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The Swallows of Kabul
by Yasmina Khadra
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Edition: Paperback
Publication Date: April 12, 2005
Publisher: Anchor
ISBN: 1400033764
Amazon.com Sales Rank: 41804
Average Customer Rating: 
List price: $13.95
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Showing page 1 of 10
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Reviews
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 Fundamentalism versus the feminine, August 11, 2008
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In the general sense, The Swallows of Kabul is a short novel of Afghan life under the Taliban, but (as with Philip Caputos' Acts of Faith) the real message of this political novel is more personal and more penetrating. Here is book made to question the logic of fundamentalist rule. Here also is an emotionally emptying story of how the central binding power of women has been systematically destroyed by Afghanistan's culture of war. There are scathing commentaries given to the women of Kabul -- the swallows of the novel -- about the theft of femininity and identity through the assignment of the burqa. The men, meanwhile, seem not to know themselves, and can only note their losses in the mirroring faces and costumes of their wives.
Reading Swallows is like reading science fiction without the fiction part; it creates an uncomfortable view of life yoked by the impulses of fundamentalism, and demonstrates a history of loss -- lives literally driven to ruin -- from the whips and bonds that has made this world of men.
[Yasmina Khadra is the feminine pen name for Algerian army officer Mohammed Moulessehoul]
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 skip this one, July 6, 2008
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Skip this one and move on to The bookseller of Kabul, Kite Runner and/or A Thousand Splendid Suns. This book is cliche, predictable and uses murder for nothing more than shock value. Poor representation of Afghanistan. The writing style is good, but the story is thin and the character development is lacking. You'll regret wasting your time reading it.
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 A beautiful downer, March 26, 2008
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Yasmina Khadra, The Swallows of Kabul
This wonderful book is also a real downer. Khadra tells us what it's like to live a totalitarian society. You feel the oppression and see the violence and horror of living in a brutal society with an even more brutal government.
The book hinges on a moment when an otherwise sympathetic character participates in this brutality. With this, his life unravels and, with it, the lives of those around him. Some of the other reviews already have too many spoilers so I will not add to them.
Why read this book? It's memorable fiction that also gives you insight into a country that has helped generate a lot of trouble in the world.
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A powerful novel, October 28, 2007
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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.
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interesting but..., October 19, 2007
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The thing I liked the most about this book were the characters. Quite unsual and charismatic, complicated and simple at the same time. Living in a difficult time makes them behave in a way they wouldn't otherwise, and I think the reader is often challenged into considering his own actions and morale in such situations. However, the story binding these wonderful characters together progresses slowly and requires a patient reader...
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Reviews
