I loved this book!
This is the sequel to Deborah Rodriguez much loved book 'The Little Coffee Shop of Kabul. Most of the characters from the first book are there as well as some new ones, I won't list them all because it'll take up too much space but the main characters Sunny, Yazmina, Layla & Halajan are back. Sunny is back in the US & is mourning her boyfriend, Jack's loss. At the same time, she's been lumped with a run down vineyard & has to figure out what to do with it. Layla is also in the US is struggling in the totally alien American culture. On the other side of the globe, Yazmina & her new husband Ahmet are now running the coffee shop in Kabul while & Halajan is being her same rebellious self & breaking all the rules until a tragic event turns everyone's world upside down.
I loved this book almost as much as I did the first book. It was wonderful catching up with all the characters again & I loved the storytelling. The setting descriptions were so lush & vivid I felt like I was in Kabul (a not entirely comfortable feeling given my gender) there were also some good themes explored in this book like loss, grief, & of course the terrible treatment of Afghani women. The only complaint I have about the book is that it ended a bit abruptly but all in all, it's still a good read.

A very well-conceived novel to highlight the cultural differences between Afghanistan and America.
I plodded through the first few chapters wondering 'why am I reading this?' Then when Sunny started bargaining with Rick, I was suddenly immersed in the story. I really liked it.
She makes the characters come alive. ( )

A few years after the end of the last set of stories and life has changed for all the women associated with the coffee shop. Sunny is in the Pacific North-West, grieving at the loss of Jack, meanwhile in Kabul there is a focus on the rights of women. Following a devastating attack the coffee shop needs to refocus and in America Sunny needs a new direction.


This book ploughs the groove forged in the original and therefore, knowing what to expect, I found it a more enjoyable read. Again there are really deep and profound issues regarding the rights of women in Afghanistan which are used to link the narrative and spoken about judgementally but which are not really developed with any depth.
( )