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Kabul: A Novel
Modern events sometime demand the reissue of a book published several years ago. Hirsh's internationally acclaimed 1986 novel, Kabul , provides an almost miraculous window into a country and its people that now have captured the world's attention.
When the last Afghan king is deposed in the summer of 1973, the family of Omar Anwari, his loyal cabinet minister, is torn apart along with their country. Over seven turbulent years while Catherine, their American mother, struggles to hold them together, Mangal, the eldest son, breaks with his father to follow his own political conscience; daughter Saira in New York is torn between two cultures; and Tor, the youngest, most passionate of the three grows up to become perhaps the bravest of them all.
An epic tale of civil war, political intrigue, and family tragedy, Kabul is a moving, insightful portrayal of a proud nation brought to chaos.
When the last Afghan king is deposed in the summer of 1973, the family of Omar Anwari, his loyal cabinet minister, is torn apart along with their country. Over seven turbulent years while Catherine, their American mother, struggles to hold them together, Mangal, the eldest son, breaks with his father to follow his own political conscience; daughter Saira in New York is torn between two cultures; and Tor, the youngest, most passionate of the three grows up to become perhaps the bravest of them all.
An epic tale of civil war, political intrigue, and family tragedy, Kabul is a moving, insightful portrayal of a proud nation brought to chaos.
466 pages, Kindle Edition
Published October 8, 2013
7 people are currently reading
248 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 23 of 23 reviews
April 14, 2023
An interesting recent historical fiction. To me, it reads either as a cautionary tale of inaction from moderates, or as a cautionary tale against reactionary politics.
As for readability, the plot is compelling as a thriller, with some suspenseful moments and a few surprising twists. All of the principal characters are pretty unlikable - it's hard to be sympathetic to any of them, except maybe the mother, as well as supporting character Liz. This is probably intentional. The three Anwari children are impulsive and irrational, inheriting their father's arrogance and responding to his perceived inaction with their own outlandish behavior. All start torn between worlds - middle-eastern vs. western, moderate vs. extreme politics, polite society vs. a more wild and free life - and all are thrust into further unfamiliar and challenging terrain. Every unhappy family is unhappy in its own way...
Also, in the post-9/11 world, it's a bit jarring to have the mujaheddin portrayed in a (mostly) positive light. Here they are rough-and-ready freedom fighters who want to protect their way of life.
As for readability, the plot is compelling as a thriller, with some suspenseful moments and a few surprising twists. All of the principal characters are pretty unlikable - it's hard to be sympathetic to any of them, except maybe the mother, as well as supporting character Liz. This is probably intentional. The three Anwari children are impulsive and irrational, inheriting their father's arrogance and responding to his perceived inaction with their own outlandish behavior. All start torn between worlds - middle-eastern vs. western, moderate vs. extreme politics, polite society vs. a more wild and free life - and all are thrust into further unfamiliar and challenging terrain. Every unhappy family is unhappy in its own way...
Also, in the post-9/11 world, it's a bit jarring to have the mujaheddin portrayed in a (mostly) positive light. Here they are rough-and-ready freedom fighters who want to protect their way of life.
October 2, 2015
The lives of Mangal, Tor and Saira Anwari are followed during a time of political unrest in Afghanistan. The siblings’ lives are irrevocably changed during a government coup. The writing style of Hirsch is engaging, and the reader is pulled into the story. Once the story of Mangal gets you hooked, the point of view switches up and you become entrenched in the storylines of Tor and Saira as well. The interconnectedness of their lives and their life decisions are extremely well written and engaging. A highly recommended read.
January 1, 2016
Es una excelente novela en donde se puede hallar una mixtura de contrastes políticos entre Medio Oriente y Occidente, aunado a su vez a uno cultural en el que vemos a una familia agrietarse por el mundo y así verse adentrados en una mezcolanza de añoranza por su patria y su familia y la nueva vida en su nuevo mundo. Recomendada al cien por ciento.
October 15, 2025
Read in Bahrain and Saudi Arabia (Feb-Mar 2025)
April 8, 2012
This terrific novel about Afghanistan in the 1970s makes "The Kite Runner" seem plodding and shallow. It is a family saga with its own "spoiled prince" character, full of political intrigue in the years leading up to the Soviet invasion, and its closing chapters involve not one but two daring rescue missions. The scope of this 440+ page novel is as far ranging and ambitious as Boris Pasternak's "Dr. Zhivago."
The fortunes and fate of the well-to-do Anwari family are linked to the rise and fall of governments in Kabul, and the country itself is portrayed in the grip of revolutionary conflict and in an international context involving its neighbors, the US, and the USSR. Meanwhile, there are weddings, love affairs, sibling rivalries, conflicts between parents and children, babies born, illness and death, mixed loyalties, hopes, fears, disappointments, the entire gamut of the human drama.
This intricately plotted novel weaves together a host of story threads and shifting points of view among characters that deepen their emotional and psychological reality. Dialogues between them are elegant and sharp witted as they jockey for advantage with each other while reaching at the same time for any feelings that would lessen their vulnerability. Don't let the burqas on the cover mislead you. The women in this novel are strong and independent, and their struggle to remain so represents the birth pangs of an ancient civilization on the verge of the modern age.
Hirsch has written one heck of a novel, and it deserves an audience that yearns to know more about the country and the culture that for decades has continued to withstand the destructive forces of civil strife and international conflict.
The fortunes and fate of the well-to-do Anwari family are linked to the rise and fall of governments in Kabul, and the country itself is portrayed in the grip of revolutionary conflict and in an international context involving its neighbors, the US, and the USSR. Meanwhile, there are weddings, love affairs, sibling rivalries, conflicts between parents and children, babies born, illness and death, mixed loyalties, hopes, fears, disappointments, the entire gamut of the human drama.
This intricately plotted novel weaves together a host of story threads and shifting points of view among characters that deepen their emotional and psychological reality. Dialogues between them are elegant and sharp witted as they jockey for advantage with each other while reaching at the same time for any feelings that would lessen their vulnerability. Don't let the burqas on the cover mislead you. The women in this novel are strong and independent, and their struggle to remain so represents the birth pangs of an ancient civilization on the verge of the modern age.
Hirsch has written one heck of a novel, and it deserves an audience that yearns to know more about the country and the culture that for decades has continued to withstand the destructive forces of civil strife and international conflict.
December 5, 2010
Written in 1986, the 2nd edition was published in 2002 when Afghanistan was in our news daily. The family of Omar Anwari (Catherine, Mangal, Saira, and Tor) is torn apart along with the country when the novel begins in the early 1970s at the time the last Afghan king is deposed. Reading about the ensuing years leading up to the Soviet invasion, I was "captured" by the family and their proud, desperate attempts to save their country from civil war. Hirsh develops the main characters with sensitivity; I had trouble keeping the secondary characters straight. I have a better sense of Afghan history as a result of reading this well-written, tragic story.
August 3, 2011
This book is the size of a dictionary. It is an enjoyable and quick reading despite the book's length. The author tells the story of a higher class Afghan family during the 1970s (pre-USSR invasion; pre-Taliban). 1970s Afghanistan is known as the golden era. During that time, this country was a prosperous nation. But a political change caused the down spiral of this nation to what's going on nowadays. This book illustrates that key political change that not only influenced the Afghan society, but also the entire world.
May 1, 2008
Thought this was better than Kite Runner. Story of a family- 3 siblings and the way they interact. The issues of politics and communications closely parallels what is happening in Afghanistan now even though the book takes place 20 years ago.
July 5, 2008
I learned so much about Afghanistan while reading this book. It really inspired me to read more non-fiction about the country. At times I felt the writing was a bit mushy/dramatic for my tastes, but the story was good and the characters likable.
October 31, 2011
i was living in europe when this book took place and thought i knew about issues in the world...wow!!! what little i knew....very interesting on the politics of a part of the world of which i am so ignorant.
July 12, 2007
Every bit as good as Khaled Hosseini's, "Kite Runner."
March 11, 2008
I find books that center on "what used to be" and that have strong characters to be my favorites in this genre. Definitely a good book and one to be in line after the more well-known Afgan books.
August 7, 2008
The first couple of chapters started off kind of slow, and I didn't think I would like the characters, but I ended up really liking the book!
July 6, 2010
Intense read. Informative on the history of Afghanistan, but no ending to the fictional story whatsoever.
December 11, 2008
This book was about Afganistan from 1973 to the time of the Soviet invasion in 1979. This book had a lot of history and politics, maybe a little too much. But overall it was good.
January 17, 2009
great for given some history of afganistain ,i actually wanted more in the end,this book i recommend for adults due to some content. great read overall.
February 24, 2009
Good at describing the historical context of the Afghan government (in high English prose?). They recently found the remains of some of the people they mention in the book - so it's all true!
September 21, 2010
Wonder if our military would be involved in Afganistan if all of our leaders were required to read this book.
October 19, 2010
Interesting book----very heavy topic obviously. Tough read, but important subject matter.
November 29, 2011
Mind captivating historical fiction of political strife in Afghanistan during the Russian occupation.
June 22, 2012
A wonderful story of love and family that takes place largely during the Russian occupation of Afghanistan.
July 4, 2013
family torn apart by the politics of pre russian invasion afghanistan
September 5, 2013
Was a little far-fetched and not in line with the reality of the Afghan context.
Displaying 1 - 23 of 23 reviews