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The Patience Stone
The Patience Stone | Atiq Rahimi
14 posts | 9 read | 8 to read
For far too long, Afghan women have been faceless and voiceless. Until now. With The Patience Stone, Atiq Rahimi gives face and voice to one unforgettable womanand, one could argue, offers her as a proxy for the grievances of millionsit is a rich read, part allegory, part a tale of retribution, part an exploration of honor, love, sex, marriage, war. It is without doubt an important and courageous book. from the introduction by Khaled Hosseini, author of The Kite Runner and A Thousand Splendid Suns In Persian folklore, Syngue Sabour is the name of a magical black stone, a patience stone, which absorbs the plight of those who confide in it. It is believed that the day it explodes, after having received too much hardship and pain, will be the day of the Apocalypse. But here, the Syngue Sabour is not a stone but rather a man lying brain-dead with a bullet lodged in his neck. His wife is with him, sitting by his side. But she resents him for having sacrificed her to the war, for never being able to resist the call to arms, for wanting to be a hero, and in the end, after all was said and done, for being incapacitated in a small skirmish. Yet she cares, and she speaks to him. She even talks to him more and more, opening up her deepest desires, pains, and secrets. While in the streets rival factions clash and soldiers are looting and killing around her, she speaks of her life, never knowing if her husband really hears. And it is an extraordinary confession, without restraint, about sex and love and her anger against a man who never understood her, who mistreated her, who never showed her any respect or kindness. Her admission releases the weight of oppression of marital, social, and religious norms, and she leads her story up to the great secret that is unthinkable in a country such as Afghanistan. Winner of the Prix Goncourt, The Patience Stone captures with great courage and spare, poetic, prose the reality of everyday life for an intelligent woman under the oppressive weight of the Taliban regime in Afghanistan. From the Hardcover edition.
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review
ImperfectCJ
The Patience Stone | Atiq Rahimi
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Pickpick

This is a quick, emotionally powerful read. The novel takes place entirely in one room where the main character is caring for her injured and comatose husband, which gives it the feel of a play. It's a little simplistic, and I'm not sure how to parse the ending, but overall an interesting look at relationships and autonomy.

This is both my January #bookspin and my #Afghanistan read for #readingasia2021
@TheAromaofBooks @Librarybelle @BarbaraBB

BarbaraBB It sounds very intriguing! 3y
TheAromaofBooks Woohoo!! 3y
Librarybelle Very interesting premise 3y
65 likes3 comments
blurb
MariettaSG
The Patience Stone | Atiq Rahimi

The story within the story about the king and his daughter exemplifies how many females are falsely taught from a young age that if they are the victim of any sort of sexual behaviour then they are a disgrace. Also through the use of sex workers the double edged sword of sexual control is expressed by Rahimi as women who enjoy sex are equally considered as disgraceful. He posits that under certain regimes women are doomed.

review
MariettaSG
The Patience Stone | Atiq Rahimi
Pickpick

A difficult but important text expressing how many women suffer a life where all they are seen as is a powerless receptacle for sex.

quote
MariettaSG
The Patience Stone | Atiq Rahimi

“That saying is so true: One should never rely on a man who has known the pleasure of weapons!”

blurb
MariettaSG
The Patience Stone | Atiq Rahimi

A is for Afghanistan

Afghan French, translated from Dari.

Winner of the Prix Goncourt

Excited!

MariettaSG Although originally written in French, the version I have is third hand translation from French to Dari to English. 4y
8 likes1 comment
review
Kimzey
The Patience Stone | Atiq Rahimi
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Pickpick

The title refers to a Persian tale of a mythical stone that absorbs the pain of others. In this case, the “stone” is a comatose Afghan man whose wife confesses her secret thoughts to her unresponsive husband as war rages around them. Although I disliked the ending, I gave the book a good rating because the story has really stayed with me. #WorldTour @JulietteGF

Adventures-of-a-French-Reader Yes, the end is very violent!!! But not every story has a happy end, and I feel like it is sooo close to the reality... 6y
Kimzey @JulietteGF I agree! It did give me a window into that reality, which I, otherwise, would never have known. 6y
71 likes2 comments
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Sic_Corneille
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Syngué Sabour is the first book of a long #journeyaroundtheworld. I have decided with my boyfriend to read two books from every country in the world, one country per month. We started on november 2017, and it will take us... more than 16 years (197 countries) to complete this wonderful adventure!
First stop: Afghanistan 😍
A poignant book, by the way. Worth reading.
(Note: I read in French, but the title is the same in English)

RaimeyGallant Nice plan! And welcome to Litsy! #LitsyWelcomeWagon Some of us put together Litsy tips to help new Littens navigate the site. It's the link in my bio on my page in case you need it.
6y
Sic_Corneille @RaimeyGallant Thank you for the comment and for the link. It's really useful! 6y
Purrfectpages Welcome to Litsy! 6y
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Librarybelle Welcome to Litsy! 6y
Soubhiville What a neat idea! And I love this book cover. 6y
Sic_Corneille @Soubhiville I like it too. It's a pic from the movie, also directed by Atiq Rahimi. 6y
mhillis Great project! 6y
saresmoore Very cool! Where in Switzerland do you live? I have some dear family friends who reside near Sion in Valais. 6y
tpixie Welcome! Also check out @LitsyHappenings ! 6y
Sic_Corneille @mhillis thank you very much! 6y
Sic_Corneille @saresmoore Neat! I live in Fribourg, which is not far away from Sion. But to be honest, I only go in Valais to go skiing, walking or get apricots :) 6y
Sic_Corneille @tpixie Already checked out, but thank you! 6y
tpixie Good!! Happy Reading 📖 6y
ghosthost Welcome to Litsy! That sounds like a fun project. 6y
Ericalambbrown What a cool reading goal! 6y
RaimeyGallant Happy it helped. :) 6y
tpixie you may want to follow “reading books from every country“ on Facebook to get ideas of which books to read from which countries! 6y
Sic_Corneille @ghosthost It is! We made it even funnier by cooking a meal from the country too :) 6y
Sic_Corneille @Ericalambbrown It's great for discoveries too :) 6y
Sic_Corneille @tpixie Oooh thank you! In fact, choosing the books is the most difficult part when you don't know the litterature of a country. And I've had trouble finding some books too (they are no more edited). 6y
Louise A number of us on Litsy are doing the #ReadingAroundTheWorld challenge. You can find our book reviews with that hashtag. Also, there is a Goodreads group called Around The World in 80 Books. Welcome to Litsy! 6y
Sic_Corneille @Louise This hashtag will be really useful for me :) thanks for the tip! 6y
readinginthedark I‘m doing this, too, kind of! I‘ve included territories and some places that are trying to claim independence, so there are 237 on my list! But I‘m also not doing two for each place or designating one month per place, so I hope it won‘t take 16 years. 🙈What a commitment! So far I‘ve done Ireland, Iceland, and Canada. Let me know if you want to swap ideas for places! 6y
readinginthedark Oh also, I think the title in English is The Patience Stone. I‘ve heard a lot about this one! 6y
Sic_Corneille @readinginthedark My list is based on the UN recognised countries, but I have included some territories that claim independance too! 6y
Sic_Corneille @readinginthedark thank you! I'll let you know if I need help! Please do ask if you need too! (And for the title, Syngue Sabour in arabic means patience stone, but in french there is two title too) 6y
47 likes2 stack adds28 comments
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Katerina
The Patience Stone | Atiq Rahimi
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#summersantagoespostal Dear Summer Santa! Your package has arrived and I'm dying to open it, but sadly I can't yet. I sent off my own package too late 😣 and now as a form or pennance I'll open this package when the package I have sent off has reached its recipient. Sorry! (to you and my recipient)

TrishB I honestly don't mind if you open yours 😀 7y
Katerina @TrishB Don't say that! I'm trying to stay strong here 😂 No, I think it's only fair. I can wait a few more days with you 😊 7y
TrishB 😀💗 7y
23 likes3 comments
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Adventures-of-a-French-Reader
The Patience Stone | Atiq Rahimi
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Here is the schedule for the challenge #WorldTour
Rules: read each month an author from the featured country. The books from the column "my choice" are just examples, you don't have to choose the same ones. Use #WorldTour on your reviews ;) @Kimzey
I also created a hashtag on Instagram: #LiteraryWorldTourChallenge ?

Kimzey @JulietteGF Thank you! This is great! I'm pulling my reading lists together. I can't wait to look up your selections! 📚🌎🌍🌏 7y
Adventures-of-a-French-Reader @Kimzey You're welcome, honestly some countries asked for a lot of research. Andorra and Armenia were hard... For Armenia, I finally chose an author from the Armenian diaspora. But I will keep note of the books you pick for future readings. I'm really looking forward to your review 7y
12 likes2 comments
review
Adventures-of-a-French-Reader
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Pickpick

What a powerful read! The English title is The Patience Stone, if you haven't read it, read it. Atiq Rahimi, an Afghan writer, writes beautifully about the sad fates of women in Afghanistan. The woman, the main character, confides all her secrets to her estranged husband in the coma.
I chose this book for my #WorldTour challenge... Next month, in January, I'll read A Dry White Season by André Brink for South Africa ;)

Jaimelire Je cherche souvent pour des livres en francais. Merci 7y
10 likes1 stack add1 comment
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Adventures-of-a-French-Reader
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I'm beginning my #WorldTour challenge with a book written in French by Atiq Rahimi, an Afghan writer now residing in France. The English title is The Patience Stone.
Do not hesitate to join me in this challenge. For the month of December you need to read a book by an Afghan writer. The next countries are South Africa, Albania, and Algeria.

5 likes1 stack add
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Adventures-of-a-French-Reader
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#bookmail
I received Syngue sabour, the book I'm going to read for my #worldtour challenge. Remember: each month a book by a writer from a specific country. I begin in December with Afghanistan. Feel free to join me, you can read the book you want, just pick a book by a writer from Afghanistan!
Of course, while shopping on French Books Online, I had to indulge, and buy other books ;) #compulsivebookbuyer

Faibka Great! Love bookmail 💜📚 7y
7 likes1 stack add1 comment
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Adventures-of-a-French-Reader
The Patience Stone | Atiq Rahimi
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Because I want to read more books by foreign writers, I've decided to do a #WorldTour starting with Afghanistan in December. Then, each month I'll include on my to-read list a new world book ;) The picture makes so much more sense than my explanation... Do not hesitate to join me in this challenge! You don't have to choose the same books/authors, just follow the list of countries ;)

Kimzey Quelle bonne idée! I'd like to join you on your literary tour. That sounds like a fun challenge! 7y
Adventures-of-a-French-Reader Great! 😉 I just ordered the December book I've chosen for Afghanistan... Can't wait to receive it, and to begin this #WorldTour 7y
Faibka Great idea! My TBR plans are all over the place but if I can get organized I would love to join the challenge 😉 7y
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Adventures-of-a-French-Reader @Faibka Great! For me it's a way to motivate myself to read foreign books, and it's also a great excuse to buy more books ;) 7y
Faibka Yes! I agree 😁 7y
Kimzey @JulietteGF @Faibka I just downloaded this book for the #WorldTour, and am ready to get started. It appears you are going alphabetically (in French) through the countries. Let me know if this list would be correct from April forward: Andorra, Angola, Antigua and Barbuda, Saudi Arabia (Arabie Saoudite), Argentina, Armenia, Australia, Austria and Azerbaijan. I think this will be a fun challenge! Thanks for sharing it! 7y
Adventures-of-a-French-Reader @Kimzey Yes, I'm following the French alphabetical order for the list of countries, in April it will be Germany (allemagne), but then you got it right ;) I'll write down a bigger schedule and post it, it should help. I hope you enjoy this book, can't wait to read your review! 7y
Kimzey @JulietteGF Thanks! Oh, how could I have forgotten Allemagne!? Are you doing Angleterre also? I will wait for your list. 😊 Looking forward to our literary globe-trotting! 7y
Adventures-of-a-French-Reader @Kimzey I'm typing the list right now. I will include England, as well as Scotland, Northern Ireland, Guadeloupe, Martinique, Quebec, Wales. I think they all have writers worth discovering ;) 7y
6 likes2 stack adds9 comments
review
Hollie
The Patience Stone | Atiq Rahimi
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Pickpick

I listened to The Patience Stone on my commute and while I wasn't 100% in love with the narrator, I found this book to he so powerful. It is written sparsely, poetically and its telling of the tremendous pressure imposed upon Afghani women in their relationships with men, and reproduction, and their own sexual pleasure. The woman (which is all she is ever called) spills all of her deepest darkest secrets to her comatose man and frees herself.