When Yazmina, a young Afghan from a remote village, is kidnapped and left on a city street pregnant and alone, Sunny welcomes her into the café and gives her a home — but Yazmina hides a secret that could put all their lives in jeopardy.

Bea, Charlie's eccentric grandmother, who is convinced a reunion with her estranged mother will help Charlie heal.There were plot points I wanted to read more about that kind of disappeared or brought to an end with a single sentence. I wasn’t surprised when I learned that the author has lived in Kabul for several years herself, because the book shows a good understanding of the history of Afghanistan, the politics, corruption, and the opium trade. Describes a book or dust jacket that does show some signs of wear on either the binding, dust jacket or pages.

The deep bonds and compelling personalities of this eclectic group leap from the page, with Layla and Halajan shining particularly brightly for me. Her sister Layla has become an outspoken women's rights activist and, thanks to social media, is quite the celebrity.I would like to think that this book also highlights the plight of many refugees in having to leave their country in the hope of somewhere safe for their family. Sunny, an American woman, is the owner and along with her Afghan employees her coffee house is home to a mixed variety of people: a British journalist, a country widow, a wealthy American named Candace and the pregnant Yasmina. Brimming with Deborah Rodriguez’s remarkable gift for depicting the nuances of life in Kabul, and filled with vibrant characters that readers will truly care about, A Cup of Friendship is the best kind of fiction—full of heart yet smart and thought-provoking. CANDACE, a wealthy American who has finally left her husband for her Afghan lover, the enigmatic Wakil.

However, you do feel constantly that it is written from a Western perspective and that all the characters, Western and Afghan, men and women, are incredibly stereotypical. With a message…to protect and empower the women of Kabul, Rodriguez weaves her tale of life, death, and marriage…Readers will appreciate the in-depth, sensory descriptions of this oft-mentioned and faraway place that most have never seen. The women form a loose and imperfect friendship, sharing the difficulties of being women in this male dominated country with its strict rules and protocols. She spent five years teaching and later directing the Kabul Beauty School, the first modern beauty academy and training salon in Afghanistan. Moving on to the actual story: the characters have evidently been well thought out, but some seem to be watered down versions of the people they could have been.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. I guess if you are a Romance reader that enjoys a book about Western women finding true love with war camp followers of the military or learning a life lesson about advancing their own careers and usefulness without a boyfriend's love, depending on the character (except the one Western woman who is strong and principled from the start, no boyfriends, who gets killed off) while experiencing exotic sights and sounds that lightly touch their conscious minds so that sometimes they want to organize a meeting, this will be a five star read for you.

It's worth checking out the authors Wikipedia page to understand how she came to be in Afghanistan and the controversy her books caused, she does however acknowledge this in the authors note in this book. If for no other reason, I encourage readers to pick up this book for what they will learn about current conditions in Afghanistan.Muhammad (upon him be peace) is not to Islam or Muslims what Jesus (upon him be peace) is to Christianity or Christians.