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The Kite Runner

by Khaled Hosseini (Goodreads Author)

4.24 · Rating Details · 1,697,047 Ratings · 54,733 Reviews

Khaled Hosseini's #1 New York Times Bestselling Debut

“It may be unfair, but what happens in a few days, sometimes even a single day, can change the course of a whole lifetime."

Amir is the son of a wealthy Kabul merchant, a member of the ruling caste of Pashtuns. Hassan, his servant and constant companion, is a Hazara, a despised and impoverished caste. Their uncommon bon ...more

Paperback, 371 pages

Published April 27th 2004 by Riverhead (first published May 29th 2003)

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Community Reviews

(showing 1-30)

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Jan 10, 2008 Britta rated it it was amazing

"For you, a thousand times over."

"Children aren't coloring books. You don't get to fill them with your favorite colors."

"...attention shifted to him like sunflowers turning to the sun."

"But even when he wasn't around, he was."

"When you kill a man, you steal a life. You steal a wife's right to a husband, rob his children of a father. When you tell a lie, you steal someone's right to the truth. When you cheat, you steal the right to fairness. There is no act more wretched than stealing."

"...she ha ...more

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Dec 06, 2013 Chris rated it did not like it

Recommends it for: Monkeys

Recommended to Chris by: Everyone

Shelves: unfinished, poop

I became what I am today at the age of twenty-nine, on a frigid overcast day in the winter of 2008.

What I am about to tell you about what I became is going to be very shocking. It is going to manipulate your emotions. It may include some random words in my native language for no reason whatsoever. It will teach you unnecessary things about my culture. It will not be smarter than a fifth grader. And it will include as many cliches and as much foreshadowing as is humanly possible.

You are going t ...more

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Mar 19, 2016 Farshad Firuzi rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

In 2012, when I was Mathematics teacher at a private high school in Iran, I had an Afghan student in my class. Sometimes, I discussed with my students about literature and I told them from novels and poetry. I found it very strange that my students had no interest in literature and even sometimes looked with scorn to this discussion. Days passed and much time was left to the end of school year. One day I saw Ali, Afghan student, came to me and was a booklet in his hand and I saw in his eyes seve In 2012, when I was Mathematics teacher at a private high school in Iran, I had an Afghan student in my class. Sometimes, I discussed with my students about literature and I told them from novels and poetry. I found it very strange that my students had no interest in literature and even sometimes looked with scorn to this discussion. Days passed and much time was left to the end of school year. One day I saw Ali, Afghan student, came to me and was a booklet in his hand and I saw in his eyes several times as if he wanted to say something, but he was silent. I waited a little and after a few moments, I began to speak. He smiled and with a special Afghan accent, he said " I have written a story, sir " and silent again. I said "it's great! ", and I asked "do you read novels? ". Yes sir, he said. I asked "what kind of books do you like? ". Mark Twain and John Steinbeck and Jules Verne, he said. I asked what have you written? He answered, I wrote a novel about a 13 years old Afghan boy who migrated to Iran. I got his booklet and I read it in a week. It was a sad story. A week later, we talked again after class. Ali invited me to go his house at night for reading books. I was very happy and I welcomed this proposal. When night arrived, I took the kite runner and went to Ali's home. When I entered the house, I saw a house with mud walls that has no rooms, except a small hull that there was a table in the middle of it and almost nine children were eating. From clothes of Ali's father, it was clear that he was a construction worker and he welcomed me very heartily. I thanked him and I went to a small storehouse in the corner of yard that Ali had made it, a place to be alone. Ali took the book from me and with indescribable passion began to read. This process was repeated almost every night for a week and we have read half of the Kite Runner. Among pages of book, Ali told me about Afghanistan, told of how twenty people, entered Iran with a small car, illegally and secretly. Of how his classmates were mock him because of his Afghan accent, of how he was forced to work in a brick burner factory all days after the school, of how his father has forced him to marry at the age of 13 in the summer. Then Ali continued to speak that he wants to be a writer and awards the Nobel prize. I saw in his room that he had Ferdowsi, Omar Khayyam, Hafiz and Rumi's book poem. When I looked at his face, I saw a special man who was ahead of his time and environment. Ali said, because Afghans have been banned of the registration in public schools in Tehran, he is forced to enroll in a private school and now he and his mother must work hard to pay school fees.
The next week, I went to class but I didn't see Ali. When I asked the guys about him, they said that because his father hadn't citizenship card and passport, he was arrested and all of them have deported to Afghanistan. I was extremely upset that I couldn't continue reading Kite runner never ever. Even I felt so sad and sorrow, when I saw the book in bookstores. Until this spring, after three years, I received a message in WhatsApp messenger from Ali, that congratulated teachers day to me. He was written that he married to a girl who was in love with her and they have a two months old girl baby. He was written he is working at a bookstore in Kabul and he has read almost thousand books in three years. He was written they have the 4G Internet in Kabul and I replied him, it's supposed to we have 4G in Tehran as well, soon! When I received the message, I could read the Kite runner again. It was a great book, specially for me, remind nostalgia tired immigrants and unfavorable times.
*************************************
سال 1391 زمانی که معلم ریاضی حق التدریس یه دبیرستان خصوصی شده بودم یه دانش اموز افغان هم سر کلاس داشتم ..هرازگاهی به بهونه های مختلف بحث رو به ادبیات میکشوندم و از رمان و شعر برای بچه ها میگفتم .. برام خیلی عجیب بود که بچه های کلاس هیچ علاقه ای به ادبیات نشون نمیدادن و گاهی حتی با دید تمسخر هم به قضیه نگاه میکردن.. روزها میگذشت و زمان زیادی به پایان سال تحصیلی باقی نمونده بود.. یک روز بعد از پایان کلاس دیدم علی محصل افغان , اومد کنار میز من و تووی دستش یه دفترچه داشت و تووی چشاش دیدم که چندبار انگار میخواست حرفی بزنه اما سکوت کرد.. کمی صبر کردم و بعد از چند لحظه سر صحبت رو باز کردم.. لبخند زد و با لهجه افغانی خاصش گفت "اقا من یه داستان نوشتم ".و سکوت کرد.. گفتم خیلی عالیه.. پرسیدم. کتاب هم میخونی? گفت اقا بله..گفتم چی میخونی? جواب داد مارک تواین و جان اشتاین بک و ژول ورن.. گفتم چی مینویسی ..جواب داد یه رمان نوشتم درباره یه پسر سیزده ساله افغان که به ایران مهاجرت کرده. دفترچه رو از علی گرفتم و تووی یک هفته خوندم. داستان غمگین بود. یک هفته بعد دوباره بعد از کلاس با هم صحبت کردیم. علی من رو دعوت کرد که شبها به خونه شون برم و کتاب بخونیم. خب خیلی از این پیشنهاد خوشحال شدم و استقبال کردم. شب کتاب بادبادک باز رو برداشتم و رفتم . وارد خونه که شدم دیدم یه خونه با دیوارهای کاهگلی که هیچ اتاقی نداره بجز یه پذیرایی که وسطش یه سفره انداخته بودن و هشت نه تا بچه کوچیک داشتن غذا می خوردن. پدر علی که از لباسهاش مشخص بود یه کارگر ساختمونی هست با گرمی خاصی از من استقبال کرد. من تشکر کردم و با علی رفتیم به سمت انباری کوچیکی که گوشه حیاط بود و علی از اون یه جایی برای تنها بودنش درست کرده بود. علی کتاب رو از من گرفت و با شعف خاصی مشغول خوندن شد.. تقریبا یک هفته هر شب این جریان تکرار می شد و ما نیمی از بادبادک باز رو خونده بودیم. علی لابلای صفحه های کتاب برام از افغانستان میگفت از این که چطور بیست نفر با یه سواری وارد ایران شدن ازینکه چطور بچه های کلاس اون رو بخاطر لهجه افغانی مسخره میکنن از این که عصرها بعد از مدرسه مجبوره تووی کارگاه اجر پزی کار کنه. از اینکه پدرش مجبورش میکنه که تابستون تووی سیزده سالگی ازدواج کنه.. بعد علی ادامه داد دلش میخواد نویسنده بشه و جایزه نوبل بگیره. توی اون انباری کوچیک دیدم که شاهنامه و خیام و حافظ و مولوی هم داره.. میگفت حافظ رو از بر داره و خیام رو هم.. و من توی اون نگاهش یه پسر شریف رو می دیدم که خیلی از زمان و محیط خودش جلوتر رفته بود. علی گفت چون توی مدارس دولتی نامنویسی افغانها ممنوعه مجبور شده توی یه دبیرستان خصوصی درس بخونه و حالا خودش و مادرش برای تامین این هزینه مجبورن کار کنن.. هفته بعد که باز سر کلاس رفتم علی رو ندیدم. وقتی پرسیدم بچه ها گفتن که چون پدرش کارت نداشته گرفتنش و همشون رو فرستادن افغانستان. اونقدر ناراحت شدم که دیگه سمت بادبادک باز نرفتم. حتی دیدن کتاب تووی شهرکتابا غمگینم میکرد.. تا اینکه بهار امسال بعد از سه سال پیامی از علی تووی وایبر رسید که روز معلم رو تبریک گفته بود.. نوشته بود با دختری که دوستش داره ازدواج کرده و یک دختر دوماهه داره. نوشته بود حالا در یه کتابفروشی توی کابل کار میکنه و توی این سه سال هزارتا کتاب خونده.نوشته بود ما اینجا تووی کابل اینترنت نسل چهارم داریم. براش نوشتم قراره نسل چهارم بزودی به ایران هم برسه! با رسیدن پیام علی باز تونستم به بادبادک باز نزدیک بشم .کتاب خوبی بود.. مخصوصا برای من یاداور غربت مهاجرای خسته و ناسازگاری روزگار... ...more

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Jul 22, 2011 Linda rated it did not like it

Recommends it for: Can't really recommend it, I'm sorry.

Shelves: fiction

Finished this book about a month ago but it's taken me this long to write a review about it because I have such mixed feelings about it. It was a deeply affecting novel, but mostly not in a good way. I really wanted to like it, but the more I think about what I didn't like about the book, the more it bothers me. I even downgraded this review from two stars to one from the time I started writing it to the time I finished.

Let's start off with the good, shall we? The writing itself was pretty good ...more

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View all 82 comments

Neil Cake Ghost? I may be temporarily forgetting something, but where in the film "Ghost" is there a character selflessly serving a wealthy person? I just... is ...more
Apr 01, 2016 05:49AM

Gabriella I agree with all of your points, but I five starred it because I felt the message was very different :) we're never supposed to fully forgive or even I agree with all of your points, but I five starred it because I felt the message was very different :) we're never supposed to fully forgive or even like Amir. I think that's made abundantly clear when Amir finds out the whole reason his Baba was such a good man - building the orphanage, always giving money to the beggars - was because of his guilt. He even devotes a whole page more or less to saying that great people are often born from people tormented by guilt. That guilt never left his dad, and it wasn't supposed to - the only difference between him and Amir is that until the end of the book when he adopts Sohrab, he never used that guilt as a motivator to do anything good to try and make up for it. And I think Sohrab's reaction to Amir is supposed to mimic ours. When Amir says it's what he deserves, to have to prove himself to Sohrab, that's the point, I think. Redemption generally means you're redeemed, past tense. It was an event that occurred and now you're a different person. This wasn't a redemptive story because I don't think Hosseini believes in redemption in that sense, rather it's a lifelong affair. Like Amir keeping his final promise to God and praying daily, whereas when he prayed to God to save his father's life he didn't keep that promise. He prayed that one time and that was it. The end, Amir realises that he has to daily prove himself, daily make up for the wrongs he's done, and one snowflake at a time (like how he refers to Sohrab's smile at the end) he can atone for what he did.

Neither was he supposed to stand up to Assef and be the hero. The point was that he was supposed to get his ass kicked, supposed to get finally what he deserved. (That's why, even after that scene, he has the dream where Assef says they're twins.)

We're not all fighters. But we should still stand up, even when we know we'll lose. The final ass kicking he got is what paralysed him from helping Hassan, and I think Sohrab saving him was supposed to humble him more than anything. To say that even from beyond the grave, the debt he owes Hassan will never be cleared. At the end, when he realises that Hassan was the son his father always wishes was legitimate, he doesn't feel bitter about it, and I think it's because he realises Hassan deserves that.

The father's hypocrisy, well, I don't know about you but all parents can be the greatest hypocrites because they don't want their kids making the same mistakes they did. Likely, he said that because he didn't want Amir to do something as despicable as he did. And Amir just misses the whole point of that, and stuffs bills and a watch under Hassan's mattress and is flabbergasted when his father forgives him. Then at the end, when he's back in Afghanistan, the kids watching his food and he gives his watch as a gift...think they were looking at the watch, when really it was the food... He really is so blinded by his privileged.

But I think the story has a better meaning when you reevaluate 'redemption.' it's a lifelong process of atoning for your wrongs, and leaving the final judgement to God whether you were redeemed or not. ...more
Apr 13, 2016 11:48PM

Feb 23, 2016 J.G. Keely rated it it was ok

Shelves: contemporary-fiction, novel, reviewed

This is the sort of book White America reads to feel worldly. Just like the spate of Native American pop fiction in the late eighties, this is overwhelmingly colonized literature, in that it pretends to reveal some aspect of the 'other' culture, but on closer inspection (aside from the occasional tidbit) it is a thoroughly western story, firmly ensconced in the western tradition.

Even those tidbits Hosseini gives are of such a vague degree that to be impressed by them, one would have to have alm ...more

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Jan 05, 2016 Raeleen Lemay rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: own, 2016-reading-challenge

I'm really mad at myself for taking so long to read this. SUCH a good book, and while it may not be worthy of 5 stars for me, I really did love it and it broke my heart a hundred times. I look forward to reading Hosseini's other books, most likely this year.

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Jan 18, 2008 Matt rated it did not like it

Recommends it for: people who slurp up 'chicken soup for the soul' books

i really wanted to like this novel. judging from its thousands of 'five-star reviews' hailing it as the one of the 'best books ever written,' i'm in the minority when i state that this novel, while well-intentioned, just left a little bit of sour taste in my mouth.

my problems with the novel are as follows: first of all the writing itself is so ham-fistened, heavy-handed, distracting and otherwise puzzling that by the midway point, i seriously considered chucking the book against the wall. each i really wanted to like this novel. judging from its thousands of 'five-star reviews' hailing it as the one of the 'best books ever written,' i'm in the minority when i state that this novel, while well-intentioned, just left a little bit of sour taste in my mouth.

my problems with the novel are as follows: first of all the writing itself is so ham-fistened, heavy-handed, distracting and otherwise puzzling that by the midway point, i seriously considered chucking the book against the wall. each page of the novel has at least 5-10 incomplete sentences. i'm all for experimental and fractered prose--but it's important for authors to use it judiciously. hosseini, unfortunately, beats it to death. a lot of his language is cliched, too, which is funny considering there's a passage in the book about a writing teacher who warns the narrator, amir, about using cliches. i don't know if that was supposed to be funny or not, but it made me laugh (and what was worse was the san francisco's chronicle's glowing review on the book's cover and the san francisco chronicle's glowing review of amir's novel--coincidence?).

the author's use of farsi--especially in the dialogue--was equally distracting. my point is that no one speaks the way his characters speak. people don't switch back and forth between languages while speaking, and if they do, they certainly don't speak 1/2 the sentence in english, say one word in farsi, then traslate the farsi word to english, then finish the sentence in english, when they're presumably speaking farsi to begin with. i didn't pick up this book for a crash course in colloquial farsi. after 370 pages, i was frustrated--and annoyed.

hosseini's plot often borders on the ridiculous. the'twists' are just TOO coincidental--and not surprising at all (except in how contrived they are). for example, in a devasted kabul, amir sees a homeless man in the street. the homeless man, of course, was a former university professor who just happened to teach with amir's long deceased mother. what a coincidence! what makes it worse, is that the narrator, amir then explains that while that may, in fact, seem like a coincidence, it happens in afghanistan happens all the time. of course it does. in another example, amir's former nemesis, assaf (now a taliban crony), beats up amir and amir ends up with a scar above his lip, just like his dear friend hassan, who was born with cleft-pallet. oh, the coincidence! (and the fact that amir even runs into assef again is ridiculous). another example: amir and his wife aren't able to have children, and of course they find an orphan boy who happens to be extended family and they adopt him. what a coincidence! and after amir returns to afghanistan he doesn't call home to his dutiful wife for over a month. i kept wondering 'when's he gonna call home?' and any plot advanced by a series of 'tragedies,' (and in this book they are legion) shows little more than the writer's inability to craft a meaningful and interesting plot. not only is it pretty poor form, it's also highly manipulative and condescending. i found myself continually frustrated by hosseini's apparent distrust of the reader. we don't have to be told how and when to interpret metaphors. and if i read one more book where the protagonist is a writer or professor, i'm gonna ram my head into a metal post.

i don't want to sound like a misanthrope or jaded literature reader because i'm certainly not. this novel just left me wanting so much more in terms of plot and characterization. having said that, however, the novel could be important in that shows the cruelty of the taliban. much of what hosseini writes about is important, especially for us westerners unfamiliar with the breadth and scope of the afghani tragedy.

in the end, it was worth the $2.00 i paid for it. ...more

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Aug 25, 2016 Afshar rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

آرامش پیچاندن پیچ زندگی در پایین ترین حد است
سکوت خاموش کردن آن پیچ است.بستن آن است،بستن تمام آن

تمام ستارگان آسمان برای کتاب هایی مثل بادبادک باز ، همسایه ها و ... که از واقعیات زندگی مردم و دردهایشان می گویند کم است و توهین آمیز
این پنج ستاره هم به سرنوشت من دچار شده اند و از پس تعریف بادبادک باز بر نمی آیند

در آغاز جملاتی از کتاب می آورم و بعد به چیزهایی که هنگام خواندن کتاب فکرم را مشغول می کردند خواهم پرداخت

اولین بار در این کتاب بود که اسم هزاره رو از سربازی افغانی شنیدم و اول فکر کردم حتما نا ...more

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Dec 22, 2007 Naeem rated it did not like it

Recommends it for: anyone wanting to keep their blinders on

I found this book a failure of courage and imagination -- all the more upsetting for the author's astute sense of detail and wonderful psychological depth. But ask yourself this: if the Taliban are real humans than why are they not represented as such? No doubt we will all love the movie as well.

If you want to read a book on Afghanistan, I recommend Jason Elliot's An Unexpected Light.

Below is my complete review:

I started out loving this book. Hosseini is dead on target in his depiction of childr ...more

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Jun 14, 2008 La Petite Américaine added it

Recommends it for: Morons Who Enjoy This Kind of Crap

Shelves: sucked, middle_east, worst-garbage-i-ve-ever-read, rants

After pondering long and hard, I'm going to try now to articulate just what it was about this book that sucked so much, why it has offended me so greatly, and why its popularity has enraged me even more. This book blew so much that I've been inspired to start my own website of book reviews for non-morons. So let us explore why.

First, let's deal with the writer himself. Hosseini's father worked for Western companies while in Afghasnistan. While daddy (who I am guessing, from Hosseini's tragic ac ...more

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Feb 06, 2016 Stephen rated it it was amazing

Shelves: tv-and-movies, literature, popular-fiction, books-read-in-2012, 5-star-reads

I liked this book a lot. Due to the uncomfortable nature of the story told, I'll probably never read it again, but I'm glad that I did read it once. I saw it as the story of one not very likeable boy growing up in a soon to be war torn region and his eventual struggle for redemption.

I was quite surprised to see how popular some of the negative reviews of this book were and I'd like to comment on a few of the comments they contained.

One condemnatory critic said "This is the sort of book White A I liked this book a lot. Due to the uncomfortable nature of the story told, I'll probably never read it again, but I'm glad that I did read it once. I saw it as the story of one not very likeable boy growing up in a soon to be war torn region and his eventual struggle for redemption.

I was quite surprised to see how popular some of the negative reviews of this book were and I'd like to comment on a few of the comments they contained.

One condemnatory critic said "This is the sort of book White America reads to feel worldly." Ah, if only that were truer. In a study done not long ago, over half of American adult men, when asked, admitted to having read NO books in the last year. Personally, as a white American, this book made me grateful that I grew up where I did, and once again reminded me of how good I've had it, and how little I really know about life outside these insular, isolationist, United States.

Another critic claimed that this book "...portrays Afghanistan as backward" Personally I thought that it portrayed it as a war torn, deeply wounded country that was at one time a bit like our ante-bellum south. It was made quite clear that we saw pre-soviet Afghanistan through the eyes of a doubly privileged class, the rich child.

Another critic claimed "The members of the servant and poorer classes are consistently portrayed as saintly, absurdly self-sacrificing, one-dimensional characters." Yes, that's true. But the viewpoint is a that of an over-privileged, rich, selfish child. Given the ante-bellum south atmosphere that our protagonist sees, it's a wonder that the epithet "uncle Tom" wasn't used.

Finally one critic complained "The book fails exactly where it most needs to succeed - in the depiction of the Taliban." Personally, I felt that while that need may be great, I didn't see that as the purpose of this book.

I saw this book as the story of one man's journey toward redemption against a background of a troubled heritage. I sometimes recall doing things as a child that now makes me wonder about myself, and while I like to think I've become a better human being, I sometimes shudder at the savage, thoughtless child that was once under this skin. For the personal perspective alone, I think this book is a worthwhile, if sometimes uncomfortable, read. If you let it, it may make you a better person.
...more

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Sep 12, 2013 Basuhi rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Recommends it for: Everyone, everywhere, if you are human.

Shelves: books-i-own

Before I started this book, I distinctively remember running my hands over the cover, over the embossed letters that read, The Kite Runner, with not a thought spared but just a sense of hope and anticipation.

Now, after I've finished it, I'm once again running my hands over them.
Those letters that read, The Kite Runner.
Those letters that mean a lot more than what they seemed to a few days ago.

Yes.

Oh.

No.

Yes.

Oh.

Oh.

This is just a tiny fraction of "Oh"s that I felt during my journey through this ...more

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Aug 29, 2016 Afaf Ammar rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: favorites, مترجم

“لأجلكَ ألف مرّة وأكثر”

كثيرة هي الروايات التي يمكنها أن تحفر في أعماقك أثراً لا يمحي بسهولة . ولكن ثمة رواية واحدة فقط يمكنها أن تطلق الطائرات الورقية عالياً في سماء قلبك, وتدفعك للركض مردداً:
“لأجلكَ ألف مرّة وأكثر”

عداء الطائرة الورقية هي رواية عن الروابط الإنسانية والتضحية والوفاء والحب في زمن الحرب تحت إسم الدين.

وعن صديقين جمعهما القدر في بيتٍ واحد, فجمعتهما دروب الطفولة وجذوع الأشجار لسنوات تحت سماء واحدة مزهرة, وملونة بالطائرات الورقية. حتى شاء الله أن يفترقا. ولكن ظلت صورة الواحد منهما ...more

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May 29, 2007 Linda rated it it was amazing

Shelves: favorites, fiction

So I started Kite Runner two nights ago after finishing Blink. It took me a week or so with Blink since I wasn’t very enthralled, making it easier to put it down at night when it was my bed time.

Kite Runner, I started over a long weekend and could not for the life of me put it down. I was so hooked I even found myself reading Bing’s copy when I was over at Deesh and Bing’s this weekend playing an invigorating (and might I add victorious) game of girls vs. boys Cranium and then Cheez Geek (Cheez ...more

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Dec 02, 2014 Rola rated it really liked it · review of another edition

عانيت كثيرا من ضيق فى التنفس أثناء قراءتى لهذه الرواية , و خصوصا الجزء الأول, الأمر الذى كان له أثر على معدل قراءتى لها حتى اكتشفت أن ما اعترانى لم تكن حالة مرضية و إنما من فرط حبس أنفاسي خلال القراءة لهفة و شوقا إلى متابعة الأحداث *
*حدث بالفعل

ملاحظاتى العامة عن الرواية كانت فى تفوق جزئها الأول كثيرا عن أجزاء خروج البطل من دياره , و التى تحولت الأحداث فيها أحيانا إلى أحداثا عادية مكملة فقط للحكاية , و أحداثا أخرى توقعتها و أشعرتنى كأننى أشاهد "فيلما هنديا" مبالغا بعض الشئ.
:)

هى رواية عن الوعود و ...more

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Nov 13, 2014 MJ Nicholls marked it as getting-even · review of another edition

This is one strain of the virus we call Middlebrow Literature. Issuetastic fiction that turns up-to-date, politically loaded topical material into powerful works of stating the obvious whose aim is to educate the Uninformed or Casually Interested Westerner in the ways of another culture at a time when that culture or nation is under scrutiny, or has the western gaze upon it and needs to answer for itself in an accessible and heart-tugging manner. Now and then we will accept literature from far-o ...more

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May 15, 2008 Jackie Gill rated it it was ok

Recommends it for: "Simple People"

Recommended to Jackie by: Masses of "Simple People"

Shelves: just-read

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. I must admit that although I had heard plenty of people mention The Kite Runner, I hadn’t actually paid much attention to what was said about it other than, “It was wonderful!”

So, a few days ago and several years after the book came out, I heard a couple of people discussing the “wonderful” book I decided to read it.

The first day, I read about a third of the novel (Hassan is raped, Amir feels bad, well sort of, he feels bad that Hassan is raped yes, but even worse because Hassan’s rape makes hi I must admit that although I had heard plenty of people mention The Kite Runner, I hadn’t actually paid much attention to what was said about it other than, “It was wonderful!”

So, a few days ago and several years after the book came out, I heard a couple of people discussing the “wonderful” book I decided to read it.

The first day, I read about a third of the novel (Hassan is raped, Amir feels bad, well sort of, he feels bad that Hassan is raped yes, but even worse because Hassan’s rape makes him feel bad and, of course, this means he needs to act badly and do bad things, and make more bad stuff happen to Hassan who is not bad at all.) And, I will admit that this portion of the book had me reading as quickly as I could. I flipped from one page to the next, skimmed over the plethora of annoyances, oops, I mean I skimmed over the Farsi vocab sprinkled evenly throughout to, of course, add authenticity and give it that multicultural feel that is sure to make every publisher drool over a manuscript, and I was even forgiving of the somewhat poor writing. Yes, on day one, I liked The Kite Runner. I was into The Kite Runner. And when I decided to continue my read the next day – I had high hopes!

The second day, I read to the point where Amir gets a phone call from a man he has not seen in years, abandons his “perfect life” in America (well, almost perfect, there is the infertility and the gap that his wife’s uterus is forming between them, but their sex life is still good – sometimes… WHAT!? Never mind…) so, anyway, Amir hops on a plane to Afghanistan which is being ruled by the Taliban, yet he enters without issue, and follows the yellow brick road and lands at OZ where it turns out that the man behind the glasses is not John Lennon at all – he is Assef – his childhood nemesis, pedophile, and just plain evil guy (and you know he is evil cause he likes Hitler – although he has never heard of ethic cleansing). So, Amir walks right into the Taliban compound and asks to see the wizard, I mean their leader, and is allowed to do so (actually it was more difficult for Dorothy to get in to see the wizard, she should have taken Amir with her) and when he gets in, we find out that Hassan’s son is made to dress like a monkey - GET IT A MONKEY – ya know like the monkey that Amir and Hassan would go see (too bad it wasn’t a flying monkey) – and provide entertainment for the Taliban, and provide sexual services for Assef – the same guy that had sex with Hassan and, now the obviously simple minded reader that Hosseini wrote for, says, “that is so weird the way that all happened, wow, I cant believe the way this is all coming together, this is sooooooo fascinating!” Oh, and for the thinking reader with any literary competence who MAY think that this is too much of a coincidence, don’t be so critical; this issue was already addressed when Amir ran into a beggar that happened to have taught with (and remembered doing so) Amir’s mother. We, the readers, are clearly TOLD that coincidence is VERY common in Afghanistan. Therefore, if the rest of the story seems too contrived, don’t worry, it is realistic for Afghanistan. So, don’t question it, cause he is the expert on Afghanistan and you (the reader) are not, therefore, just accept that this completely ridiculous, unrealistic, obviously contrived series of events, are very realistic in Afghanistan!

My third day of reading, I completed the book and instead of placing my hand over my heart, smiling, and thinking about how wonderful the book was, how beautiful the story was, and how it all came so nicely together in the end (apparently the reaction of the masses), I was mad. I was mad because there are so many people out there who think a book this ridiculous and obvious is brilliant. I was mad because this is precisely what is wrong with some multicultural literature and what gives multicultural literature a bad name. There are many pieces out there which are actually beautifully written, provide valuable insight into other cultures, and entertain the reader (i.e. Reading Lolita in Tehran), however, it does nothing for multicultural literature to publish pieces that are poorly written and filled with cliché. I can forgive (to a certain extent) poorer writing when the story is written as a true account and when the purpose of the novel to re-tell actual events. However, when an author decides he is going to write a piece of fiction, his style, diction, and storyline come into question. The final portion of the novel continues throwing out one cliché after another, and throws out one ridiculous coincidence after another. Just the fact that a good portion of the middle of the book was dedicated to pounding it into the readers head that Amir and Soraya could not have children and did not want to adopt, well, that is unless the bloodline is known, is enough to clue the reader in that they will adopt Sohrab waaaay before Amir even knows that he will adopt Sohrab. What a coincidence that Hassan just happened to be his half brother, happened to have a son, and the son happened to have been taken by Assef. And it was even more convenient that even from the grave, once again, Hassan could save Amir. He could provide him with a son and the opportunity to finally fight the big bully who STILL carried his brass knuckles. And more convenient yet, the fact that Sohrab always carried that slingshot (And in case we forgot that he always carried it, Amir remembered for us, as if Hosseini wants to say: see readers how clever I am, I set it up that Sohrab always had the slingshot, and now later in the story, it comes back out. See how clever I am readers, everything in my story has a purpose and is connected). However, what Hosseini needed to do is explain how a kid who has been taken from an orphanage, made to dress and entertain like a monkey, lives with the Taliban, and is a sex slave for the Big Bad Assef, still managed to keep his slingshot – the very weapon used against Assef in the past, and the very weapon that Assef has an issue with! Just how dumb must a reader be to believe that the freakin Taliban NEVER NOTICED!? So, okay, Sohrab saves Amir, they escape and the Taliban does nothing, and then another freaking coincidence – Amir will end up with a scar. And in case the reader does not deduce that Amir will have a scar from his busted lip, the doctor points it out and confirms it. Yes, reader, a scar like Hassan’s – get it? It’s connected – get it?

Truth be told, there are so many unbelievable incidents and ridiculous coincidences presented to us in this book that it would take pages to go through them all because they were present from beginning to end: The young Russian soldier who doesn’t shoot Baba and the older Russian soldier who apologizes for him and talks about the young soldiers – YEAH RIGHT! The fact that Amir is an author who is published right away and cranks out novel after novel with great success – YEAH RIGHT! Baba dies of lung cancer and then Rahim Khan seems to have to same issue – does Hosseini think all people who die of natural causes die of lung issues? Raymond Andrews who has a bad attitude because his kid committed suicide, and then the receptionist actually tells Amir that this happened – the way this came out seemed completely fake and contrived because – IT WOULDN’T HAPPEN! Then, of course, Sohrab tries to kill himself, so now we know why Andrews kid had to commit suicide – we needed one more obvious instance of foreshadowing. It is also a little odd how often Amir throws out how he knows about medicine because he is a writer – WHAT? I didn’t know I needed to seek out an author when I was sick. And so on and so on…

But one final point that I would like to make is that as soon as Amir picked up a kite it seemed that, much like Jesus, his hands began to bleed; therefore, I am left to wonder: why didn’t Amir know about the invent of gloves? Perhaps that is the biggest tragedy of it all.

By the way, I am still giving the novel two stars because there is an interesting story in there, and the glimpse into Afghanistan is valuable. It is just that the author did such a poor job of presenting the story that it actually detracts from the positive aspects of the book and makes the validity of his glimpse into Afghanistan quite questionable. Therefore, my two stars are for the possibilities that could have been if it had been written by a talented author.
...more

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Mar 14, 2016 Henry Avila rated it really liked it

Amir, a little boy growing up in the early 1970's in Kabul, the capital of Afghanistan, has the idyllic life, a wealthy father Baba, a widower, the mother died giving birth to Amir, he believes, the father hates him for that, in the most beautiful house some say in the city, a great friend Hassan, the son of Ali, a servant and loyal to the family. Baba and Ali had been friends too in childhood, strange since Hassan's father is just a Hazara (Mongol), Hassan's promiscuous mother, had left them to
Amir, a little boy growing up in the early 1970's in Kabul, the capital of Afghanistan, has the idyllic life, a wealthy father Baba, a widower, the mother died giving birth to Amir, he believes, the father hates him for that, in the most beautiful house some say in the city, a great friend Hassan, the son of Ali, a servant and loyal to the family. Baba and Ali had been friends too in childhood, strange since Hassan's father is just a Hazara (Mongol), Hassan's promiscuous mother, had left them to join a group of dancers , a detested minority in the country , hated and persecuted, by the dominant Pashtuns, they call themselves the real Afghans...But the world never stays the same, always moving forward for better or worse and it gets much, much worse, King Zahir Shah, peaceful, forty year reign is ended , overthrown, by his disloyal cousin, Daoud Khan, making himself the President of the Republic, whatever that is ...The communist kill the usurper, the Russians invade and forty bloody years later the wars continue... Amir and Hassan are inseparable, constanly playing together , walking to the top of the nearby hill, as Baba's son reads to Hassan, an illiterate, making up stories also, to trick his friend, he does that often to the always amiable boy, flying kites, in the blue skies, their great passion, together. Hassan saves the cowardly Amir from the local bully Assef, half - German, with blond hair and evil eyes , brass knuckles in his pocket, a crazed sadist, he enjoys inflicting major damage to his victims , but will not challenge the Hazaras powerful slingshot. Pahim Khan is Baba's, wise, best friend and business partner, frequent visitor and knows all the dark secrets that even Amir doesn't. Kind to the lonely boy, while the disappointed, cold father, at six foot five, strong as an ox, too brave, sometimes, during bad situations, he wrestled a bear once and lived to boast about his victory, sees his child, a weak boy, a bookworm, can he really be his son ? In the neighborhood kite contest, Amir with the help of Hassan wins, defeats dozens of opponents, the proud father looks glowingly from above, on his rooftop , with Pahim Khan, this is his son, at last. But while the incomparable kite runner, Hassan, follows the last blue kite, slowly falling (a symbol of an era soon gone) , that was downed by Amir to insure victory, and get the souvenir, a horrible event occurs, in a dirty alley, witnessed by timid Amir , it will ensure a lifetime of pain, remorse and unforeseen consequences. A terrific tale of redemption, a child's view of the world turned sideways, shattered into many pieces that will never be the same, but still life must go on, people are complicated, and reality is hidden from most of us . ...more

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Jun 16, 2016 Raghad Frehat rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: my-favourites, أدب-كتب-مترجمة

"لاجلك الف مرة ومرة "

الامل ,الفرح ,الحزن .اليأس ,الحرب .الظلم , الخوف ,التوبة ,القوة , الضعف
كل هذا مجتمع في هذه الرواية
اتحداك ان تنسى هذه الرواية
.هل تعرف الروايات التي تبقى عالقة في ذهنك ولا تنساها ولو قرأت فوقها مليون كتاب؟انها منها
هل تعرف الروايات التي يدق قلبك فيها بشدة وانت تقرأ ؟انها منها
شاهدت الفيلم بعد انتهائي .تأثرت بالرواية بشكل كبير,ولم يقل تأثري عند مشاهدتي للفيلم
مشاعري وانا اقرأ كانت متناقضة,اريد ان اقرأ بسرعة لأعرف ما سيحصل .ولا اريد ان اقرأ بسرعة لأني لا اريد انهائها
هذه تحفة ف ...more

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Sep 10, 2016 Frankie rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: 2016, middle-east-south-asia

I loved this book.
Annoyed with myself for not reading it sooner esp after I read & loved A Thousand Splendid Suns.

Totally heartbreaking.
Although it was not worthy of 5 stars for me due to the predictability of the story but I still loved this book to bits.
Such an amazing story/journey.

Film was awful!!!!!!

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Feb 24, 2008 Mystique rated it it was amazing

Recommended to Mystique by: Melissa Coworker

I have some criticisms for this book, but because I chewed through it in such a short amount of time, I'll start with what I like and move to the criticisms.

I did NOT want to like this book. I am one of those annoying people who wants to dislike what everyone else likes, and wants to like what everyone else dislikes. Usually, this works out for me without effort; however, in the world of literature there are occasions that it does not. This was one of those occasions.

The book was brutally heartb I have some criticisms for this book, but because I chewed through it in such a short amount of time, I'll start with what I like and move to the criticisms.

I did NOT want to like this book. I am one of those annoying people who wants to dislike what everyone else likes, and wants to like what everyone else dislikes. Usually, this works out for me without effort; however, in the world of literature there are occasions that it does not. This was one of those occasions.

The book was brutally heartbreaking, but redemptive. Relationships were richly developed, emotions piqued and dropped - hallmarks of a good story.

One of my favorite things in literature is learning. If I learn from a book, I consider it valuable. Bite-sized foreign languages lessons will bolster a book's merit. This author taught me about the history, language, and geography of Afghanistan, and about the sport/hobby of kite flying/kite running. I've always thought that a person just bought a kite and flew it. I've never heard of coating the string in cut glass to cut down other kites.

The book has numerous other redeeming qualities that are likely to make it a classic read, but it does have some flaws. One thing that just kept annoying me toward the end of the book was the names of John/Thomas and Betty Caldwell. The first time they're mentioned, they're Thomas and Betty Caldwell. The next time, they're John and Betty Caldwell. WELL? Which are they?? Where was the editor on this one? No, it didn't affect the story, and it shouldn't affect me, but it did. I kept finding my thoughts drifting. Because they were never real characters, did the editor/author not find them integral to the plot? Did they have the same issues with Thomases and Johns that I have with Kamals and Kamirs? Perhaps they're unfamiliar with the names, and so it was easy to make the mistake? I admit, I was plagued. I thought about removing a star for it, but we only have 5 stars with which to work, so I didn't.

The next flaw is perhaps in my own ignorance, but I can't imagine Assef being in the Taliban. The tale describes him as blonde and blue-eyed. I don't imagine him being part of a hate-group that targets Americans as infidels if he so closely resembles one, but I have also heard that there are blonde and blue-eyed Afghans, so perhaps this is my own ignorance shining through. I have Afghan friends, but none of them has blonde hair, or blue eyes. Further, Assef is absolute evil from an age at which I'm not convinced that any child has such a developed sense of hatred, especially when we consider that, upon meeting his parents, we find them timid. Again, this could be my own ignorance of children outside of my own culture, but it's a bit tough to swallow. I didn't find it too difficult to suspend my belief, but there wasn't too much else in the tale that required such suspension.

Overall, the book has all of the ingredients needed to create a great tale - whether or not it required some belief-suspension and some editorial errors. When I complete a book in one sitting, I cannot convince myself that I didn't enjoy it. I must be true to the obvious and give it 5-stars. ...more

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Jun 12, 2007 Sammy rated it it was amazing

Shelves: a-the-best

What a powerful story. I didn't think I was going to like this book as much as I did... but I really did. I got so involved in this book that my emotions were going haywire. Not just feeling happy and sad as you do with most books, but feeling anxious and angry and dissappointed. Everything these characters felt I began to feel. That's definitely the mark of a great novel and a great writer.

One thing I think this novel really does is shed light on a situation we really don't know all that much a What a powerful story. I didn't think I was going to like this book as much as I did... but I really did. I got so involved in this book that my emotions were going haywire. Not just feeling happy and sad as you do with most books, but feeling anxious and angry and dissappointed. Everything these characters felt I began to feel. That's definitely the mark of a great novel and a great writer.

One thing I think this novel really does is shed light on a situation we really don't know all that much about. It highlights a country we only see in stereotypical clips on the news, skewing our perception and making us think only of one type of world. The Kite Runner puts the world we either never saw or don't see into view. We think of Kabul and Afghanistan only as he writes it in the second half of the novel, most of us have never even thought about it in the way it's portrayed in the first half. And that's how Aghanistan was for the longest time.

I think one of the most amazing things about this novel was the friendship between Hassan and Amir. It wasn't what you would think with, "I don't care that he's in another race I'll defend my friend no matter what." It was a real friendship against the odds. He didn't make it cute or fake, Hosseini made it raw and how it would really be in the world where a certain race is persecuted.

The characters are also all well-developed and three demensional. Never once did I see a character that was just there to further the story along and then left, without a background or history to them. Every single character gracing that page had a soul and had a past.

As usual there's so much more I want to say about this book, but for something this good you'll just have to read it yourself. Trust me, it may sound like something you really don't think you'd care for, but you'll be surprised how much Hosseini's writing and characters pull you in. Soon you'll find yourself very grateful you listened to me and picked up this book. Seriously, this book is worth your time. ...more

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Aug 20, 2016 Ahmed Ibrahim rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: أدب-مترجم, favorites, ورقى, 2015, مكتبتى, نثر, روايات, سياسة, تاريخي

هل تعلم يا صديقى هذا النوع من الروايات التى لا تستطيع الفرار منها ؟ .. كلما حاولت الابتعاد ، تدنو هى منك .. تحاول نسيانها ، فتتدافع كل تفاصيلها فى ذاكرتك ، كما قرأتها .
" إنها قصة لا تنسى ، تظل معك لسنوات .. إنها قوية لحد جعل كل ما قرأته بعدها ، ولفترة طويلة ، يبدو بلا طعم "
إزابيل ألليندى
هل تعرفه ؟
الحقيقة أنك لم تعرفه بعد ولن تعرفه ما لم تقرأ هذه الرائعة .

" لأجلك ألف مرة ومرة "
إحساس غريب ينتابنى عند قراءة هذه الجملة، حاله من الفرح، ورغبة فى البكاء .. الحقيقة لا أعرف ما هو شعورى حينها

الجزء ا ...more

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Jan 07, 2015 Will Byrnes rated it it was amazing

This is a wonderful, moving novel set in the Afghanistan of the early 70’s and of today, about a young boy and his friend growing up in Kabul. Amir desperately wants his father’s approval, but Baba is not quick to give it. He is a rich man, brimming with macho vibrancy, while his son is a different sort altogether. Amir is fast friends with Hassan, the son of his father’s servant. They are as close as brothers. But, beset by bullies, an event occurs that changes Amir’s life. There is much death ...more

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Apr 07, 2015 ليلى المطوع rated it it was amazing

Shelves: أدب-أفغاني

رميت الكتاب جانبا وقلت لن اكمله وبكيت
لا احد يستطيع ذرف دموعي كما يفعل خالد حسيني

هو وحده من يستطيع ان يقلق القارئ ويبكيه على بطل من ورق

وهذا ما فعله معي ولو كان للكتاب ملامح لارأيت شفتيه ترسمان ابتسامة كيرياء وهو يلمحني امد يدي واقرأ ماالذي حدث مع أمير

كلما قلت لن اكمل الرواية بسبب ماتسببه لي من ألم وحزن اجد نفسي بعد لحظات اعود لها

جميلة جدا هذه الرواية ومن اروع ما قرأت

****

من كثر ما اضاع خالد حسيني عقلي رحت فتحت التقرير وكتبته واكتشفت اخر شي اني حطيت التقرير تحت روايتي

الله يسامحك يا خالد حسيني

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May 24, 2008 Roos rated it it was amazing

Recommends it for: everyone

Recommended to Roos by: my friends

Shelves: booker, furious

Speechless when I'm finished this book...
Cried when read Hassan's letters to Amir
Adored what Hassan and Baba did to Amir
Excited during my journey to Kabul
Confused when I want to make a review

Hoalah....

Buku ini bikin aku nangis tengah malam, bikin aku bangun kesiangan, bikin mataku bengkak pagi-pagi, bikin gak konsen saat kerja...dan bikin aku bingung mau ngereview apa...dah menguras airmata, menguras emosi dan menguras konsentrasi...karena begitu membaca gak bisa naruh lagi bukunya....pikiran se ...more

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Aug 23, 2016 Ahmad Sharabiani rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: historical, novel, fiction, literature, afghanistan, 21th-century

داستان از زبان امیر روایت میشود، امیر یک نویسنده ی اهل افغانستان و از تبار پشتون و ساکن کالیفرنیاست که برای نجات یک بچه، راهی افغانستان میشود؛ افغانستانی که در تحت حاکمیت طالبان است و یکی از دشوارترین دوران تاریخ چند هزار ساله ی خویش را سپری میکند و به بهانه ی همین سفر امیر به افغانستان ایشان داستان زندگی خویش را میگوید
نقل از کتاب: ناراحت شدن از یک حقیقت بهتر از تسکین یافتن با یک دروغ است
**
حسن اینطوری بود. لعنتی آن قدر بی غل و غش بود که پیش او آدم همیشه حس میکرد ریاکار است
**
بابا گفت: «خوبه.» اما داستان از زبان امیر روایت می‌شود، امیر یک نویسنده ی اهل افغانستان و از تبار پشتون و ساکن کالیفرنیاست که برای نجات یک بچه، راهی افغانستان می‌شود؛ افغانستانی که در تحت حاکمیت طالبان است و یکی از دشوارترین دوران تاریخ چند هزار ساله‌ ی خویش را سپری می‌کند و به بهانه ی همین سفر امیر به افغانستان ایشان داستان زندگی‌ خویش را می‌گوید
نقل از کتاب: ناراحت شدن از یک حقیقت بهتر از تسکین یافتن با یک دروغ است
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حسن اینطوری بود. لعنتی آن قدر بی غل و غش بود که پیش او آدم همیشه حس میکرد ریاکار است
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بابا گفت: «خوبه.» اما نگاهش حیران بود. «خب هرچی ملا یادت داده ول کن، فقط یک گناه وجود دارد والسلام. آن هم دزدی ست. هر گناه دیگری هم نوعی دزدی است. میفهمی چی میگویم؟» مایوسانه آرزو کردم و گفتم: کاش میفهمیدم؛ و گفتم: «نه بابا جون». نمی‌خواستم دوباره ناامیدش کنم. بابا با بی حوصلگی آهی کشید. با این کار دوباره دلم را سوزاند، چون او اصلاً آدم بی حوصله ای نبود. یادم آمد که تا هوا تاریک نمیشد، هیچ وقت به خانه نمیآمد، همیشه ی خدا تنهایی شام میخوردم. وقتی میآمد خانه، از علی میپرسیدم: بابا کجا بوده؟ هرچند خودم خوب میدانستم که سر ساختمان بوده، سرکشی به این، نظارت به آن. مگر این کارها حال و حوصله نمیخواست؟ از تمام آن بچه هایی که داشت برایشان پرورشگاه میساخت متنفر بودم؛ گاهی وقت ها آرزو میکردم کاش همه ی آن ها با پدر و مادرهایشان مرده بودند. بابا گفت: «اگر مردی را بکشی، یک زندگی را میدزدی. حق زنش را از داشتن شوهر میدزدی، جق بچه هایش را از داشتن پدر میدزدی. وقتی دروغ میگویی، حق کسی را از دانستن حقیقت میدزدی. وقتی تقلب میکنی، حق را از انصاف میدزدی، می فهمی؟
پایان نقل

The kite runner, 2003, Khaled Hosseini
عنوان: بادبادک باز؛ نویسنده: خالد حسینی؛ مترجم: زیبا گنجی؛ پریسا سلیمانزاده اردبیلی، مشخصات نشر: تهران، مروارید، 1383، در 422 ص؛ شابک: 9645881927؛ موضوع: داستانهای نویسندگان امریکایی قرن 21 م
عنوان: بادبادک باز؛ مترجم: مهدی غبرائی؛ مشخصات نشر: تهران، نشر همراه، 1384، در 456 ص؛
عنوان: بادبادک پران؛ مترجم: منیژه شیخ جوادی؛ مشخصات نشر: تهران، پیکان، 1385، در 383 ص؛ شابک: 9789643284953؛
عنوان: بادبادک باز؛ مترجم: مهدی غبرائی؛ مشخصات نشر: تهران، نیلوفر، 1386، در 368 ص؛ شابک: 9644482972؛
عنوان: بادبادک باز؛ مترجم: صدیقه ابراهیمی؛ مشخصات نشر: تهران، دایره، 1387، در 393 ص؛ شابک: 9789646939694؛
عنوان: بادبادک باز؛ مترجم: مژگان احمدی؛ مشخصات نشر: تهران، بهزاد، 1388، در 331 ص؛ شابک: 9789642569410؛
عنوان: بادبادک باز؛ مترجم: پیمان اشراقی؛ مشخصات نشر: تهران، نگارستان کتاب، 1389، در 508 ص؛ شابک: 9786005541557؛
عنوان: بادبادک باز؛ مترجم: سمیه یداللهی؛ مشخصات نشر: تهران، شهرزاد، 1389، در 376 ص؛ شابک: 9786001710421؛
عنوان: بادبادک باز؛ مترجم: رقیه فیروزی؛ مشخصات نشر: قم، رخ مهتاب راتا، 1392، در 338 ص؛ شابک: 9786007076026؛
عنوان: بادبادک باز؛ مترجم: حسین بخشی؛ مشخصات نشر: تهران، آوای مکتوب، 1393، در 368 ص؛ شابک: 9786007364055؛
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Feb 24, 2013 Lynne King rated it it was amazing

This is the third in my top favourite books of all time. If I could give it more than five stars I would.

I read this book, and after closing my Kindle, my immediate thought was what a fabulous book. But why did I like it so much? I guess it was a number of things. It has all the ingredients of a great book: loyalty, weakness, betrayal, guilt, lies, sex, secrets, violence, an attempted suicide and finally love coupled with justice.

Firstly, it’s a social document covering the period 1975, followed This is the third in my top favourite books of all time. If I could give it more than five stars I would.

I read this book, and after closing my Kindle, my immediate thought was what a fabulous book. But why did I like it so much? I guess it was a number of things. It has all the ingredients of a great book: loyalty, weakness, betrayal, guilt, lies, sex, secrets, violence, an attempted suicide and finally love coupled with justice.

Firstly, it’s a social document covering the period 1975, followed by the first invasion of the Russians in 1979 and the bloodshed that ensued both during their nine year occupancy of Afghanistan, and subsequently the terror and destruction caused by the Taliban in the nineties.

The first chapter of the book dated December 2001, which sets the scene for the book, opens with the wording:

“I became what I am today at the age of twelve; on a frigid overcast day in the winter of 1975. I remember the precise moment, crouching behind a crumbling mud wall, peeking in the alley near the frozen creek. That was a long time ago, but it’s wrong what they say about the past, I’ve learned, about how you can bury it. Because the past claws its way out. Looking back now, I realize I have been peeking into that deserted alley for the last twenty-six years.”

Basically the story is about two boys, Amir (a Pashtun) a rather weak person at the beginning who liked to dream and write short stories; the son of a wealthy Afghan known as Baba, who has a strong, vibrant personality, and excels at whatever he puts his mind to. He’s the complete contrast to his son. In fact Amir always felt that his mother’s death caused by his birth was the reason why he could never get close to his father.

On the other hand is his good friend Hassan (a Hazara; a minority group in Afghanistan, that the Afghans consider as inferior), whose father Ali is employed as a servant by Baba and the pair of them live in a mud house near to Baba’s home. In addition Baba cares very much for Hassan much to Amir’s chagrin.

Amir and Hassan do everything together even though Amir feels inwardly that his friend is illiterate and basically mocks him. But Hassan is devoted to him and will do everything he can for his friend. They both have this great passion for kite flying in common, with Hassan being the best kite runner. He’s also a great slingshot and when he marries, his son Sohrab is even better. There’s the most unexpected turn of events involved with the slingshot and I was delighted and yet amazed with the outcome there.

Everything goes along perfectly with Amir and Hassan until a “psychopathic” adolescent called Assef enters the arena at the time of a kite competition, and a very unfortunate event occurs. Then Amir’s thirteenth birthday follows and still reeling from guilt with regard to his friend, decides there’s only one thing that he can possibly do to rectify the matter.

An absolutely wonderful and moving book, with some amazing descriptions and I recommend it to everyone. There were some violent sections that also frightened me no end and I was nervous to turn the page but that’s the beauty of this incredible book. The ending - well, I leave that to the reader to discover.
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Sep 15, 2010 Maciek rated it it was ok

Shelves: owned-books, own-in-paperback, read-in-2010, reviewed

Because The Kite Runner is adored by approximately 110% of those who have read it, I decided to read the thing myself. After thousands of enthusiastic reviews I had pretty high expectations which the book ultimately did not meet.

The Kite Runner is a pretty simple story; how one event can change a whole life - sort of stuff Ian McEwan specialises in. Hosseini is big in foreshadowing - he certainly won't let you forget that A Terrible Event is going to happen on That Day of That Year, but before g Because The Kite Runner is adored by approximately 110% of those who have read it, I decided to read the thing myself. After thousands of enthusiastic reviews I had pretty high expectations which the book ultimately did not meet.

The Kite Runner is a pretty simple story; how one event can change a whole life - sort of stuff Ian McEwan specialises in. Hosseini is big in foreshadowing - he certainly won't let you forget that A Terrible Event is going to happen on That Day of That Year, but before going to take you to the mentioned Event he'll spend some pages of describing Afghan culture (I quite enjoyed that), then go back to mentioning That Gloomy Day, and switch back to describing how tasty naan was when our heroes were kids.

Speaking of which, the book deals with two young boys - Amir and Hassan. Amir is a well to do Pashtun boy, while Hassan is his servant, one of the Hazara. Despite being breastfeeded by the same nanny, both boys occupy drastically different social positions - speaking simply Amir is the master and Hassan is the slave. They're quite close though = they play together and compete in kite flying, where Hassan excels at the titular kite running - catching kites that were cut down by other players.
Hosseini, a beginning writer, did what most beginning writers do, unfortunately - made the boys complete polar opposites of each other. Amir is one of the most unsympathetic protagonists I ever encountered in fiction - and he stays that way through the whole book, which I'm not sure was Hosseini's intention - while Hassan is basically a saint, who also happens to be pretty good at ironing, cleaning and cooking.

It's difficult to discuss the plot of the novel without giving something away, but I think it's safe to say that the relationship between two boys is doomed to be destroyed by The Terrible Event, which the author surely emphasized often enough. Before the book has the chance to turn into Deliverance with kites, a chain of events happens that forces Hassan out of Amir's household and Amir out of his country.
Here Hosseini makes another of the mistakes made by beginning novelists - after putting his character through personal hell, he makes his "new life" way to easy. I find it funny because Amir is an aspiring novelist, and there are pages devoted to writing stories and the use of cliches.

Speaking of cliches, the language is not that original either. None of the sentences are groundbreaking or jaw-dropping, and Hosseini's use of Farsi is irritating - he injects the words from his native language just to make the book sound smart. I can inject words from my native language ale to nic nie zmieni bo wciąż będzie to ten sam tekst. Do you know what it means? Hosseini apparently thinks we all understand him easily and can pick up the connotations from context. From my experience people don't switch back and forth between two languages when they speak to a person who knows only one, and most certainly they don't start a sentence in English, put in one or two words in Farsi, explain them in English and then finish the sentence in English again...and expect us to understand they've been speaking Farsi to begin with. I didn't read this book to learn Farsi, but I'd appreciate learning what some of the words mean and how they are important in the Afghan culture and relate to the protagonists' lives. I certainly wouldn't like to learn this the Hosseini way, who crams these words not two or three times per page, but five or six per paragraph, which gets old and confusing pretty soon. It's especially evident in the parts where Amir's father tries to speak English but does that poorly, without proper grammar and words, while in the next paragraph he's referring to Amir in a way of a proper Englishman. The reader is supposed to understand that father and son are speaking in their native language, but the transition between the two is never suggested in any way, there are no italics or quotation marks.

Another important part of the novel are plot holes. Amir learns about them from Hassan of all people, who points out a glaring one in the story our hero has written. While the first part of the novel is relatively free of them, the second one is one big plot hole, full of implausible plot developments, that are overtly coincidental and very contrived. As mentioned, Amir is an aspiring novelist; he's very quick to get back on his feet again and publish four books in quick succesion, embark on reading tours without any sort of struggle or difficulty...and to top that marry a beautiful, young girl. What follows is a plot from some TV melodrama with impossible consequences - a street bum whom Amir meets is a university professor who knew his mother, Amir can't have children so there's a child to save, and most of all the evil bad guy who shows up is pretty much one of the worst bad guys of all time - Hosseini really outdid himself here and made him not only a sadist and a pedophile, but also a nazi.
The biggest and most important plot points (involving emigration) which is quite an obstacle is solved by one phone call! (" You know Amir, I just happen to have this uncle who...) Seriously, Hosseini got so wound up in the tragedies he made up for his character that he decided to get them out from the situation by the easiest of ways - cheating.

I'm not saying that the events Hosseini writes about are not important, not that the story he aims to deliver is bland - there are twists that I didn't predict. It's just that it lacks so much in characteriation and plot development, depends too hard on cliches and deus ex machinas. It didn't made my heart soar as some said it would; certainly it's not "the best book I have ever read". Maybe because Hosseini tries too hard to manipulate emotions of the reader, and his attempts at metpahor and foreshadowing are ham-fisted at best. He concentrates on one theme, while ignoring others that are just as interesting.
And The Kite Runner never even suggest an answer to the most important question - why weren't they wearing gloves?

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Apr 09, 2016 Ahmed rated it really liked it

ببساطة مطلقه : هناك نوع من الأدب يجبرك على أن تكره الكتابه والقراءة
لان هذا النوع يضعك فى مواجهة الواقع القمئ الذي تتجاهله انت بكل خسه

نوع يضعك فى مواجهة معاناة البشر ويجعلك تتضافر معه وتتفاعل مع احداثه
نوع يجعلك اكثر ايجايبيه وتخرج من برجك العاجى لتنزل الى ارض واقع اخترت انت ان تتجاهل وجوده او على اكبر تقدير تتأثر بمشهد تراه امامك على شاشة التلفاز لتنساه بعدها بخمس دقائق وانت تشاهد فيلم او رياضه ما.

هذا العمل يصدمك ويذكرك بانسانيتك المنسيهليقول لك استيقظ فهناك بشر آخرون يعيشون فى هذا العالم .

بشر ي ...more

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About Khaled Hosseini

Hosseini was born in Kabul, Afghanistan, in 1965. In 1970 Hosseini and his family moved to Iran where his father worked for the Embassy of Afghanistan in Tehran. In 1973 Hosseini's family returned to Kabul, and Hosseini's youngest brother was born in July of that year.
In 1976, when Hosseini was 11 years old, Hosseini's father obtained a job in Paris, France, and moved the family there. They were u ...more

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