Hosseini's writing and his ability to take me to foreign lands is deserving of five stars or more. Unfortunately, I didn't like this book as much as "The Kite Runner" or "A Thousand Splendid Suns," mostly because it was more a collection of short stories than a cohesive novel. Yes, all parts weave together, and fans of that type of story will love it, but I tend to prefer to stick with a few main characters throughout the book rather than get invested in one, only to shift to another and never read about the first character again. But still, the characters are rich, the prose elegant, and the description gorgeous. One of my favorite authors.