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The Kite Runner

By Khaled Hosseini

(1091)

| Paperback | 9781594480003

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Book Description

Twelve-year-old Amir is desperate to win the approval of his father and resolves to win the local kite-fighting toumament, to prove that he has the makings of a man. His loyal friend Hassan promises to help him? for he always helps Amir? but this is 1970s Afghanistan and Hassan is merely a low-casteContinue

Critics

The Kite Runner (Graphic Novel) by Khaled Hosseini

A confession. If there's one book I'm not likely to read, it's that which everyone else is reading. If it turns into a hugely popular film for all the left-wing chattering classes to rave over, then that's just more grist to my mill – I'll always hav ... (read full critics)

thebookbag published on Thu, 29 Sep 2011

The Kite Runner, By Khaled Hosseini, Fabio Celoni, and Mirka Andolfo

Graphic novel adaptations are often met with an onslaught of criticism before they have even been released; victims of a near subconscious belief that when it comes to the world of fiction, words are good, pictures bad. Any assertion that this comic ... (read full critics)

independent published on Sun, 25 Sep 2011

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85 Reviews

15 people find this helpful

I didn't know how good this book would be when I picked it up. It has been a long time since I came across such a moving and impressive epic.
This book made me think about what we have done to other people in our life. When we make a choice or decision, be it small or quick, do we know what ... (continue)

I didn't know how good this book would be when I picked it up. It has been a long time since I came across such a moving and impressive epic.
This book made me think about what we have done to other people in our life. When we make a choice or decision, be it small or quick, do we know what consequences it would bring to other people? How have other people's lives been changed by our action taken in the nick of time? And when we recognise our mistake, are we big enough to admit it and make atonement? If we are the victim of somebody else's wrongdoings, are we prepared to forgive and forget?
This book has such a profound impact on me and I recommend it to everyone. Hosseini's new book is due out next month and I look forward to another great read.

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Tracy W said on Apr 11, 2007 | 1 feedback

5 people find this helpful

Flawed but still highly recommended

I was tempted to give this book five stars right at the beginning. I've almost decided it's worth all the stars there can be because the beginning of the story is one of the best I've read in years. But alas, not all good things can be sustained.Indeed, the theme - redemption of ... (continue)

I was tempted to give this book five stars right at the beginning. I've almost decided it's worth all the stars there can be because the beginning of the story is one of the best I've read in years. But alas, not all good things can be sustained.Indeed, the theme - redemption of past sins - is very human and the setting - Afghanistan - is fascinating, and the first half of the story is so finely written that I don't believe anybody can put it down once they start reading the book.But halfway through the story, it gets more and more bland and mundane. The transition from the settling-down-in-America phase to the getting-a-call-from-Afghanistan phase feels contrived. The plot gets more and more cliched and predictable. I felt like I had to finish reading the book because I'd read more than half of it already, not because it was a gripping tale.Fortunately, the ending is appropriate and well-written. Overall it's still a good book, and a nice start for budding writer Khaled Hosseini. It almost deserves five stars, but... just almost. Still, despite its flaws, it is worth recommending this book to anyone.

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Holmes said on Feb 12, 2008 | 1 feedback

5 people find this helpful

A thou after reading this book

It's sad story. Thou it's a fiction story but child abuse, regrets that a person is carrying till his deathbed did happen in real life. There are people still fighting each other due to the difference in religion or the color of their skin. All these, are so real in life. It's really sad that t ... (continue)

It's sad story. Thou it's a fiction story but child abuse, regrets that a person is carrying till his deathbed did happen in real life. There are people still fighting each other due to the difference in religion or the color of their skin. All these, are so real in life. It's really sad that these are happening around the world be it in a third world country or an advanced country. This story has reminded me how fortunate I am and I should treasure the people around me before it's too late.

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Freya said on Nov 1, 2007 | 2 feedbacks

Bit depressing...

I did like this book, I really did but I'm not sure I feel as strong about it as a lot of people seem to. My friend lent this to me with A Thousand Splendid Suns and said they were the best books she had read this year. I, unfortunately do not feel the same, but I did like them sure.
I found the m ... (continue)

I did like this book, I really did but I'm not sure I feel as strong about it as a lot of people seem to. My friend lent this to me with A Thousand Splendid Suns and said they were the best books she had read this year. I, unfortunately do not feel the same, but I did like them sure.
I found the main character, Amir, very tough to get to like especially in the beginning. He is so needlessly mean to Hassan. Some parts in the book are tough to read and so saddening and I found it a bit much that the man who abuses Hassan at the start goes on to abuse Hassan's son? Like give the poor man a break!
It's a moving book and it's a story well told but I just felt like it was a bit too depressing. It would have been nice to have a happy moment in there somewhere.

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Lauraolsthoorn said on Mar 7, 2012 about the Others edition | Add your feedback

Surpising and moving

When I first approached the book, I was prejudiced about what I was about to read. Luckily, I was wrong.
I expected a story about Afghanistan, emphasizing the differences between the country and the United States, but I found a beautiful story about friendship, childhood and adulthood. A story that ... (continue)

When I first approached the book, I was prejudiced about what I was about to read. Luckily, I was wrong.
I expected a story about Afghanistan, emphasizing the differences between the country and the United States, but I found a beautiful story about friendship, childhood and adulthood. A story that could have taken place anywhere, but with little details about Afghan life that, instead of disorienting the reader, gave me a candid vision of the Afghan people.
The novel talks about friendship, loyalty, wars (specially the internal ones), but overall it's a very human story.

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Johnbo said on Jan 24, 2012 | Add your feedback

1 person find this helpful

I had read the Italian translation and I bought the English because I wanted to see how it had been translated. I compared, thoroughly the first four chapters only to find that the Italian translation is more like an approximation and some things had been taken out, or simplified.
The book reads ... (continue)

I had read the Italian translation and I bought the English because I wanted to see how it had been translated. I compared, thoroughly the first four chapters only to find that the Italian translation is more like an approximation and some things had been taken out, or simplified.
The book reads well. It takes you smoothly, with tears and heart pangs, to the end. It's not a masterpiece, but it's a good book on growing up, on coming to terms with the past, and has that Afghani background that made it, when published, a very hot topic.

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fran_ces said on Dec 22, 2011 | Add your feedback