Beautifully written, powerful and compelling throughout, and at times written with such frank brutality some passages will be difficult to get through. But the book had a major flaw for me - the protagonist spends most of the book as weak character and the reader spends most of the book waiting for him to "man up." If he had, many of the horrible things that happen in the book could have been avoided completely. And the last 100 pages or so seems to be an unnecessary if-it-can-go-wrong-it-will-go- wrong nightmare. (Which is probably why, after breezing through the book the last bit took me a month and a half to get through.)

This powerful first novel...tells a story of fierce cruelty and fierce yet redeeming love. Both transform the life of Amir, Khaled Hosseini's privileged young narrator, who comes of age during the last peaceful days of the monarchy, just before his country's revolution and its invasion by Russian forces. But political events, even as dramatic as the ones that are presented in The Kite Runner, are only a part of this story. In The Kite Runner, Khaled Hosseini gives us a vivid and engaging story that reminds us how long his people have been struggling to triumph over the forces of violence - forces that continue to threaten them today.

The only reason I picked up this book was because I relied on the group mentality of "so many people can't be wrong." It was on many reading lists, and almost all rated it very highly, that I figured I would try it. Thankfully, they were right.

This is a very well written and easy to read book. Well, "easy" in the aspect of that the dialog flows very well, not easy in aspect of the subject matter. There were many parts that nearly brought tears to my eyes - literally - with the recognition that even though the story is fiction, it very well could have happened.

There are a few flaws - the ending is a bit drawn out, for example - but overall I would rate The Kite Runner as my top book that I have read so far this year.

i haven't read any novels for some time and when i started reading this book, i just couldn't put it down. i was deeply moved by what happened to the characters and the author has an uncanny ability to tell stories in such a way that's incredibly vivid and inviting. Great book, and i can't wait to see the movie this Fall.

Once I got into this novel I couldn't put it down! At first I didn't know if I was going to like, but it was great. I can't wait to discuss it. If I have time I hope to listen to before we discuss it.Questions and Quotes1. Amir (the narrator) is Sunni Muslim and Pashtun and Hassan is a Shi'a Muslim and an ethnic Hazara. What is the signficance of this in Afghanistan in the 1970s and beyond?2. Great description: (p. 10 Hassan's birth) "It had been a simple enough affair. No obstetricians, no anesthesiologist, no fancy monitoring devices. Just Anaubar lying on a stained, naked mattress with Ali and a midwife helping her. She hadn't needed much help at all, because, even in birth, Hassan was true to his nature: He was incapable of hurting anyone. A few grunts, a couple of pushes, and out came Hassan. Out he came smiling."3. Hassan and Amir were nursed by the same woman. Is there signifcance in this throughout the novel? Explain.4. Baba was passionate about soccer, he even traveled to Iran to watch the world cup on television because there was no television in Afghanistan at that time. Does anything stir that kind of passion in you like soccer does in Baba? Explain.5. Interesting Quote: (p. 21 coversation between Rahim Khan and Baba) "Rahim Khan laughed. "Children aren't coloring books. You don't get to fill them with your favorite colors.""6. Interesting Quote: (p.25 reflections on Hassan and Amir's friendship and religion) "The curious thing was, I never thought of Hassan and me as friends either. Not in the usual sense, anyhow. Never mind that we taught each other to ride a bicycle with no hands, or to build a fully functional homemade camera out of a carboard box. Never mind that we spent entire winters flying kites, running kites. Never mind that to me, the face of Afghanistan is that of a boy with a thin-boned frame, a shaved head, and low-set ears, a boy with a chinese doll face perpetually lit by a harelipped smile.Never mind any of those things. because history isn't easy to overcome. Neither is religion. In the end, I was Pashtun and he was a Hazara, I was Sunni and he was Shi'a, and nothing was ever going to change that. Nothing."7. Made me laugh: (p. 26 watching westerns) "I [Amir] remember begging Bab to take us to Iran to so we could meet John Wayne. baba burst out in gales of his deep-throated laughter--a sound not unlike a truck engine revving up--and, when he could talk again, explained to us the concept of voice dubbing. Hassan and I were stunned. Dazed. John Wayne didn't really speak farsi and he wasn't Iranian! He was American, just like the riendly, longhaired men and women we always saw hanging around in Kabul..."8. Do you think Hassan and Amir's relationship is similar to that of young American slaves had with their young masters?--evidence: couldn't read, cooked and cleaned up after Amir9. On page 29, Amir makes the following observation "...I couldn't see the tragedy in Rostam's fate. After all, didn't all fathers in their secret hearts harbor a desire to kill their sons?". Why do you think Amir thought this? Explain.10. How sad: (p. 36 bombs and gunfire begin) "The shootings and explosions had lasted less than an hour, but they had frightened us badly, because none of us had ever heard gunshots in the streets. They were foreign sounds to us then. The generation of Afghan children whose ears would know nothing but the sounds of bombs and gunfire was not yet born."11. On page 101, Amir believes the only reason his father through him a birthday party was be cause he won the kite tournament. Do you think there is truth in this observation? Why or why not?12. I can't imagine what is going on in Amir's head when he decides he must "get rid of" Hassan. Why do you think he didn't just come clean and apoligize or ask for forgiviness?--disapoint his father maybe13. Great quote: (p. 122 Amir remembers a happy thought) "Not a word passes between us, not because we have nothing to say, but because we don't have to say anything--that's how it is between people who are each other's first memories, people who have fed from the same breast. A breeze stirs the grass and Hassan lets the spool roll. The kite spins, dips, steadies. Our twin shadows dance on the rippling grass. From somewhere over the low brick wall at the other end of the field, we hear laughter and the chirping of a water fountain. And music, something old and familiar, I think it's Ya Mowlah on rubab strings. Someone calls our names over the wall, says it's time for tea and cake.I didn't remember what month that was, or what year even. I only knew that memory lived in me, a perfectly encapsulated morsel of a good past, a brushstroke of color on the gray, barren canvas that our live had become."14. When Amir's future wife confesses her secrets to Amir when they become engaged, why do you think Amir continues to hold on to his? (p. 165)15. Amir searches for his half-brother's son which leads him to the orphanage in Kabul, re-read pages 255-258. How does this make you feel?16. I think the differences in the beliefs of Muslims are well illustrated by the scene at the soccer game. It makes for such a contrast, re-read pages 270-272.