In a little coffee shop in one of the most dangerous places on earth, five very different women come together. SUNNY, the proud proprietor, who needs an ingenious plan – and fast – to keep her café and customers safe.YAZMINA, a young pregnant woman stolen from her remote village and now abandoned on Kabul’s violent streets.CANDACE, a wealthy American who has finally left her husband for her Afghan lover, the enigmatic Wakil.ISABEL, a determined journalist with a secret that might keep her from the biggest story of her life.And HALAJAN, the sixty-year-old den mother, whose long-hidden love affair breaks all the rules. As these five women discover there’s more to one another than meets the eye, they form a unique bond that will for ever change their lives and the lives of many others.The Little Coffee Shop of Kabul is the heart-warming and life-affirming fiction debut from the author of the bestselling memoir The Kabul Beauty School.
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Specification: THE LITTLE COFFEE SHOP OF KABUL
Publisher
Sphere (11 April 2013)
Language
English
Mass Market Paperback
416 pages
ISBN-10
075155040X
ISBN-13
978-0751550405
Item Weight
324 g
Dimensions
12.8 x 2.5 x 19.5 cm
Country of Origin
United Kingdom
13 reviews for THE LITTLE COFFEE SHOP OF KABUL
4.6out of 5
★★★★★
★★★★★
9
★★★★★
3
★★★★★
1
★★★★★
0
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0
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★★★★★
jlenia –
Sehr kurzweilig, leicht zu lesen aber nicht kitschig. Habe direkt das zweite Buch gekauft.
Helpful(0)Unhelpful(0)You have already voted this
★★★★★
Miss Angel –
I really enjoyed this book and felt that I came away understanding some of the trials and tribulations of Kabul. My heart goes out to the people who have suffered during these terrible times.
Helpful(0)Unhelpful(0)You have already voted this
★★★★★
Juhi Bansal –
The review of a book by Deborah Rodriguez. A Little Coffee Shop of Kabul and the story of five extraordinary women. Their characters are crafted in a way which challenges the Afghan patriarchal dominance and shakes it to it’s very core. It’s a tale of modern islamism which points out the status of women in Afghan society. The dominance and authority of men on the woman’s lives are profoundly disturbing as this issue is not perceived by the men as women’s rights issue, rather it’s considered a part of their culture. All the five women are intertwined by fate and the secrets they keep of each other, like a intricate web, holding them together. Sunny, the proprietor of the cafe comes across a helpless Yasmine, and decides to give her a job at the coffee shop and a safe shelter to live. Yasmine had been taken away forcibly as payment, as her uncle couldn’t keep up with the loan deposits, but she had a secret, that when discovered, would render her completely useless in the flesh trade business. She was pregnant with her dead husband’s child. And she’s thrown out on the streets of Kabul, out to die, when they discover it. And she can’t raise the child alone as the world wouldn’t allow that. Halajan, a widow with a secret that can cost her, her life and her son, an affair which is haram. Isabel, a British journalist who would stop at nothing to achieve her goal and the social worker Candace, in love with the Wakil, an Afghan, who’s trying to help the Afghani children get a better future. This book’s a good read with a beautiful plot that will make you wanna know more about the fate of the characters; but not quite satisfying, it has got a very slow narrative at times and I had to take multiple breaks while reading this! And lastly, I was expecting more depth in the characters created and the literature. Though, it doesn’t come near to a Hosseini creation. This one’s a 3.5/5 for me.
Helpful(0)Unhelpful(0)You have already voted this
★★★★★
shyamantika sethi –
Book#16 of #2022 Name: The Little Coffee Shop of Kabul Author: Deborah Rodriguez Genre: Fiction Number of Pages: 316 Recommended for: Everyone who has loved Khaled Hosseini’s work
My Review: As the summary or the gist everywhere suggests, this book talks about the extraordinary life of 5 women – Sunny, Yazmina, Halajan, Candace, and Isabel in Afghanistan. However, I beg to differ with this statement, and I believe these five characters represent each Afghan woman who is bound by cruel rules laid out by men who feel they have the right to dictate and direct how women should lead their lives. As the name would suggest, Sunny is an American who runs her little coffee shop in Kabul. Isabel is a journalist, and Candace is a highly sought-after American official currently living with his Afghan partner. Halajan is the caretaker of the coffee shop, and Yazmina is someone who was kidnapped to be sold but somehow lands up in the coffee shop. (I won’t reveal the details about that.) How the events in their lives bring them together to the same coffee shop in Kabul is worth reading. There were multiple instances where I cried and had mini heart attacks, but as they say, all is worth it if the ending is well. The author has described the emotions of every character so beautifully and in such detail that the entire time I imagined myself sitting in one corner of the cafe, watching them with my naked eye. The author has successfully transported each feeling and emotion to the reader. Some chapters and phrases dealing with the disastrous condition of women made me feel so lucky to have been born in India. Read this if you like stories about how love changes people and be grateful for where you are, especially the X chromosome. I learn that there is a sequel to this book – “The Return to the Little Coffee Shop of Kabul” I am already researching it and planning to read it next. Let me know your thoughts on this!
Helpful(0)Unhelpful(0)You have already voted this
★★★★★
aanandika –
Very moving and enlightening on life in Kabul. Would definitely recommend as a really good read. You get to love the characters.
Helpful(0)Unhelpful(0)You have already voted this
★★★★★
Sarika Rao –
I am absolutely delighted with the quality of this book! The moment I opened the package, I was impressed by the sturdy cover and the smooth, high-quality paper. The printing is crisp and clear, making it a pleasure to read.
Helpful(0)Unhelpful(0)You have already voted this
★★★★★
Vidushi Ahuja –
Deborah Rodriguez is quite a story teller. This being her debut, I enjoyed reading it cover to cover.
Although, this book is a work of fiction, it’s insightful. The book is a window to the Afghan culture and its people through an American’s point of view.
While the story at a certain point may feel cliched, it’s full of emotions. The way she emphasized the fact that in order to live together one needs to be respectful of each other’s culture and customs is worth appreciation.
This book is thoroughly enjoyable. Look forward to reading the sequels.
Helpful(0)Unhelpful(0)You have already voted this
★★★★★
Catwoman –
Una bella storia che ti trasporta in terre difficile con ironia,e leggerezza.
Helpful(0)Unhelpful(0)You have already voted this
★★★★★
Sarika Rao –
A vivid description of Kabul makes you wish you could see it before internal strife washes it away! A good read, definitely worth your time.
Helpful(0)Unhelpful(0)You have already voted this
★★★★★
kaya95 –
This book makes me want to travel to Kabul, I really enjoy this Author’s style of writing.
Helpful(0)Unhelpful(0)You have already voted this
★★★★★
Rashmi Bansal –
Wow! What a book…almost read it cover to cover. Fresh, positive, humorous, sensitive, covering ground, not purely fictitious.one star less for some cliches near the end. But nonetheless loved it and recommend it if you are looking for a simple tale told lovingly.
Helpful(0)Unhelpful(0)You have already voted this
★★★★★
trisha.g –
A quick, breezy read with well-developed characters and enough emotional zing to make you want to read till the very end.
Helpful(0)Unhelpful(0)You have already voted this
★★★★★
Anshula @thebookishlawyer –
A little heavy on the head but gripping and touching. Beautifully portrays different shades of different women.
jlenia –
Sehr kurzweilig, leicht zu lesen aber nicht kitschig. Habe direkt das zweite Buch gekauft.
Miss Angel –
I really enjoyed this book and felt that I came away understanding some of the trials and tribulations of Kabul. My heart goes out to the people who have suffered during these terrible times.
Juhi Bansal –
The review of a book by Deborah Rodriguez. A Little Coffee Shop of Kabul and the story of five extraordinary women. Their characters are crafted in a way which challenges the Afghan patriarchal dominance and shakes it to it’s very core. It’s a tale of modern islamism which points out the status of women in Afghan society. The dominance and authority of men on the woman’s lives are profoundly disturbing as this issue is not perceived by the men as women’s rights issue, rather it’s considered a part of their culture. All the five women are intertwined by fate and the secrets they keep of each other, like a intricate web, holding them together.
Sunny, the proprietor of the cafe comes across a helpless Yasmine, and decides to give her a job at the coffee shop and a safe shelter to live. Yasmine had been taken away forcibly as payment, as her uncle couldn’t keep up with the loan deposits, but she had a secret, that when discovered, would render her completely useless in the flesh trade business. She was pregnant with her dead husband’s child. And she’s thrown out on the streets of Kabul, out to die, when they discover it. And she can’t raise the child alone as the world wouldn’t allow that. Halajan, a widow with a secret that can cost her, her life and her son, an affair which is haram. Isabel, a British journalist who would stop at nothing to achieve her goal and the social worker Candace, in love with the Wakil, an Afghan, who’s trying to help the Afghani children get a better future.
This book’s a good read with a beautiful plot that will make you wanna know more about the fate of the characters; but not quite satisfying, it has got a very slow narrative at times and I had to take multiple breaks while reading this! And lastly, I was expecting more depth in the characters created and the literature. Though, it doesn’t come near to a Hosseini creation. This one’s a 3.5/5 for me.
shyamantika sethi –
Book#16 of #2022
Name: The Little Coffee Shop of Kabul
Author: Deborah Rodriguez
Genre: Fiction
Number of Pages: 316
Recommended for: Everyone who has loved Khaled Hosseini’s work
My Review:
As the summary or the gist everywhere suggests, this book talks about the extraordinary life of 5 women – Sunny, Yazmina, Halajan, Candace, and Isabel in Afghanistan. However, I beg to differ with this statement, and I believe these five characters represent each Afghan woman who is bound by cruel rules laid out by men who feel they have the right to dictate and direct how women should lead their lives.
As the name would suggest, Sunny is an American who runs her little coffee shop in Kabul. Isabel is a journalist, and Candace is a highly sought-after American official currently living with his Afghan partner. Halajan is the caretaker of the coffee shop, and Yazmina is someone who was kidnapped to be sold but somehow lands up in the coffee shop. (I won’t reveal the details about that.)
How the events in their lives bring them together to the same coffee shop in Kabul is worth reading. There were multiple instances where I cried and had mini heart attacks, but as they say, all is worth it if the ending is well.
The author has described the emotions of every character so beautifully and in such detail that the entire time I imagined myself sitting in one corner of the cafe, watching them with my naked eye. The author has successfully transported each feeling and emotion to the reader.
Some chapters and phrases dealing with the disastrous condition of women made me feel so lucky to have been born in India.
Read this if you like stories about how love changes people and be grateful for where you are, especially the X chromosome.
I learn that there is a sequel to this book – “The Return to the Little Coffee Shop of Kabul” I am already researching it and planning to read it next.
Let me know your thoughts on this!
aanandika –
Very moving and enlightening on life in Kabul. Would definitely recommend as a really good read. You get to love the characters.
Sarika Rao –
I am absolutely delighted with the quality of this book! The moment I opened the package, I was impressed by the sturdy cover and the smooth, high-quality paper. The printing is crisp and clear, making it a pleasure to read.
Vidushi Ahuja –
Deborah Rodriguez is quite a story teller.
This being her debut, I enjoyed reading it cover to cover.
Although, this book is a work of fiction, it’s insightful. The book is a window to the Afghan culture and its people through an American’s point of view.
While the story at a certain point may feel cliched, it’s full of emotions. The way she emphasized the fact that in order to live together one needs to be respectful of each other’s culture and customs is worth appreciation.
This book is thoroughly enjoyable. Look forward to reading the sequels.
Catwoman –
Una bella storia che ti trasporta in terre difficile con ironia,e leggerezza.
Sarika Rao –
A vivid description of Kabul makes you wish you could see it before internal strife washes it away! A good read, definitely worth your time.
kaya95 –
This book makes me want to travel to Kabul, I really enjoy this Author’s style of writing.
Rashmi Bansal –
Wow! What a book…almost read it cover to cover. Fresh, positive, humorous, sensitive, covering ground, not purely fictitious.one star less for some cliches near the end. But nonetheless loved it and recommend it if you are looking for a simple tale told lovingly.
trisha.g –
A quick, breezy read with well-developed characters and enough emotional zing to make you want to read till the very end.
Anshula @thebookishlawyer –
A little heavy on the head but gripping and touching. Beautifully portrays different shades of different women.