Overall, this book left me with a meh feeling.
The history and social structure of Afghanistan from the time of King Shah through September 11, 2001 was very interesting and informative. I feel I gained an appreciation for what the Afghan people have gone through with the different regimes.
However, the author intended (as she wrote both in the introduction and epilogue) for the story to be uplifting and positive; there were, in the author's words, enough "victims of war stories" out there. I felt that there was points in the story where there was too much positivity and not enough reality. Kamila was depicted as a saint, a warrior, and business genius; she was never taken to task for the risky behaviors she took during the Taliban years that put her life and those of her family members in danger. Also, her parents and older brother just left Kabul when the Taliban rolled in and left her and her nine sisters to stay in the house and fend for themselves. The story was just too picture perfect to be believable; it seemed a bit of propaganda from the American side of the war.
3 stars.
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