Born Under a Million Shadows

Born Under a Million Shadows by Andrea Busfield. For fans of THE KITE RUNNER by Khaled Hossein and Yasmin Khadra's THE SWALLOWS.
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As we find out later Georgie is in love with an Afghan man from Jalalabad.

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I thought the plot was awesome, and her descriptions of Afghanistan were amazing, she was spot on! The way she described Kabul as I said made me feel like I was back there. May 30, Huda rated it it was ok. When I first saw the book in borders, I read that it was written by a British journalist, and that made me judge it. An outsider, that was my first thought.

I started the book with no expectations, and as I progressed through the book I didn't really find any character to be original or one that I found real, except perhaps Fawad's mother. She has been through a lot and yet she's survived and her main concern in life is her son, I found her most believable. As for her son, Fawad, I found him to When I first saw the book in borders, I read that it was written by a British journalist, and that made me judge it.

As for her son, Fawad, I found him to be very predictable, a young kid who wanted to protect all the women in his life, by just saying that about him it's obvious that the author put him in a typical character. If you are wondering, yes this review is going to be all criticizing the book because frankly I didn't like it. How about the perfect Afghan man? Who's the most typical middle-eastern man, and guess who's in love with him? I can go on and on about how typical I found the book, yes I did learn things about day-to-day Afghanistan but other than that I can't say the book had a real solid message, even if it did, I didn't grasp it.

Because the book dealt with a big topic but it wasn't handled the way it should have been. View all 5 comments.

Born Under a Million Shadows

I know it's only January and I have yet to read other books but this is surely one of my favorite books of Reading from Fawad's perspective was really entertaining and I absolutely loved his naiveness. Despite the fact that he was incredibly young , I couldn't help but admire his sense of responsibility , and despite going through a lot of misfortune in his short lifetime , he seemed to handle everything very bravely. Another thing I really enjoyed about Fawad is that in spite of the fa I know it's only January and I have yet to read other books but this is surely one of my favorite books of Another thing I really enjoyed about Fawad is that in spite of the fact that he was a very devoted muslim and son , he wasn't very judgmental about others who had different beliefs and acted in ways he didn't approve of.

He did silently judge them which is expected from a 10 year old but he refused to vocalize his thoughts in case he would hurt others. I just think that was very admirable. I've never read a book by Andrea Busfield before but I loved her style of writing. I would feel very excited at the end of every chapter because she would always pull off a plot twist that would leave me speechless. The ending , however , left me squealing like a hyena.

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It took me off guard and I couldn't stop re-reading the last paragraph over and over again. If you enjoyed any of Khaled Hosseini's books , you'll surely love this book as well. Apr 16, Hermien rated it liked it Shelves: Unfortunately the comparison to The Kite Runner raised my expectations to a level the book didn't live up to.

It was an enjoyable but rather tame read. Emmm bueno, en realidad es un 4.

Dec 28, Suze rated it it was amazing Shelves: This book truly capivated me! It's charming, funny, informative, heart-warming and at times a little sad. Amazon describes it like this: I love the way the author looked at everything through the eyes of an intelligent, observant, caring 11 year old boy.

I smiled, I laughed out loud and I cried while reading this book. Afgha This book truly capivated me! Afghanistan, instead of simply being a country with major problems far, far away, becomes a place where people are indefatigable in the face of daily tragedy and poverty.

I admire their tenaciousness and courage a great deal. I also learned a bit more about the Muslim religion, and the effect it has on women. Having been raised in an open society, I know I couldn't tolerate the 'rules' that women must follow. However, it was interesting. This is a book I will keep and read again, as well as recommending it to my Book Club!

I look forward to this first-time novelists next book! Dec 31, Kasa Cotugno rated it really liked it Shelves: By choosing to have this story told through the eyes of an 11 year old boy, Andrea Busfield is able to infuse the tale with a sense of discovery. However, this being Afghanistan where childhood is over too soon, there is a worldliness to his observations that may seem beyond someone of his youth.

The story does flag in spots, but these lapses are soon overcome. Busfield's obvious respect for this country and her people is evident with every character. Dec 03, Uniamel rated it it was amazing. Nov 27, Diana rated it it was amazing. The book is set in Afghanistan after the Taliban rule. Although a bit of normalcy has been restored in the country, life for Afghans is far from normal.

The effects of the Taliban rule are still being experienced in the country. Most people have lost loved ones. Stories of death and missing people fill the air of Afghanistan. In the midst of this, is our narrator, Fawad. He is ten- eleven years old in the story.


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I immediately fell in love with this characte https: I immediately fell in love with this character and his voice. I love how the author portrayed him. Fawad is definitely a memorable character and narrator. There are other outstanding characters in this book. The author took the time to properly craft each one of them so well that I felt like they were people that I actually knew.

BORN UNDER A MILLION SHADOWS by Andrea Busfield | Kirkus Reviews

I liked the group of foreigners who took in Fawad and his mother. Georgie, May and James were so different but they had such a wonderful friendship and I like how well they related with the MCs. As I already mentioned, the character development is done so well for all the MCs and even the supporting characters. The writing is flawless. The author brings Afghanistan to life through vivid descriptions and imagery.

Reading this book made me feel like I was actually there, seeing the sights, experiencing the culture and meeting the people. Needless, to say, this ended up being quite an emotional read full of highs and lows. In the end, I ended up reading it in just one seating. The ending of this book was an experience in itself. I remember feeling sad then smiling, getting surprised. My emotions were all over the place. I had to reread the chapter. It was an amazing ending. I loved this book and I hope that you will too. If you like books by Khaled Hosseini then you will definitely enjoy this one.

Fawad and his story will stay with me for a long time. Oct 16, DubaiReader rated it it was amazing Shelves: I listened to the unabridged audio version of this book during a recent long journey and the miles flew by. The author has hit just that perfect balance between putting across a serious message and making a book entertaining.

Paperback Editions

For a book set in Afghanistan it has some wonderfully humorous momnents too. Fawad is an 11yr old boy, living with his mother in an aunt's house. His father and two brothers are dead and no-one knows what has become of his sister since she was abduc Wonderfully balanced book. His father and two brothers are dead and no-one knows what has become of his sister since she was abducted by the Taliban.

They have barely enough money to feed and clothe themselves, with nothing remaining to pay rent. Fawad runs with the local children, begging and stealing money from unsuspecting foreigners. Their luck changes dramatically when his mother gets work as housemaid to a group of foreigners who share a house. She does all their cleaning and cooking and Fawad is allowed to live there with them. Georgie, James and May are wonderful characters and the interactions are great fun.

Fawad gets work in a local grocery store run by a blind man who is a constant source of insights into life and interactions between people; he has an opinion on everything. As time passes over a period of about 18 months, there are both happy and sad moments but the book is ultimately uplifting. The audiobook was beautifully read by Mark Meadows, bringing all the characters to life and I would thoroughly recommend either the written or audio versions.

Jan 29, Tara Chevrestt rated it liked it Shelves: I thought this was a story about life in Afghanistan after the Taliban The story is told from eleven year old Fawad's point of view. He is a delightful boy. His narrative is full of innocent, overly wise observations about life, women, and people in general. Basically the kid voices things we all think at some point in our life, but never say. I had quite a few laugh out moments, escpecially when Fawad thought about women, Christmas, lesbians, having the squirts.. However, the book wasn't so much about Afghanistan as a group of English and American people living in a house in Afghanistan.

Too much was about their little world, too little about Afghanistan itself. The household consists of a British woman that moons and moons and pines away for an Afghan drug lord, all she does is walk around the house with her unringing cell phone crying or getting drunk , an American lesbian woman that cries and gets drunk, and a British man that does nothing but get drunk and pass out on the stairs. Every European and British person in this book is a drunken lout.

I had to take away stars for that. I didn't like or care for these people and too much of the book focused on their drama, especially about the druglord romance. Fawad and his mother and his friends and the blind man he works for tho: If it wasn't for all the drunken louts, This woulda been a four. May 24, Aspasia rated it really liked it Shelves: Fawad is a preteen boy in modern-day Afghanistan. He has only known the horror of war, first by the Taliban and now the occupying forces of the West. When his widowed mother gets a job cooking and cleaning for three Westerners, Fawad gets a first-hand look at the strange customs and lifestyle that the occupiers are bringing to his homeland.

Despite the foreigners' strangeness, Fawad and his mother come to appreciate and love James, May, and Georgie. James is a lazy, drunken journalist, but has a Fawad is a preteen boy in modern-day Afghanistan. James is a lazy, drunken journalist, but has a sympathetic ear for Fawad. May is the first lesbian that Fawad encounters, and Georgie is Fawad's favorite. She is beautiful, smart, speaks the local language and helps farmers and their goats. Unfortunately, Georgie is in love with a rumored drug lord which brings her emotional, and sometimes physical pain The first 40 pages dragged but after that I couldn't put the book down.

Busfield spent a few years in Afghanistan and it shows in her humorous and sympathetic portrayal of ordinary Afghans. Mar 04, Maliha Fatima rated it it was amazing. Fawad is such a clever boy. Beautiful tale of the Afgan people cohabitating with Westerners. The reader gets to know what life is like through the eyes of a boy that has seen nothing but the war.

Audio Editions

Fawad finds beauty in an war-torn country and finds ways to enjoy life. He makes you want to rethink the amenities that you have and reconsider the outlook you have on your own life. Andrea Busfield really shows the reader the beautiful side of Afghanistan: No matter how bad the wa Loved it. No matter how bad the war has been and no matter what the world thinks of Afghani people, Andrea Busfiled teaches you that humanity is still alive and not all Afghanis are terrorists. You will laugh with Fawad, you will cheer him on during his clever plots, you will be joyous with him and you will cry with him.

This books brings you back full circle. Sep 02, Lorriezm rated it it was amazing Shelves: A beautifully written story about the life of a young boy growing up in Afghanistan after the fall of the Taliban. Andrea Busfield's writing is beautiful, amazingly descriptive. She makes you feel comfortable and a part of the country and the people there.

She makes you smile as you follow Fawad and his understanding of the world around him. She creates a deep sadness within you as you A beautifully written story about the life of a young boy growing up in Afghanistan after the fall of the Taliban. She creates a deep sadness within you as you read about the difficult lives and senseless deaths of those those that lived under the Taliban's regime.

You will experience a full gamut of emotions and you are drawn to turn page-after-page until you reach the end of the book. And then, you will want to read it again-to be sure you haven't missed a word. Feb 23, Nicola rated it really liked it Shelves: The former Sun and News of the World journalist first went to Afghanistan as a reporter in October Four years later, bored with being a TV critic, she landed a job as the editor of a Kabul newspaper funded by the Nato-led International Security Assistance Force.

It was the last day to apply. I thought, 'Sod it, I'll just send them an email. She moved to Kabul in October despite her family's anxieties. One year, my mum came on holiday with me to Afghanistan, which was very brave of her because she'd never been on holiday without my father in her whole life. Busfield's status as a white western woman was never a problem, she says.

I used to walk around the streets with my dog and often the guards said, 'There's Taliban, be careful. I think a lot of it is to do with attitude. I learnt the language, Farsi, when I was there, so they appreciated little efforts like that and making sure you're dressed so you're not causing any offence. Busfield decided to turn her experiences into a novel, which took her four months to write. It is the story of an year-old boy, Fawad, whose father and brother have been killed and whose mother's housekeeper, a western woman, is caught up in a love affair with an Afghan warlord.