The Kite Runner (2003)

I picked up this book because it was highly recommended in our local paper as a must read for the summer. I'm afraid I just didn't enjoy it. The entire thing read like a movie script (so it was no surprise when the movie came out) and I just couldn't bring myself to like the main character, even in the heroic-try-to-set-things-right ending. I couldn't find any sympathy for him, and felt that his actions were too little, too late. That said, I did enjoy the little sneak peek into Afghan culture before the regime. ( )

In "The Kite Runner," the protagonist is Amir, who we follow during his childhood in Afghanistan, during his emigration with his father to the United States, and his return to Afghanistan in an attempt to heal the relationship with his childhood friend Hassan. One of the many interesting dynamics of this friendship is that Amir's friend was his servant, but we also discover additional information regarding the ties between Amir and Hassan later in the novel. The story begins in Afghanistan in 1975, when the country is ruled by a monarchy, and the narrative continues to early in 2002.

The author, Hosseini, beautifully describes the larger issues of class distinctions, religious differences, and the experience of emigrating to another country. Astoundingly, Hosseini also manages to convey a great deal of information regarding Afghanistan during this time period, without sounding preachy, or being at all dry. But just as beautifully, it describes family relationships, and the betrayal of friends. Just not in the way you would necessarily expect. It is one of those books where you love two characters and know that something awful is about to pass between them, to the point where you actually begin saying "no!" out loud. This book contains all that is beautiful, and all that is terrifying, in human nature. It is a book that I will always recommend be read at least once, by as many people as possible.
( )

3,5*

I enjoyed the book, but the author didn't convince me with Amir's redemption story.
Still an enjoyable read though, I learned a lot about Afghanistan and the situation before the war on terror started.

Not a bad book, just nothing special, but had some really enjoyable elements to it and important messages. ( )

I really liked this book. ( )

The author Khaled Hosseini tells a good story. I had no trouble finding the time to read Kite Runner; in fact, I had a little trouble putting it down. Although the story is a work of fiction, I think I've learned something about Afghanistan and the character of her people from reading it. I hope the book was true in so far as it painted the backdrop of the story. The timeframe of the story is roughly the timeframe of the author's life when it was written, from 1975 until just post 2001. ( )