The Kite Runner: Summary and book reviews of The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini, plus links to an excerpt from The Kite Runner and a biography of Khaled Hosseini.
The Kite Runner
by Khaled Hosseini
Hardcover: Jun 2003,
368 pages.
Paperback: Apr 2004,
384 pages.
An epic tale of fathers and sons, of friendship and betrayal, that takes us from Afghanistan in the final days of the monarchy to the atrocities of the present.
The unforgettable, heartbreaking story of the unlikely friendship between a wealthy boy and the son of his father's servant, The Kite Runner is a beautifully crafted novel set in a country that is in the process of being destroyed. It is about the power of reading, the price of betrayal, and the possibility of redemption, and it is also about the power of fathers over sons-their love, their sacrifices, their lies.
The first Afghan novel to be written in English, The Kite Runner tells a sweeping story of family, love, and friendship against a backdrop of history that has not been told in fiction before, bringing to mind the large canvases of the Russian writers of the nineteenth century. But just as it is old-fashioned in its narration, it is contemporary in its subject—the devastating history of Afghanistan over the last thirty years. As emotionally gripping as it is tender, The Kite Runner is an unusual and powerful debut.
BOOK REVIEWS
Media Reviews
Publishers Weekly
.... stunning debut novel...the character studies alone would make this a noteworthy debut....add an incisive, perceptive examination of recent Afghan history and its ramifications in both America and the Middle East, and the result is a complete work of literature that succeeds in exploring the culture of a previously obscure nation that has become a pivot point in the global politics of the new millennium.
Library Journal - Rebecca Stuhr
Starred Review. The characters of Amir and his father, their relationship, and the relationship of Hassan and Amir are all carefully and convincingly described and developed. Hosseini, now a doctor in California, is possibly the only Afghan author writing in English, and his first novel is recommended for all public and academic libraries.
Kirkus Reviews
Here’s a real find a striking debut from an Afghan now living in the US. His passionate story of betrayal and redemption is framed by Afghanistan’s tragic recent past.... irresistible.
USA Today
...a haunting morality tale set in Afghanistan and California, covering nearly 40 years.
San Francisco Chronicle
A marvelous first novel.... It's an old-fashioned kind of novel that really sweeps you away.
Bookpage
...provides an extraordinary perspective on the struggles of a country that...had been for too long ignored or misunderstood.
Recent Reader Reviews
Rated of 5
by Garrison The Kite Runner The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini was one of the most intriguing, attention grabbing books I have ever read. This vivid tale is about two young boys, Amir and Hassan, growing up in Afghanistan and their adventures of kite running and kite... Read More
Rated of 5
by Denise Forshaw The stoning. The stoning in 'The Kite Runner' is horrific and not needed in order to punish someone for adultery that happens in everyday life.
War, natural disaster, reckless gods and the recognition of impermanence in the world are just some of the threads that AS Byatt weaves into this most timely of books. Linguistically stunning and imaginatively abundant, this is a landmark.
A beguiling, imaginative, inspiring story about the bigness of being alive as an individual, as a member of a tribe, and as a participant in history, exploring how we use storytelling to survive and shape our own truths.
Brilliantly evoking the long-vanished world of masters and servants, Margaret Powell's classic memoir of her time in service is the remarkable true story of an indomitable woman who, though she served in the great houses of England, never stopped aiming high.
Vivid, daring, and unforgettable, The Printmaker's Daughter shines fresh light on art, loyalty, and the tender and indelible bond between a father and daughter.
I read The Healing in two sittings it is a fascinating story of plantation life at the beginning of the Civil War. Granada, a slave newborn child...
read more
The Uncommon Reader is a novella by novelist and playwright, Alan Bennett. The story starts with the Queen coming across the mobile library van...
read more
Amazon to open bricks and mortar store in Seattle(Feb 07 2012) Last week, the word in the blogosphere was that Amazon was considering opening a bricks-and-mortar store. Over the weekend goodereader.com added substance to...
Full Story
Arizona bills Amazon for $53 million in uncollected sales tax(Feb 06 2012) The ongoing sales tax battle between many US states and large online retailers, most notably Amazon, continues with a thrust from Arizona which, last week,...
Full Story
USA Today
of 5
by Garrison
of 5
by Denise Forshaw
RSS feed
