It's difficult to believe that The Kite Runner is Khaled Hosseini's debut novel. This is is one of the most powerful and memorable books I've ever read. Honest, brutal, graphic and raw, yet emotionally wrenching - a terrific and provocative read.

The Kite Runner tears at your heart but at the same time it creates a very rich and vivid experience of Afghan culture and history.

I listened to the audio version, read by the author. He has a bit of an accent as well as a very flat reading vo... (show more)

It's difficult to believe that The Kite Runner is Khaled Hosseini's debut novel. This is is one of the most powerful and memorable books I've ever read. Honest, brutal, graphic and raw, yet emotionally wrenching - a terrific and provocative read.

The Kite Runner tears at your heart but at the same time it creates a very rich and vivid experience of Afghan culture and history.

I listened to the audio version, read by the author. He has a bit of an accent as well as a very flat reading voice, which takes a while to get used to. I did not read the written version so I can't comment on how reading it would be, but listening to it was quite an experience, especially hearing the properly pronounced Farsi words in-between the English text. This is one of the best books I have ever listened to and while the subject matter could be uncomfortable at times, I found the writing style and the story mesmerising.

This novel is also a powerful statement about the healing power of friendships and family. This one will continue to haunt me for some time. (show less)

Hosseini's style of storytelling is sincere and honest. The characters come to life when reading this book and you forget that you're actually reading in your bed at home and your mind travels to Afganistan. The plot is classic but the treatment is original. He manages to write about the classic story of friends that part in childhood and then spend their lives thinking about each other but still at the same time he sheds light on Afganistan's story of war. I found it really touching at time... (show more)

Hosseini's style of storytelling is sincere and honest. The characters come to life when reading this book and you forget that you're actually reading in your bed at home and your mind travels to Afganistan. The plot is classic but the treatment is original. He manages to write about the classic story of friends that part in childhood and then spend their lives thinking about each other but still at the same time he sheds light on Afganistan's story of war. I found it really touching at times and it woke up all kinds of emotions from love to anger.

Overall I feel that this book is nicely balance, with good connections between different parts of the book so the plot, that is not always on the surface, is able to shine through at important points and connect the past to the future. A book that leaves a lot behind when you've read through it. (show less)

Simply a marvelous book which hit the market just when we all needed a lot more knowledge about what exactly had been going on in Afghanistan and to its people before 9/11. Sometimes difficult to read, the story of Amir, his childhood friend Hassan, and his father tells a tale that is somehow unique to the culture in which it is set and also universal in its themes of loyalty, betrayal, and redemption. The beginning is set in Afghanistan and contrasts the privileged life of Amir and the non-p... (show more)

Simply a marvelous book which hit the market just when we all needed a lot more knowledge about what exactly had been going on in Afghanistan and to its people before 9/11. Sometimes difficult to read, the story of Amir, his childhood friend Hassan, and his father tells a tale that is somehow unique to the culture in which it is set and also universal in its themes of loyalty, betrayal, and redemption. The beginning is set in Afghanistan and contrasts the privileged life of Amir and the non-privileged one of his family's servant Hassan which brings the two as close as brothers yet distinctly separated by class and sect. After making some choices which haunt him for years, Amir and his father end up escaping from Afghanistan to America. There, the once proud family is reduced to one of poverty, which brings the two closer than they had been when their lives were "easier". Through education, marriage and death, Amir grows into a man who is then called back to the country he fled with an opportunity to redeem himself many years after turning his back on his loyal friend. A beautiful book. Highly recommended. (show less)

Dealing with painful issues of both an intimate and international level, Hosseini's novel is a breathtaking work of art. The book jumps between the very real and powerful emotions of the central character and the history-making changes of the world around him. Hosseini masterfully blends these two realities, allowing the destruction of one to amplify and enrich the destruction of the other. What's more, he causes us to truly connect with his protagonist, painting him in a real and authentic w... (show more)

Dealing with painful issues of both an intimate and international level, Hosseini's novel is a breathtaking work of art. The book jumps between the very real and powerful emotions of the central character and the history-making changes of the world around him. Hosseini masterfully blends these two realities, allowing the destruction of one to amplify and enrich the destruction of the other. What's more, he causes us to truly connect with his protagonist, painting him in a real and authentic way without covering up his faults or doubts, which allows us in some small way to see Afghanistan through his eyes and, for a brief moment, to weep with him over the destruction of his country as our own. Beyond simply being an excellent tale, Hosseini's book also speaks to the current world climate by allowing a heart-rending view into one of the most unknown places on the Earth, unknown mostly by a choice to not seek the answers to a place that even Hosseini admits is often seen as 'hopeless'. There is real emotion in his writing and many times you have to remind yourself that this is not an autobiography, though the reality he portrays is just as moving. This book made me weep and also cheer as the protagonists wadded through the muddied waters of life, occasionally rising beyond the muck into something glorious.

An amazingly moving book and an excellent read deserving of a great deal of the hype surrounding it, I give it my highest recommendation. (show less)

An American Afghan seeks redemption for his betrayal of a friend. Interesting to note, the Taliban banned kite flying in 1994.The decree was that kite-flying was a frivolous activity that took people's mind away from religion and God.With the end of Taliban rule, kite-flying was restored in 2002. The challenge involves two persons, the flyer and the runner. The aim is to fly kites close to the competing team and cut the kite line. The cosmic connection: the kite-shaped constellation is Boote... (show more)

An American Afghan seeks redemption for his betrayal of a friend. Interesting to note, the Taliban banned kite flying in 1994.The decree was that kite-flying was a frivolous activity that took people's mind away from religion and God.With the end of Taliban rule, kite-flying was restored in 2002. The challenge involves two persons, the flyer and the runner. The aim is to fly kites close to the competing team and cut the kite line. The cosmic connection: the kite-shaped constellation is Bootes, the herdsman; it appears in Spring. The Bears pull his plow. In Arabic he is al Dhi'bah (the terrible wolves). The constellation contains Arcturus, a golden yellow star (from the handle of the Big Dipper, Arc to Arcturus). Pakistan banned kite-flying in 2005 on safety grounds -- the thin coated (with glass) lines were deemed hazardous. In the story, the protagonist is the kite flyer (a young man of a privileged family) the kite runner is his friend (a servant from a poor Shi'a family). (show less)