in a coming-of-age story. I ended up just being bored by it. And the ending... way too much of a fairytale to sit well with me.
September 30, 2010
Third in my Afghani series. Getting past the title was hard (where was the editor on that one?) and the first chapter or two read like a first novel (which it is) by someone writing outside her culture. I had a hard time at first believing the narrator was male (i.e, separate from author), but once we got past those tiny bits of housekeeping, a real story began to evolve. I started enjoying the Afghan names (Haji Khan, for instance, which I sometimes read aloud just because it was fun) and Spandi, who is named for a kind of canned meat. The caricatured ex-patriates (James the journalist who sleeps all day, May the lesbian who falls for French Philippe) grew more believable as the book went along, sort of like in-laws you one day realize you actually like.
But it was the love affair between Georgia and Khalid Khan that really drew me in. It's fraught with difficulties--different cultures, different religious, poppy issues and then that ever-so-inconvenient war with America)and I don't want to spoil the ending, but when Khalid Khan tells an Englishman who's moping around Georgie to get lost, hecause he, Khan, IS Georgie and she is in him, down to his teeth....well, that line got me. I knew just what he meant.
But it was the love affair between Georgia and Khalid Khan that really drew me in. It's fraught with difficulties--different cultures, different religious, poppy issues and then that ever-so-inconvenient war with America)and I don't want to spoil the ending, but when Khalid Khan tells an Englishman who's moping around Georgie to get lost, hecause he, Khan, IS Georgie and she is in him, down to his teeth....well, that line got me. I knew just what he meant.
February 1, 2014
MAJOR SPOILERS
I really don’t know what else to say but this book was amazing! I’m Afghan and have read many books about Afghanistan, but this is the only one that has made me feel like I’m back there. I didn’t want the book to end because I loved it so much. I loved how the author made a little boy the narrator and I thought she did an excellent job writing as him. I read a lot of reviews that didn’t feel that way, but Afghanistan has a life expectancy of only 60, and kids grow up very quickly. I thought this book was a million times better than the Kite Runner, and A Thousand Splendid Suns.
I thought the plot of this novel was really good; it follows Fawad, a ten or eleven year old Afghan boy from Paghman who lives with his mom and aunt. When his mother finds a job as a maid in an expat house, he starts to observe how the foreigners act around him and he starts to feel a connection with one of the English expats, Georgie. As we find out later Georgie is in love with an Afghan man from Jalalabad. I thought the plot was quite original and I was so happy the author didn’t show Afghan men as crazy women hating animals because I am so sick of reading books about how much Afghans hate women. The Arthur also doesn’t demonize Islam and even has Georgie convert to Islam at the end. I thought the plot was awesome, and her descriptions of Afghanistan were amazing, she was spot on! The way she described Kabul as I said made me feel like I was back there. I will admit there were some corny parts, for example when Fawad’s missing sister comes back but for the most part everything was well written and there were no jarring clichés or plot holes that took me out of the story. I really don’t know what else to say other than I really liked this book and I want to read it again.
I really don’t know what else to say but this book was amazing! I’m Afghan and have read many books about Afghanistan, but this is the only one that has made me feel like I’m back there. I didn’t want the book to end because I loved it so much. I loved how the author made a little boy the narrator and I thought she did an excellent job writing as him. I read a lot of reviews that didn’t feel that way, but Afghanistan has a life expectancy of only 60, and kids grow up very quickly. I thought this book was a million times better than the Kite Runner, and A Thousand Splendid Suns.
I thought the plot of this novel was really good; it follows Fawad, a ten or eleven year old Afghan boy from Paghman who lives with his mom and aunt. When his mother finds a job as a maid in an expat house, he starts to observe how the foreigners act around him and he starts to feel a connection with one of the English expats, Georgie. As we find out later Georgie is in love with an Afghan man from Jalalabad. I thought the plot was quite original and I was so happy the author didn’t show Afghan men as crazy women hating animals because I am so sick of reading books about how much Afghans hate women. The Arthur also doesn’t demonize Islam and even has Georgie convert to Islam at the end. I thought the plot was awesome, and her descriptions of Afghanistan were amazing, she was spot on! The way she described Kabul as I said made me feel like I was back there. I will admit there were some corny parts, for example when Fawad’s missing sister comes back but for the most part everything was well written and there were no jarring clichés or plot holes that took me out of the story. I really don’t know what else to say other than I really liked this book and I want to read it again.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
May 1, 2022
Compared to the work of Khaled Hosseini, since the story takes place in Afghanistan, this book is different... a forbidden love between an Englishwoman and an Afghani warlord, seen through the eyes of her young Afghani housekeeper.
It is beautifully narrated, with exciting characters. I will not say it's the same work as Hosseini, as it's far from being on the same par as his books... but it's a decent attempt.
It is beautifully narrated, with exciting characters. I will not say it's the same work as Hosseini, as it's far from being on the same par as his books... but it's a decent attempt.
April 16, 2017
Unfortunately the comparison to The Kite Runner raised my expectations to a level the book didn't live up to. It was an enjoyable but rather tame read.
June 12, 2011
When I first saw the book in borders, I read that it was written by a British journalist, and that made me judge it. An outsider, that was my first thought.
I started the book with no expectations, and as I progressed through the book I didn't really find any character to be original or one that I found real, except perhaps Fawad's mother. She has been through a lot and yet she's survived and her main concern in life is her son, I found her most believable. As for her son, Fawad, I found him to be very predictable, a young kid who wanted to protect all the women in his life, by just saying that about him it's obvious that the author put him in a typical character.
If you are wondering, yes this review is going to be all criticizing the book because frankly I didn't like it.
How about the perfect Afghan man? Who's the most typical middle-eastern man, and guess who's in love with him? A British woman!
I can go on and on about how typical I found the book, yes I did learn things about day-to-day Afghanistan but other than that I can't say the book had a real solid message, even if it did, I didn't grasp it. Because the book dealt with a big topic but it wasn't handled the way it should have been.
I started the book with no expectations, and as I progressed through the book I didn't really find any character to be original or one that I found real, except perhaps Fawad's mother. She has been through a lot and yet she's survived and her main concern in life is her son, I found her most believable. As for her son, Fawad, I found him to be very predictable, a young kid who wanted to protect all the women in his life, by just saying that about him it's obvious that the author put him in a typical character.
If you are wondering, yes this review is going to be all criticizing the book because frankly I didn't like it.
How about the perfect Afghan man? Who's the most typical middle-eastern man, and guess who's in love with him? A British woman!
I can go on and on about how typical I found the book, yes I did learn things about day-to-day Afghanistan but other than that I can't say the book had a real solid message, even if it did, I didn't grasp it. Because the book dealt with a big topic but it wasn't handled the way it should have been.
January 4, 2010
By choosing to have this story told through the eyes of an 11 year old boy, Andrea Busfield is able to infuse the tale with a sense of discovery. However, this being Afghanistan where childhood is over too soon, there is a worldliness to his observations that may seem beyond someone of his youth. The story does flag in spots, but these lapses are soon overcome. Busfield's obvious respect for this country and her people is evident with every character. Highly recommend.
December 3, 2015
a must read book.
the author gives us many things to know, to be grateful, to laugh at, to cry on *hha
the characters descriptions were so real.
everything I need from a book is given by Andrea Busfield ❤
the author gives us many things to know, to be grateful, to laugh at, to cry on *hha
the characters descriptions were so real.
everything I need from a book is given by Andrea Busfield ❤
January 23, 2018
I know it's only January and I have yet to read other books but this is surely one of my favorite books of 2018 .
Reading from Fawad's perspective was really entertaining and I absolutely loved his naiveness . Despite the fact that he was incredibly young , I couldn't help but admire his sense of responsibility , and despite going through a lot of misfortune in his short lifetime , he seemed to handle everything very bravely .
Another thing I really enjoyed about Fawad is that in spite of the fact that he was a very devoted muslim and son , he wasn't very judgmental about others who had different beliefs and acted in ways he didn't approve of . He did silently judge them ( which is expected from a 10 year old ) but he refused to vocalize his thoughts in case he would hurt others . I just think that was very admirable .
I've never read a book by Andrea Busfield before but I loved her style of writing . I would feel very excited at the end of every chapter because she would always pull off a plot twist that would leave me speechless .
The ending , however , left me squealing like a hyena . It took me off guard and I couldn't stop re-reading the last paragraph over and over again .
If you enjoyed any of Khaled Hosseini's books , you'll surely love this book as well .
Reading from Fawad's perspective was really entertaining and I absolutely loved his naiveness . Despite the fact that he was incredibly young , I couldn't help but admire his sense of responsibility , and despite going through a lot of misfortune in his short lifetime , he seemed to handle everything very bravely .
Another thing I really enjoyed about Fawad is that in spite of the fact that he was a very devoted muslim and son , he wasn't very judgmental about others who had different beliefs and acted in ways he didn't approve of . He did silently judge them ( which is expected from a 10 year old ) but he refused to vocalize his thoughts in case he would hurt others . I just think that was very admirable .
I've never read a book by Andrea Busfield before but I loved her style of writing . I would feel very excited at the end of every chapter because she would always pull off a plot twist that would leave me speechless .
The ending , however , left me squealing like a hyena . It took me off guard and I couldn't stop re-reading the last paragraph over and over again .
If you enjoyed any of Khaled Hosseini's books , you'll surely love this book as well .
November 27, 2017
https://ahavenforbooklovers.wordpress...
The book is set in Afghanistan after the Taliban rule. Although a bit of normalcy has been restored in the country, life for Afghans is far from normal. The effects of the Taliban rule are still being experienced in the country. Most people have lost loved ones. Stories of death and missing people fill the air of Afghanistan.
In the midst of this, is our narrator, Fawad. He is ten- eleven years old in the story. I immediately fell in love with this character and his voice. I love how the author portrayed him. She made me experience the turmoil in Afghan through the young boy’s eyes and his experienced made me smile, feel sad and then smile again. Fawad is definitely a memorable character and narrator. There are other outstanding characters in this book. The author took the time to properly craft each one of them so well that I felt like they were people that I actually knew. I liked the group of foreigners who took in Fawad and his mother. Georgie, May and James were so different but they had such a wonderful friendship and I like how well they related with the MCs. As I already mentioned, the character development is done so well for all the MCs and even the supporting characters.
The writing is flawless. The author brings Afghanistan to life through vivid descriptions and imagery. Reading this book made me feel like I was actually there, seeing the sights, experiencing the culture and meeting the people. Needless, to say, this ended up being quite an emotional read full of highs and lows. It’s a book that I couldn’t put down. I found myself in a dilemma because I didn’t want my reading experience to end but at the same time, I couldn’t stay away from the book. In the end, I ended up reading it in just one seating.
The ending of this book was an experience in itself. It’s the kind that gets you all mixed up. I remember feeling sad then smiling, getting surprised. My emotions were all over the place. I had to reread the chapter. It was an amazing ending.
I loved this book and I hope that you will too. If you like books by Khaled Hosseini then you will definitely enjoy this one. However, if you haven’t read Khaled and are interested in discovering a moving story set in Afghanistan, you should definitely read this one. Fawad and his story will stay with me for a long time.
The book is set in Afghanistan after the Taliban rule. Although a bit of normalcy has been restored in the country, life for Afghans is far from normal. The effects of the Taliban rule are still being experienced in the country. Most people have lost loved ones. Stories of death and missing people fill the air of Afghanistan.
In the midst of this, is our narrator, Fawad. He is ten- eleven years old in the story. I immediately fell in love with this character and his voice. I love how the author portrayed him. She made me experience the turmoil in Afghan through the young boy’s eyes and his experienced made me smile, feel sad and then smile again. Fawad is definitely a memorable character and narrator. There are other outstanding characters in this book. The author took the time to properly craft each one of them so well that I felt like they were people that I actually knew. I liked the group of foreigners who took in Fawad and his mother. Georgie, May and James were so different but they had such a wonderful friendship and I like how well they related with the MCs. As I already mentioned, the character development is done so well for all the MCs and even the supporting characters.
The writing is flawless. The author brings Afghanistan to life through vivid descriptions and imagery. Reading this book made me feel like I was actually there, seeing the sights, experiencing the culture and meeting the people. Needless, to say, this ended up being quite an emotional read full of highs and lows. It’s a book that I couldn’t put down. I found myself in a dilemma because I didn’t want my reading experience to end but at the same time, I couldn’t stay away from the book. In the end, I ended up reading it in just one seating.
The ending of this book was an experience in itself. It’s the kind that gets you all mixed up. I remember feeling sad then smiling, getting surprised. My emotions were all over the place. I had to reread the chapter. It was an amazing ending.
I loved this book and I hope that you will too. If you like books by Khaled Hosseini then you will definitely enjoy this one. However, if you haven’t read Khaled and are interested in discovering a moving story set in Afghanistan, you should definitely read this one. Fawad and his story will stay with me for a long time.
April 9, 2017
Emmm bueno, en realidad es un 4.5 porque aunque era todo muy interesante y la narración era muy entretenida, algo hacía que me canse y lo deje por un par de días antes de continuarlo... Es como que no logró engancharme de esa forma que en general me engancho (soy súper obsesiva y no suelo poder parar hasta que termine) pero de todas formas me mantuvo interesada lo suficiente como para retomarlo cada vez sin sentir que me estaba obligando a hacerlo.
En fin, más allá de ese aspecto tan personal, tengo que decir que es una muy buena historia que trata temas muy fuertes como la guerra, las drogas, la pobreza, las diferencias culturales y la muerte pero como está contada desde el punto de vista de un nene de unos 10 años hace que todo sea mucho más digerible supongo (digamos que hace que no sea todo tan crudo). Claro que también habla del amor, la amistad y la tolerancia y Faward es una criatura muy inteligente, buena y curiosa por lo que atravesar toda la historia desde su mirada resulta muy tierno y hasta divertido en algunas circunstancias cuando se enfrenta lidiando con los temas de los adultos e intentando asimilarlos, en especial de los extranjeros con los que le toca convivir.
En fin, me gustó mucho a pesar que me tardé más de lo normal en terminarlo.
En fin, más allá de ese aspecto tan personal, tengo que decir que es una muy buena historia que trata temas muy fuertes como la guerra, las drogas, la pobreza, las diferencias culturales y la muerte pero como está contada desde el punto de vista de un nene de unos 10 años hace que todo sea mucho más digerible supongo (digamos que hace que no sea todo tan crudo). Claro que también habla del amor, la amistad y la tolerancia y Faward es una criatura muy inteligente, buena y curiosa por lo que atravesar toda la historia desde su mirada resulta muy tierno y hasta divertido en algunas circunstancias cuando se enfrenta lidiando con los temas de los adultos e intentando asimilarlos, en especial de los extranjeros con los que le toca convivir.
En fin, me gustó mucho a pesar que me tardé más de lo normal en terminarlo.
January 22, 2010
This book truly capivated me! It's charming, funny, informative, heart-warming and at times a little sad.
Amazon describes it like this:
"A moving tale of the triumph of the human spirit amidst heartbreaking tragedy, told through the eyes of a charming, impish, and wickedly observant Afghan boy."
It's all true. I love the way the author looked at everything through the eyes of an intelligent, observant, caring 11 year old boy. I smiled, I laughed out loud and I cried while reading this book. Afghanistan, instead of simply being a country with major problems far, far away, becomes a place where people are indefatigable in the face of daily tragedy and poverty. I admire their tenaciousness and courage a great deal.
I also learned a bit more about the Muslim religion, and the effect it has on women. Having been raised in an open society, I know I couldn't tolerate the 'rules' that women must follow. However, it was interesting.
This is a book I will keep and read again, as well as recommending it to my Book Club! Loved it!
I look forward to this first-time novelists next book!
Amazon describes it like this:
"A moving tale of the triumph of the human spirit amidst heartbreaking tragedy, told through the eyes of a charming, impish, and wickedly observant Afghan boy."
It's all true. I love the way the author looked at everything through the eyes of an intelligent, observant, caring 11 year old boy. I smiled, I laughed out loud and I cried while reading this book. Afghanistan, instead of simply being a country with major problems far, far away, becomes a place where people are indefatigable in the face of daily tragedy and poverty. I admire their tenaciousness and courage a great deal.
I also learned a bit more about the Muslim religion, and the effect it has on women. Having been raised in an open society, I know I couldn't tolerate the 'rules' that women must follow. However, it was interesting.
This is a book I will keep and read again, as well as recommending it to my Book Club! Loved it!
I look forward to this first-time novelists next book!
September 2, 2011
A beautifully written story about the life of a young boy growing up in Afghanistan after the fall of the Taliban. The title...a million shadows...describes perfectly how the Taliban has affected the life of the people there.
Andrea Busfield's writing is beautiful, amazingly descriptive. She makes you feel comfortable and a part of the country and the people there. She makes you smile as you follow Fawad and his understanding of the world around him. She creates a deep sadness within you as you read about the difficult lives and senseless deaths of those those that lived under the Taliban's regime. You will experience a full gamut of emotions and you are drawn to turn page-after-page until you reach the end of the book. And then, you will want to read it again-to be sure you haven't missed a word.
Andrea Busfield's writing is beautiful, amazingly descriptive. She makes you feel comfortable and a part of the country and the people there. She makes you smile as you follow Fawad and his understanding of the world around him. She creates a deep sadness within you as you read about the difficult lives and senseless deaths of those those that lived under the Taliban's regime. You will experience a full gamut of emotions and you are drawn to turn page-after-page until you reach the end of the book. And then, you will want to read it again-to be sure you haven't missed a word.
June 4, 2013
I loved this book! I dare you not to fall in love with the eleven-year-old boy, Fawad, who narrates the story. He is intelligent, mature and funny. It's not often that my kids are giving me strange looks because I'm laughing out loud as I read a book. This is not what I expected when I picked up a novel about war-torn Afghanistan. Telling a story through the innocent eyes of a child introduces the reader to a side of this country that we don't hear about in the news. Fawad's perception of the West is eye opening a well. I won't soon forget this book.
January 7, 2019
This story and its characters were beautiful! I loved finding out small intricacies about Afghani people and their culture. My only issue with this book was the narrator. It’s supposedly an 11 year old child but the observations and reflections are well beyond his years. It sounds like a much older person reflecting back upon their childhood. It’s a little hard to imagine that a child is thinking and perceiving all the things you’re reading. Other than that, it’s a breezy read and story flows well.
December 14, 2021
Me gustó muchísimo, me lo consumí rápido porque me enganchó mucho la historia. Te hace encariñarte mucho con los personajes y te teletransportas directamente a Afganistán.
Me pareció buenísimo y un poco sentimental.
Me pareció buenísimo y un poco sentimental.
March 6, 2021
I excepted a lot from this one. Sadly, none of my expectations were met. In my personal opinion, this book didn’t work - there were way too many side stories that weren’t addressed and half arsed explanations given. Too many info dump moments. This book had huge potential but was a huge let down. A strong edit should have been made. I also really hated every homophobic slur (of which there are many), this aspect of the book has not aged well and it was very distasteful, I.e ‘don’t be gay’ kind of crap. I also disliked the ableism, fat-beauty shaming too. Basically, the only thing I liked was watching the relationships of Fawad and his friends and learning the political background of Afghanistan - for which I will be doing more research on because it is devastating. Unfortunately, overall, this book isn’t it if you were expecting The Kite Runner vibes.
Read
September 9, 2023Kažkaip laukiau ir laukiau visą knygą, kad kažkoks konkretus siužetas vyniotųsi, kad kažkas iš kažko rutuliotųsi, o tai buvo tiesiog nutikimų ir įvykių kratinys. Na bent jau man susidarė toks įspūdis. Šiaip visumoje knyga labai patiko, aprašomi gražūs santykiai, įdomiai iš visų pusių pateikta ir religija bei papročiai, kurie mane vis labiau piktina. Ypač dėl vienos iš svarbesnių veikėjų, kuri atsisakė visko dėl meilės, nors kažin ar kada bus taip mylima, kaip tikisi... sunku būti nešališkai tokiais klausimais. Gaila moterų ir tiek. Jos apsimeta, kad turi pasirinkimą ir gyvena baimėje.
October 2, 2020
I'm doing a challenge over on Story Graph, and one of the things we had to do was read one of the oldest 5 books on our "to read" list. So this was one of them - I've been meaning to read this for so long. I love these books about Afghanistan that help us as Americans realize that it's not just a war zone but so much more. In this book we do see the violence, but also the beauty and the beautiful character of the people. So good.
September 10, 2018
The story was interesting enough but I found the book’s purpose unclear. Often it felt more like non fiction with the aim of explaining life in Afghanistan rather than a story about particular characters‘ lives. Farwad was more precocious than engaging. Although the story was told from his perspective his actions drove the plot which I found annoying. I’m feeling quite uncharitable about this book. If you’ve never read anything about Afghanistan then this might be a low key and accessible place to start but if you have any understanding already you might find that it doesn’t present anything new.
July 28, 2022
Heart touching story. An amazing discovery. It is probably one of the books that I will surely want to re-read in the future. It has gained an important place in my heart.
July 8, 2010
I thought this was a story about life in Afghanistan after the Taliban... and it is, sorta. The story is told from eleven year old Fawad's point of view. He is a delightful boy. His narrative is full of innocent, overly wise observations about life, women, and people in general. Basically the kid voices things we all think at some point in our life, but never say. I had quite a few laugh out moments, escpecially when Fawad thought about women, Christmas, lesbians, having the squirts.. funny stuff. However, the book wasn't so much about Afghanistan as a group of English and American people living in a house in Afghanistan. Too much was about their little world, too little about Afghanistan itself.
The household consists of a British woman that moons and moons and pines away for an Afghan drug lord, (all she does is walk around the house with her unringing cell phone crying or getting drunk), an American lesbian woman that cries and gets drunk, and a British man that does nothing but get drunk and pass out on the stairs. Key words: get drunk. Every European and British person in this book is a drunken lout. Seriously. I had to take away stars for that. I didn't like or care for these people and too much of the book focused on their drama, especially about the druglord romance. Ugh.
Fawad and his mother and his friends and the blind man he works for tho: Great stuff. Good ending too. If it wasn't for all the drunken louts, This woulda been a four.
The household consists of a British woman that moons and moons and pines away for an Afghan drug lord, (all she does is walk around the house with her unringing cell phone crying or getting drunk), an American lesbian woman that cries and gets drunk, and a British man that does nothing but get drunk and pass out on the stairs. Key words: get drunk. Every European and British person in this book is a drunken lout. Seriously. I had to take away stars for that. I didn't like or care for these people and too much of the book focused on their drama, especially about the druglord romance. Ugh.
Fawad and his mother and his friends and the blind man he works for tho: Great stuff. Good ending too. If it wasn't for all the drunken louts, This woulda been a four.
October 31, 2010
Wonderfully balanced book.
I listened to the unabridged audio version of this book during a recent long journey and the miles flew by. The author has hit just that perfect balance between putting across a serious message and making a book entertaining. For a book set in Afghanistan it has some wonderfully humorous momnents too.
Fawad is an 11yr old boy, living with his mother in an aunt's house. His father and two brothers are dead and no-one knows what has become of his sister since she was abducted by the Taliban. They have barely enough money to feed and clothe themselves, with nothing remaining to pay rent. Fawad runs with the local children, begging and stealing money from unsuspecting foreigners.
Their luck changes dramatically when his mother gets work as housemaid to a group of foreigners who share a house. She does all their cleaning and cooking and Fawad is allowed to live there with them. Georgie, James and May are wonderful characters and the interactions are great fun.
Fawad gets work in a local grocery store run by a blind man who is a constant source of insights into life and interactions between people; he has an opinion on everything.
As time passes over a period of about 18 months, there are both happy and sad moments but the book is ultimately uplifting.
The audiobook was beautifully read by Mark Meadows, bringing all the characters to life and I would thoroughly recommend either the written or audio versions.
I listened to the unabridged audio version of this book during a recent long journey and the miles flew by. The author has hit just that perfect balance between putting across a serious message and making a book entertaining. For a book set in Afghanistan it has some wonderfully humorous momnents too.
Fawad is an 11yr old boy, living with his mother in an aunt's house. His father and two brothers are dead and no-one knows what has become of his sister since she was abducted by the Taliban. They have barely enough money to feed and clothe themselves, with nothing remaining to pay rent. Fawad runs with the local children, begging and stealing money from unsuspecting foreigners.
Their luck changes dramatically when his mother gets work as housemaid to a group of foreigners who share a house. She does all their cleaning and cooking and Fawad is allowed to live there with them. Georgie, James and May are wonderful characters and the interactions are great fun.
Fawad gets work in a local grocery store run by a blind man who is a constant source of insights into life and interactions between people; he has an opinion on everything.
As time passes over a period of about 18 months, there are both happy and sad moments but the book is ultimately uplifting.
The audiobook was beautifully read by Mark Meadows, bringing all the characters to life and I would thoroughly recommend either the written or audio versions.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 400 reviews