The Little Coffee Shop of Kabul: The heart-warming and uplifting international bestseller

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Zara is a character I didn't see coming. While I do feel her whole arc feels more like it is forming the framing rather than allowing her to be an independent character, she is still a good character. This is a time when we are seeing the consequences of an arranged marriage. To a degree her arc lets us see that process, something I didn't know. Even if Rodriguez is using an extreme or old school example seeing that as a piece of culture felt important. As the blurb may indicate Zara has the worst of the endings, though there is a silver lining of a sort there. It's along the lines of Isabel from The Little Coffee Shop of Kabul. A reminder that life is messy, imperfect and can be truly ugly. MY COMMENTS: I struggled somewhat with The Little Coffee Shop of Kabul when I read it some months ago. My review - https://www.goodreads.com/review/show... but I had hoped for the answers to some of my questions in the follow up book. Sadly, it was not to be. The author tends to gloss over things, important things, like Layla's abduction.

I don't care how insensitive it makes me, I find the way women are treated in many countries outside of the oblivious western bubble absolutely and utterly disgusting, and I actively support and invest in organisations that are working to bring an end to this. There's a point in the book where Layla says something to the effect of 'It's not true that men are abusive. They only get mean like that when women do something shameful to make them act that way.' We have the same characters with a few more to the mix which worked wonderfully. I thought this was a great story and i didnt want to put this down.Ahmet: Didn't believe his sudden transformation. Came out of nowhere and didn't ring true. Played to the reader, not to the character. The story of the hero lion was one of Najama's and Halajan's favourites. Of course, she had not shared all the details with her granddaughter. Like how, after the mujahideen had driven the country into violence and chaos, there was no one left to feed the animals in the zoo, and many of them died of hunger. There wasn't much of Yasmina in this book compared to the prequel but I gues what was included was enough.

I loved the change in Ahmet's personality and how he became somehow open minded, and that speech he said when he held his daughter was so touching:"). Deborah Rodriguez is a hairdresser, a motivational speaker, and the author of the bestselling memoir Kabul Beauty School.Following the lives of people within America adjusting to not being in Kabul anymore was not as interesting as I thought it would be. Fabulous sequel to Little Coffee Shop of Kabul. So rich in narrative that I felt like I was part of the scenery. The author is so descriptive that you feel you know all the characters personally. Book Two was a mistake that would never have been read by me were it not for the curiosity about the series. It takes the same set of characters as in the first book, but when you begin, you realise that even before the very first chapter, one of the best characters from Book One has been killed off. The story then goes downhill into melodrama. I abandoned this book after a few chapters, I just couldn't take the repetitive whining. Skip this without any regret. The correct response to this (which was noticeably absent in the novel) is THERE IS NEVER A REASON TO TREAT A WOMAN LIKE THAT. There is NEVER a time to treat women as lesser, as something that needs to be kept in line, diminished, abused or hidden away. There are so many people like Kat and others like Layla, different flowers that bloomed from the same soil.

While you will be eager to know what will happen next, thanks to Zara who maintains this feeling throughout the book, the previous characters of Sunny and Yazmina won't appeal to you that much. Even Halajan, who was like a neighborhood badass, is a notch down in the story. Return to the Little Coffee Shop of Kabul could have definitely used some more twists and turns, but what I read was not that half bad. Also, if you think that reading the first book is important to understand the story, do not worry. Rodriguez has made sure to cover important areas and has not left the reader in the dark. I really enjoyed it. I have never read a book about Kabul and having so many different types of people all in one book was very universal, inclusive and felt real to today. The ending of Return to the Little Coffee Shop of Kabul feels fitting. Pushing the idea of finding a home, connecting to your roots and making yourself whole. There is so much strength in this book. Even Zara who goes through a lot, suffers, blames herself for so much pain and suffering is strong. The whole thing ends on a tone of optimism as is only right. All that said I did have a little lingering disappointment over the ending, but I'm unsure why. "Life it goes on." [...] "You find new things to keep you busy, new friends to help you pass the time, new ways to make yourself feel happy. And when life gives you lemons, you make wine." — Joe

If I had one criticism it would be that there wasn't enough about Kabul. Although the little coffeehouse did play a part, it was no longer the cornerstone of the plot. However it was good to understand how everyone's lives had progressed. It is not necessary to have read the previous book, as there is enough character description and history mentioned within the narrative for new readers to be able to follow along. It is also suitable for book groups as it contains a series of reading group questions at the end of the novel. First of all, I honestly can't believe that people like Faheem exist, he has a very disgusting personality and people like him just waste oxygen. Ach, who would want more than one?" [...] "But it is also true," [...] "that without us, these men who are so valuable would have no sons. Heaven is under the Mother's feet, so treat her kindly. Have you not heard that said? Our tradition tells us that women should be given kindness, love, and respect if a man truly wants to be righteous."

All in all, this book was superbly written, and is a must read for every woman. If for nothing else but to remind the us for how blessed we are us are to lead such privileged free lives, with the right to education, the right to dye our hair, the ability to go out for coffee on our own, to write and read, to paint our nails, to speak up and have our voices heard. To remind us to never take it for granted. I loved this book. I really did. I loved the characters, the storytelling, the settings, the themes the book explores, everything. I loved it all. I was utterly captivated by The Little Coffee Shop of Kabul, so was extremely delighted to find out that there was a follow up and it hasn't disappointed as I've been captivated again by the characters and storyline.

All in all an enjoyable book which has enhanced my enjoyment of the previous books written by this author Sequel to the Kabul Coffee Shop series, Return to the Little Coffee Shop Of Kabul by Deborah Rodriguez gives you glimpse into the life of Sunny, Halajan, and the new generation. A generation living away from Kabul, trying to adjust on the another side of the world, a world without bullets and bloodshed. And not just the young ones, the grown ups now need to find a new path towards their life as well. Some of the favourite characters from the first book return in this and it is fascinating to see how events have changed their attitudes and outlooks and even though a lot of the book isn't set in Kabul anymore, there is still plenty of visits there to see how life has changed, if at all, for those trying to get on with normal lives and we see different aspects of the culture explored in a striking way. ZARA, promised in marriage to a violent man she's never met, arrives at the coffee shop seeking sanctuary. Really enjoyed this book that is a reminder of life in Kabul for Sunny. The whole host of characters were reintroduced- without too much of a recap but enough to refresh memories after a while. Interesting stories about love and loss are intertwined and there are new, fresh characters to meet and enjoy. The characters are brought to life and the episodes were vivid and contributed to the storyline.