The Kite Runner

by Khaled Hosseini

Paperback, 371 pages

English language

Published Sept. 21, 2005 by Riverhead Books.

ISBN:: 978-1-59448-000-3
OCLC Number:: 55031822

(53 reviews)

“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 bond is torn by Amir's choice to abandon his friend amidst the increasing ethnic, religious, and political tensions of the dying years of the Afghan monarchy, wrenching them far apart. But so strong is the bond between the two boys that Amir journeys back to a distant world, to try to right past wrongs against the only true friend he ever had.

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 …

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

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 an exploration of the power of fathers over sons—their love, their sacrifices, their lies.

A sweeping story of family, love, and friendship told against the devastating backdrop of the history of Afghanistan over the last thirty years, The Kite Runner is an unusual and powerful novel that has become a beloved, one-of-a-kind classic.

69 editions

Jens reviewed The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini

Review of 'The Kite Runner' on 'Goodreads'

4 stars

Who doesn't love a book that takes you on a journey into a world you knew very little about, this time around the Afghanistan of the narrator's childhood, and then again adulthood? If your answer is "me, I don't care about that", then this book is not for you. I, however, enjoyed this praised novel a lot, with its physical and psychological violence, its mood set expertly by the author, and how it all comes together in a plot spanning a few decades and at least two continents.

Were some things a little too on the nose for my taste? Certainly. The sheer violence of it all may also not to be everyone's liking. I guess it all serves the purpose of the novel, to teach us a lesson in being human. (Cheesy? Yeah, actually, just like a few parts of this book.)

Overall a moving experience, recommended to everyone …

RexLegendi reviewed De vliegeraar by Khaled Hosseini

Review of 'De vliegeraar' on 'Goodreads'

1 star

Khaled Hosseini (1965) was born in Afghanistan and left the country when he was eleven years old. He uses this experience as a premise for his fictional debut novel The Kite Runner about a boy from a wealthy neighbourhood in Kabul, who flees the country after the Soviet invasion.

A story like this is almost bound to be dark and depressing, but Hosseini applies a few tricks to avoid burdening his audience. He smears a thick layer of sugar over his narrative by adding feel-good elements and leaning on clichés. Sentimentality seems to be key. The novel contains some promising dilemmas and ideas and I especially appreciated the plot twist halfway through, but just when I thought the story would pick up, Hosseini kills it with his sociopath villain. I had hoped to learn from this book, but I didn’t really.

js reviewed De vliegeraar by Khaled Hosseini

Review of 'De vliegeraar' on 'Goodreads'

4 stars

Gaandeweg aangrijpend, en met het hoofdkarakter meegroeien van stuntelend naar magistraal.

Baltipink reviewed The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini (Riverhead Essential Editions)

Review of 'The Kite Runner' on 'Goodreads'

4 stars

I think the first two thirds is a four star book and the last third is more of a three star book. I just found the end a little too fantastical. Also, my ignorance of the historical parts makes me wonder how much social/political/religious commentary I am just not picking up on and what the real perspective is. But those things aside, it is a page turner. He really nails guilt, what happens when you don't do the right thing out of fear, what happens when you let bullies and sociopaths do their worst.

Molly Foust reviewed The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini

Review of 'The Kite Runner' on 'Goodreads'

4 stars

A sad sigh when I finished.. I feel like I am the last person to finally read this book, but after reading The Wasted Vigil a few years back I just couldn't stomach the ensuing depression.. though this book is neither as brilliant or as depressing as The Wasted Vigil... just waiting for the first Afghan comedy to come along. I am reading the Kite Runner with a book club I do at a prison and I think it will be a great book for a discussion of mens' relationships. The story is a bit too well-put together and even to feel organic, but the writing is flawless-if not glorious- and my overall impression was 2 thumbs up..

kdwarn reviewed The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini

Review of 'The Kite Runner' on 'Goodreads'

3 stars

Last 50-75 pages could have been condensed into 10, but mostly good aside from that.

otrops reviewed The kite runner by Khaled Hosseini

Review of 'The kite runner' on 'Storygraph'

2 stars

For good or ill, this is the type of book that I'm going to compare to [book:Midnight's Children]. This is not a fair comparison, I'll admit. In the end, though, this book feels more like John Irving than Salman Rushdie. That's not a bad thing, if you're a fan of Irving's neat and tidy, overly contrived plot resolutions.