Friday, February 19, 2010
Bookseller Belongs in the Cellar
So far I'm on a modest page 41 in Bookseller and let me tell you, I'm not this book's biggest fan. Though I have no problem with Seierstad's use of language, her obvious bias that she establishes before the book even starts (the introduction doesn't account for any page numbers) impedes me from understanding the plight of these women. She only explores a few facets of oppression. Not only that, I felt like I've read this before in A Thousand Splendid Suns. Just for kicks, I researched the years both The Kite Runner andATSS were published. Interestingly enough, both of Hoessini's novels were released after Bookseller. This startling discovery got me to thinking: what if Hoessini "borrowed" from Bookseller? It's a stretch, but still. I think if I had readBookseller first then ATSS, I'd feel the reverse - I would've liked Bookseller and denounced ATSS as being a copy of it. Ultimately, once you see something like this more than once, it loses its shock value. For now, I'm hoping i get shocked within the next 240 pages.
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I agree about not being able to fully understand the plight of the Afghani women, and feeling like I've read this before. However, I think that if I were to read Bookseller first, and then read ATSS, I would still find ATSS more revealing and eye-opening. I'm not very far into the book, but already it seems to me like Seierstad explains the circumstances a bit too much for me to be shocked. What I mean is that from the first page already she's saying "A suitor cannot himself ask for a girl's hand. It is an afghan custom... et cetera". While the clarification is nice, the lack of such in ATSS provided for greater shock value, because as the reader I felt more like I was being thrown into this backwards world, whereas with Bookseller I feel more like a teacher is lecturing me on the culture with vaguely interesting anecdotes.
ReplyDeleteHowever, as Alexa said, it could just be that an idea loses its luster the second time around, in which case I wish I hadn't read ATSS before reading this. I loved ATSS, and I think I could have loved this. Now, I'm just waiting for something new to happen.
I can agree with wanting to compare Bookseller to ATSS and feeling like it comes up short. Just out of intrigue, I actually read the Bookseller this summer after having to read ATSS for school. Although I ended up liking both, I found ATSS more moving and emotional and would probably say I liked it better.
ReplyDeleteI don't want to give anything away about Bookseller because I have read it and don't know where everyone is in the book. However, I do think that Seierstad does a really good job on establishing what it means to be a man, woman or a kid after the Taliban. Although we get 2 different women's view points in ATSS, we get even more in Bookseller, and from different sexes and ages.
If you read more about Seierstad it says that she actually spent months with the Khan's and observed what life was like for each family member. The first chapter just kind of sets up a description of each family member, but there will definitely be new stuff to happen :)
Even though the whole thing about the proposal and marriage may be hackneyed or repetitive I think it is still necessary to show the state of the women in Afghanistan.
- Lauren Friezo
I think although Bookseller and ATSS are are similar in many ways, there are so many differences i have trouble comparing the two. ATSS was much more emotional and read more like a novel. However, Bookseller is more informative than it is emotional. Bookseller's tone is not very capturing, and I'm having trouble staying interested and attentive throughout this book. Possibly it is because, as said before, I've already read about their culture and it does not shock me as much anymore. Overall, Bookseller does talk about more aspects of the culture and i am learning a lot from it.
ReplyDelete- Lauren Mazzeo
I also agree that I find the Bookseller less intriguing that ATSS. Seierstad describes the difficulties in Afghanistan in such a way that it does not evoke the same emotion that Hosseini's writing does. In addition, I do not like that the book is written based stories Seierstad has heard from native Afghans, rather than her own personal experiences. Because Hosseini actually endured the turmoil of Afghanistan himself, he provides a closer emotional connection to the hardships there. Based on the Bookseller's Foreword, it sounds as though Seierstad somewhat forced herself into this bookseller's home because she thought it would make for an interesting story. Though I do like the plot, the outside perspective and the matter-of-fact style takes away from the overall intrigue.
ReplyDeleteI also can't help but comparing the two books because they're so similar, even some of the characters have the same names! But like other people have said I enjoyed ATSS and Kite Runner more than Bookseller. I think it is because having read an finished Bookseller I learned that the author was a war journalist and I felt more like I was reading a really long article than like I was reading a novel. Even though I didn't enjoy Bookseller that much I definitely learned a lot about afghanistan and I thought they Seierstad showed more about how the American's have impacted life in Afghanistan which I found interesting.
ReplyDeleteWhile I enjoy reading this book, I also find it frustrating at times, but more on a structural level. Certain aspects of this work's construction bother me. Each chapter serves as a nearly independent little entity, describinga specific event or characteristic of the family's life. Bookseller also lacks a certin flow. As a reader, I feel as if I am constantly waiting impatiently to happen upon a description or explanation that establishes an official chronology for the chapters. Perhaps this imaptience with Seierstad's writing is immature, but I feel as if the cloudy chronology of her work takes away from the intriguing events she has observed, and harries the characters she is trying to develop. To admit another personal weakness, I also must say that even though we read A Thousand Splendid Suns this summer, I find myself constantly confused with Afganistan's histpry over the last half of a century. Thoygh Seierstad identifies herself as a reprter, I feel that her attention to history and background information is inadequate. I also feel taht this weakness is exacerbated by the fact that teh story does not follow a consistent timeline.
ReplyDeleteI agree with post of the posts above. While I am only about 50 pages into Bookseller, I feel like I've already read this book before. I can't help comparing this book to ATSS because the books have so much in common and I only read ATSS a couple months ago. When beginning to read ATSS I was immediately drawn into the story. I centered around the difficult lives of women and exposed many different issues that shocked me. So far, I haven't felt the same sense of connection with Bookseller.
ReplyDeleteI agree with Julie in that I don't like the fact that Bookseller was written from the perspective of an outsider. Seierstad went into Afghanistan and learned everything she could about the culture through Khan's family, but she doesn't have the connection to the country and culture that Hosseini does. I think the emotional connection is what sets ATSS apart as the better book.
Let me be candid by saying that I am not very far into this book at all! However, I have collected a few things so far. The beginning of the book is hardly captivating, but I suppose this is because we have all read A Thousand Splendid Suns, a book that was I found impossible not to be touched by. Reading any other book about the situation in the Middle East that starts off in such a weird light hearted manner will just not live up to ATSS. How am I supposed to have any emotional connection to this man who seems to be just like Rasheed in the sense that one wife will not do. Maybe it will get better though, and I hope it does, for I will be reading it non stop this week =).
ReplyDeleteThere seems to be a lot of tension between Seierstad's The Bookseller of Kabul and A Thousand Splendid Suns in the previous blog postings. Can't they get along? They're both interesting and special in their own way. Their momma told me so. Although The Bookseller may not be as moving, I personally enjoy it just as much, mainly due to the foreword. The book is practically non-fiction, while A Thousand Splendid Suns is fiction, so they should be approached in different ways. It is pretty clear which is non-fiction right away, as The Bookseller is much more detailed and realistic. Not to say that the events from ATSS don't happen in Afghanistan, but how in the world could ALL of those terrible things happen, AND there still be a happy ending? It felt overdone. I hate sad endings, as most people do. Still, it was pretty clear to me that Hosseini knows this, and would rather appease the public and write a best-seller, even if meant having an ending come completely out of nowhere. We all know that if those events in ATSS actually happened (the murder of Rasheed), Mariam and Laila BOTH would have ended up dead. I like The Bookseller's 'real' feeling, although I enjoyed ATSS's plot more. After reading The Bookseller of Kabul, I'm sure we'll all feel more knowledgeable about life in Afghanistan, as opposed to ATSS where the reader truly empathizes with the characters. Because of this, they are both worth reading.
ReplyDelete- Brian P.
I agree that this book is really similar to ATSS, and because of that, I also find myself comparing the two, and when I do this, I find myself really disappointed. Although I believe Seierstad lends great insight, I feel as though I am reading an extremely long article. While reading ATSS, I really felt an emotional connection. I found myself unable to put that book down because I felt so moved by the text. However, with this book, I find that I really have to force myself to pick it up and read it. I will be honest, I am really not that far into this book, but I think the reason that I am not that far is because I just don't enjoy the plot or feel as emotionally connected.
ReplyDeleteSo far, I am on page 72. Already, I can see the similarities between this book and a THousand Splendid Suns. Even some of the names are similar!!! But a lot of names sound very similar and it gets a little confusing as you keep reading. Also, there are some pretty weird passages in the book such as on page 51-52.
ReplyDelete