NOTICE: (Updated March 5, 2010)

Beginning December 19, 2009, Books 'N Border Collies will be posting but only intermittently while I pursue personal goals. I plan to share some reading I'm doing, but there will be no reviews. I will, however, be sharing my exploration of vegetarian cooking and the cookbooks and websites I use to educate myself. I hope you enjoy it!

Lezlie



Monday, May 26, 2008

THE SWALLOWS OF KABUL

by Yasmina Khadra



The first book in Yasmina Khadra's trilogy about Islamic fundamentalism is the story of two couples whose lives under the rule of the Taliban become linked and changed forever at the scene of the stoning to death of a prostitute.

This is a gut-wrenching little book. The despair of life under the Taliban thumb nearly stains your fingers as you turn the pages. The writing is capivatingly beautiful, but the beautiful words tell an ugly story. One character's courageous act at the end nearly appears as selfish desperation against the backdrop of such a miserable existence. If this is a true picture of life in that society, and I have no reason to believe that it is not, I am speechless. Books like this bring you to your knees, thankful for the blessings of your own life.

Lezlie

The books in Khadra's trilogy:

Book One: The Swallows of Kabul
Book Two: The Attack (My Review)
Book Three: The Sirens of Baghdad (My Review)

9 comments:

Andi said...

Wow, I had no idea this was a trilogy. I'm so very outta the loop these days! hehe

Lezlie said...

Andi ~ I found out accidentally. The books aren't really connected other than through subject matter though, so each one could easily stand on its own.

L.

joanna said...

I've heard that it was poweful stuff alright. I didn't know it was a trilogy either! I'll go see if my library has it... Have you read The Bookseller of Kabul? Or did I ask you that already?

Lezlie said...

Joanna ~ I haven't yet, but I think you said you liked it. I've got it on "the list".

L.

Heather J. @ TLC Book Tours said...

Lezlie - thanks for the quick but helpful review. I'm keeping away from this type of book for a while (having read too many of them recently) but I'll have to pick it up at some point.

Thanks for stopping by my blog. I posted an answer to your question in the comment section of Water for Elephants.

Lezlie said...

Heather ~ Yeah, a few more like this, and I'll have to give myself a break from them, too. I think they are good for us to read and open our eyes to what goes on in the world, but sometimes I need to pull myself back into my little bubble.

Thanks for the answer to my Water For Elephants question, too!

L.

Anonymous said...

Oh Lezlie - I'm putting this one on my TBR right away. I can't help but read books like this one.

BooksPlease said...

I'll have to note this book for the future. Just now I can't face a gut-wrenching book. I need something light and amusing - I'm not finding one either, all my books seem to be serious! A trip to the library may be the answer.

Lezlie said...

Natasha ~ I'm discovering that I'm a sucker for them, too.

Margaret ~ I'm wearing myself out, too. I'm taking a break this weekend though. I got my first advance copy of a historical novel coming out next week, so I want to get through it and post the review before Tuesday. I'm so excited! :-)

L.