Part 4: Chapters 48-51

After reading Part 4 of A Thousand Splendid Suns, consider the following discussion questions:

• How does Laila's life in Murree contrast with her life in Kabul? 
• What forces tug on Laila to return to Afghanistan?

• How does the letter of Mariam's father show his character? (Does it redeem him in some way?)

• What is your overall reaction to Part 4?

Feel free to post a response for 1 or all of the discussion questions.

These discussion questions were taken from a study guide to Khaled Hosseni's  A Thousand  Splendid Suns developed by Jeanne M. McGlinn from Riverhead Books, an imprint of Penguin Group. 

Part 3: Chapters 27-47

Wow, this part of the book was action packed!  After reading Part 3 of A Thousand Splendid Suns, consider the following discussion questions:

• What is the significance of Mariam & Laila having tea together? 
• What does Mariam come to understand about motherhood? 

• Is Mariam justified in killing Rasheed? 

• What is your overall reaction to Part 3?

Feel free to post a response for 1 or all of the discussion questions.

These discussion questions were taken from a study guide to Khaled Hosseni's  A Thousand  Splendid Suns developed by Jeanne M. McGlinn from Riverhead Books, an imprint of Penguin Group.  

Part 2: Chapters 16-26

After reading Part 2 of A Thousand Splendid Suns, consider the following discussion questions:

• Why does Laila's father believe in the importance of education for women? 
• What is the role of religion in the novel? 

• In what ways is Laila like her mother and in what ways is she like her father? 

• What is your overall reaction to Part 2?

Feel free to post a response for 1 or all of the discussion questions.

These discussion questions were taken from a study guide to Khaled Hosseni's  A Thousand  Splendid Suns developed by Jeanne M. McGlinn from Riverhead Books, an imprint of Penguin Group.  

Part 1: Chapters 1-15

After reading Part 1 of A Thousand Splendid Suns, consider the following discussion questions:

• Based on Nana's and Mariam's experiences, what can you infer about the lives of women in Afghanistan in the sixties? 
• How does Rasheed feel about the westernization of Afghanistan?

• What are Rasheed's reasons for making Mariam wear a burqa? (What do they tell us about his ideas of his role as a husband and man? What do they tell us about his expectations for Mariam?)

• What is your overall reaction to Part 1?

Feel free to post a response for 1 or all of the discussion questions.

These discussion questions were taken from a study guide to Khaled Hosseni's  A Thousand  Splendid Suns developed by Jeanne M. McGlinn from Riverhead Books, an imprint of Penguin Group.