Upon picking up this book, I sat on my bed and read the first few pages. Without realizing it, I sat at the exact same spot and read half the book, turning the pages furiously as vivid images and characters enthralled me.

It tells a story of true friendships in the form of Amir and Hassan as well as Baba and Ali. It tells of love, of fighting for happiness, of family betrayal and exposes me to the sense of helplessness during the years before the war and the Taliban.

It is truly a beautiful book. It changes me perspective, helps me learn and is definitely worth the hype surrounding it. ( )

Apparently, I came to this book late. It is a gripping, terrifying read. Above all it does what good fiction should, highlight the good and bad of Man in a dramatic way. It shows the Taliban for the murderous and fanatic killers they are, and the rest of us as the flawed creatures we are. ( )

I have been meaning to read this book for ages and I finally bought it when my mentor told me that my first years were reading it for Swedish. I am glad I listened to it.

I have somewhat mixed feelings about this book. I loved what it had to say about Afghanistan and the west's culpability in what happened. I loved how it described why the Afghanistan as we know it happened. I loved the descriptions of how it was. I also loved the insight into the feelings of those who flee their home country and why they love it.

I am not sure I liked Amir. I understand why he did what he did. I understand why he felt the way he did towards Hassan. I can also understand the actions of the grown-ups but that doesn’t mean I don’t feel revulsion. I guess that is what I should feel. Seeing the dark side of humanity can also be good because otherwise how can we recognise it when we see it? But that doesn’t stop the nauseous feeling I got when I heard the scene in the alley walking to the bus one morning. It stayed with me. It has haunted me.

I suppose this is a book that will stay with me. Not necessarily one that I will go back and read again but one that will stay in my brain informing the way I think and feel. I think this book has changed me in ways I had not predicted when I started listening to it. I suppose this makes it a book of value.

Audio: I liked the fact that the author narrated the story. Hearing the Afghan names pronounced properly was a treat. However, I did at times have a problem following with all the names as they were not familiar to me (my own ignorance). I found that the author was able to bring the characters alive. I could almost smell the smells he described and see the sights. I do so wish that the country wasn’t ravaged by war.

Overall this is a book that I would recommend to others. I think it is an important read. ( )

This was a really good book that showed how a person can change and be better over time. ( )

There were times when I almost forgot this was fiction, as the book had the feel of an autobiography, particularly in the early chapters which were quite vivid and realistic. Amir, as the narrator of the book, is not a very likeable character. As a child he is weak and cowardly and betrays a loyal friend who would do anything for him. As an adult I still found him difficult to like, though I could sympathise with him and wanted to see him redeem himself.

One of the things I liked about this book was learning more about Afghanistan from the point of view of a child growing up in a wealthy district of Kabul. Amir and his father had a comfortable, privileged lifestyle and the Kabul described in the early chapters of the book is certainly not the way we picture Kabul today. The Kite Runner shows how everything changed with the Soviet invasion and then the Taliban regime - and changed so much that Amir, returning to Afghanistan later in the book, remarked that he felt like a tourist in his own country. One horrifying scene describes the Taliban stoning two people to death in front of a crowded stadium during a soccer match.

The writing style used throughout this book is very simplistic with lots of short or incomplete sentences. Although it didn't spoil the story for me, I did find it distracting. Another problem I had was that halfway through the book the plot became too predictable and I could guess how the story was going to end. Despite those few negative points, The Kite Runner is an emotional, thought-provoking story with some heartbreaking scenes and some horrific ones. Although I have read some very mixed reviews of this book (people seem to either love it or hate it) in my opinion it's definitely well worth reading. ( )

The world hardly needs yet another review of this fine work. Suffice to say, I found it moving and powerful, and consider that the book's reputation is well deserved. Compared to the film, I found some of the scenes in the book more powerful and lasting (the terrible fight scene among them). ( )

This is a book that keeps your interest the entire way through..would definitely recommend! Such a heart wrenching story! I also think it's pretty cool, because alot of the story takes place in locations near where I live (San Jose, Bay Area, CA). ( )

Amir, a young Afghani boy, makes a choice that will change his life forever.

THE KITE RUNNER centers around one of the world's most common stories. You know it, I know it, and I'll bet you that most readers saw it coming a mile off. Even still, Hosseini manages to keep us involved. We all know what's coming, but that doesn't make it any less affecting when the big reveal rolls around. The book is readable and engaging, and does it ever pack an emotional wallop! I teared up time and again, and one particular scene chilled me to the bone. Amir does some terrible things, but he never fully loses the reader's sympathy because we can see just why he does them. We want him to repent; we want him to figure it all out before it's too late, because we can see that his willingness to do such things means that he will never, ever get what he truly wants.

So it was very good. I'm glad I read it. But oddly enough, I find that I haven't the slightest desire to reread it. It's one of those rare 4-star books that didn't really change me. I liked it. I cried. But at the end of the day, I doubt that Amir and Hassan and their thousand-times-retold story will stay with me for long. I feel strange saying that, given that this is a book about war and family and betrayal and national pride and seven million other deep, meaningful things, but... well, it doesn't really feel like it's about any of that. It feels like a beach read. Hosseini delves into his subjects in just enough detail that I could empathize with the story, but he never quite went deep enough to satisfy me. I can understand why he'd do so--this situation must be close to his heart--but I've got to stay honest here. Godo as the book was, it didn't quite fly for me.

I know I'm in the minority here, and I want to make it clear that I do recommend this. It was good. I enjoyed it. But I'm not sure it goes any farther than that.

(A slightly different version of this review originally appeared on my blog, Stella Matutina). ( )

Homem conta sua história no Afeganistão e nos EUA. Fala sobre o trauma e a culpa que sente por não ter ajudado o amigo quando foi violentado quando ainda eram crianças.

In tijden niet zo'n prachtig boek gelezen, daarna viel alles tegen. Het is me een hele tijd bij gebleven, ik zag steeds maar die hartverscheurende scene voor me van die twee jongens in de sneeuw, na de vliegerwedstrijd. In een woord geweldig, je bent echt weg uit de werkelijkheid.

2007 ( )

Good one... it'll make you think... Great story! ( )

Depressing! ( )

This book has taken me quite a while to be able to review it. I had such mixed emotions after reading it. I loved the book, yet I hated it for what it stood for. I despised what happen to Hassan - trying to avoid reading it as if it would help him and I struggled with Amir and how he treated Hassan after the incident. Guilt and shame will do a lot of damage to a relationship and the struggle with it broke my heart. No matter how badly things become, there is always a chance for redemption. This book had me drawn in from the beginning, but really played with my emotions. ( )

Awesome! ( )

Historia entre dos amigos en la Pakistan de los Talibanes.

A great book made into a great film. We used this for the annual "But the Book Was Better" book/film discussion series at the Morton Mandan Public Library in 2009. ( )

Reading the Kite Runner was like a journey on a long emotional rollercoaster ride. You're dealing with issues of innocence and guilt, hope and despair, dignity and degradation, humanity and cruelty, capture and rescue, redemption, how one's past actions will inevitably come back to haunt one. I felt the ending was a little rushed and I really didn't need to know the full trauma of what Sohrab went through. I wanted the author to infuse more about Muslim religion, different ethnic groups, the Russian invasion and the Taliban into the story. Simple prose yet enough to evoke vivid imagery, and awaken one's senses to the colours, sounds, smells and tastes of the Middle East. Aside from some of its outdated repressive customs, pre-rev Afghanistan sounds like a beautiful country. Just like the General in the novel, I do hope that one day, the Afghan people can return to their homeland to peace and posterity. ( )

The beginning was good, but it got unbelievable after awhile. I'm not sorry I read it, though. Okay story. ( )

The Kite Runner is an extremely well-written book about two boys growing up in war-torn Afghanistan. It follows the tragedies and triumphs that only individuals who live in these circumstances can truly understand. It was heartwrenching and heartwarming at the same time. ( )

Seagle, O. (2007). The kite runner. Children's Legal Rights Journal, 27(2), 54-7. Retrieved October 29, 2009, from Article Citation

Stevens, P. (2003). The kite runner. School Library Journal, 49(11), 171. Retrieved October 29, 2009, from Article Citation database.

This came to me highly recommended. That is, the "OMG THIS BOOK IS SO GOOD" sort of highly recommended. But you know, I wasn't all that impressed with it. The bits and pieces of Afghan culture that shone through now and then were interesting, but really it was just your standard tale of betrayal, guilt, and redemption. Pretty predictable, all in all. I'm not saying it wasn't well-written, just that it didn't really grab me. Part of this problem may be due to listening to it on audiobook, which was read by the author. Some people believe that authors are the ideal choice for narrators, but I disagree. Sure, the author may know best how the characters are supposed to sound, but that doesn't mean s/he can reproduce them. Not everyone is a good voice actor, and Hosseini, for all his talent as a writer, most certainly is not. I'd say I'd consider reading the printed version at some point to give it a second chance, but I'm sure I'd still only be able to hear his monotone voice in my head. A shame, because with the right narrator I'm sure this could have been a very moving tale. ( )

Un vero gioiello questo libro, scritto con tenerezza ed onestà, tocca le corde più intime dell'anima. Non ho visto il film per evitare di contaminare con l'altrui visione la mia visione cristallina dei paesaggi afgani e dei personaggi. Un capolavoro che sicuramente rileggerò più volte. ( )

Reviewed by Steph for TeensReadToo.com

THE KITE RUNNER is a beautiful story written by Khaled Hosseini (not to mention the first Afghan book to be written in English). The novel follows Amir , a boy living in Afghanistan with his father, Baba. The two have been living by themselves since Amir's mother died during childbirth. Well, not really alone. The servant, Ali, and his son, Hassan, live in a hut in the backyard. While they may be servants, Baba looks to them as family. Hassan and Amir grow up together and became friends.

As a child, Amir was always troubled. He felt that he didn't have his father's love, so he was constantly trying to win that love. Amir easily got jealous of Hassan, because Amir felt his father loved Hassan more, since Hassan was such a great athlete and such an honest person. But one day Amir witnesses an injustice done to Hassan, and although Amir could've stopped it from happening, he didn't.

Shortly afterwards Ali and Hassan leave, even though Baba pleads for them to stay. Amir watches as Hassan and Ali climb into their Mercedes and drive off, never to be seen by them again. Soon after that, Amir and Baba escape to the United States to get away from the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan.

There, Amir graduated high school and went to junior college to become a writer. Amir ended up marrying a nice, pretty woman named Soraya. Shortly after the wedding, Baba dies of cancer. Amir is even more depressed when Soraya and he find out that they can't conceive a child.

Amir and Soraya keep on living life and the years passed. They led normal lives; he as a writer she as a teacher. They lived in a comfortable house with a dog. But one day, Amir's past caught up to him. He received a phone call from an old family friend, Rahim Khan, asking Amir to come to Pakistan.

Amir arrives in Pakistan to see his old friend close to death. But that's not why Khan asked Amir to come. The fact is that Hassan was killed by the Taliban a few months ago, along with his wife. The two left behind their son, Sohrab, who is living in an Afghan orphanage. Khan asks Amir to go find the boy and bring him back to Pakistan so he can live with a nice couple and get away from all of the death and destruction the Taliban has created in Afghanistan.

Amir decides he will go find the son of his late best friend. Only after saving this boy from all the evil in Afghanistan will Amir be saved from the sin he committed so long ago as a child.

This riveting and emotional story catches the readers from page one until the ending. The readers learn about the important history of Afghanistan and the impact of those events on its people. Hosseini wrote a true masterpiece in this novel. It is sure to please all who read it. ( )

"Sobre el telón de fondo de un Afganistán respetuoso de sus ricas tradiciones ancestrales, la vida en Kabrul durante el invierno de 1975 se desarrrolla con toda la intensidad, la pujanza y el colorido de una ciudad confiada en su futuro e ignorante de que se avecina uno de los periodos más cruentos y tenebrosos que han padecido los milenarios pueblos que la habitan.
Esta novela es la conmovedroa historia de odos padres y dos hijos, de su amistad y de cómo la casualidad puede convertirse en hito inesperado de nuestro destino."
(edit. promo.)

Una novela que tuvo mucho tirón en su tiempo

El narrador (está escrita en primera persona) no esquiva ninguna de las culpas. Podría decirse que es excesivamente meticuloso a la hora de demostrarnos lo mala persona que era. De hecho, hacia el final de la novela uno de los personajes (Rahim Kan) le recrimina incluso el que sea demasiado duro consigo mismo.

El pobre niño vivía obsesionado con ser merecedor de la atención de su padre (hombre excepcional por su actitud ante la religión y las tradiciones, aunque al final haya una movida un tanto gorda que nos haga cambiar un tanto la percepción que tenemos de él y su relación con las tradiciones) y el pobre hombre vive atormentado por la vez que le falló a su mejor amigo.

Muchos han achacado su éxito entre el público occidental al hecho de que no se vea crítica alguna a las constantes intervenciones militares a las que se ha sometido a esta región. Podría ser, pero también es verdad que tiene su mérito ofrecer un cuadro vivo de una cultura de la que sólo te han llegado datos sueltos cuando te comentan movidas en el parte.

Me ha gustado más de lo que pensaba ( )