The Kite Runner

The Kite runner by Khaled Hosseini is one of the greatest books I read in my life. The history of Amir can not let you indiferent. This novel will certainly make you think about friendship, good and evil, redemption and betrayal while making you feel a lot of emotions. The story is suspenseful and the characters are really interesting. It gives also a look of the historical situation in Afghanistan in the eyes of a man who realy lives it. For those reasons, you will not want to put this book down. I recommend this book to everybody.

Reading The Kite Runner made me discover the country of the author and his culture. Indeed, Kaheled Hosseini made me discover the story of Afghanistan and the problems that occur there since the Cold War. The plot of the book is the story of a man who returns to his country in order to save the boy of an old friend. It is a story of redemption where the man wants to be clean of his old sins. I recommend this book to everyone to break theirs prejudices on this culture and because you will discover all the sacrifices that someone can do to find back his honour.

The Kite Runner tells a riveting story about the relationship between two male friends Amir and Hassan. Amir is the master’s son and Hassan is the servant’s son. Throughout the book, you find Amir struggles with his conscious trying to determine what is right and what is wrong. Amir, one day, witnesses the brutal rape of his best friend by the cities bully, and decides not to say or do anything about what he witnessed. This dramatically changes their friendship forever. This book will affect you emotionally; unfortunately some parts are difficult to get through. The author Hosseini makes you feel for the characters as if they were real people who you knew, and you find yourself beginning to become very involved. Your stomach will turn, you may get mad, and you may have to put the book aside for a few days to rest your mind. It is greatly themed, and fantastically written, and very descriptive. I’m happy that I experienced such a gripping novel.

I read this book in grade 12 English class and I loved it. This coming from me is something huge because I dont like reading. This book has alot of imagery that helps the reader imagine whats going on in the book. The Kite Runner tells the story of Amir, a young boy from the Wazir Akbar Khan district of Kabul, whose closest friend is Hassan, his father's young Hazara servant. The story is set against the conditions of the chaotic events from the fall of Afghanistan's monarchy through the Soviet invasion, the mass departure of the refugees to Pakistan and the United States, and the rise of the Taliban regime. This book is also reallly sad, because in the book Hassan, Amir close friend gets raped when he was very young, by the town bully Assef. The book is narrated by the main character Amir. I suggest everyone read this book, because it was one of the best books I have ever read.

Read this book about 5 times now, and every time I read it, I still am astonished at how touching this book is. A book I recommend to new readers because most book worms have read this classical piece of work.

The Kite Runner is a story about the search for redemption. Amir stuggles to find peace at mind after committing the worst sin of his life at the age of 12 and ever since then, he is on a mission for forgiveness. The story is told in a way that allows a reader to develop a relationship with Amir, and to identify with him. The struggles of war, fighting for a father's affection and loosing a dear friendship are things that many individuals are able to relate to, I know I am. Being South Asian, it's easy to connect with the concepts in the book like the gossip within familes, the acedemic pressures, and the class system that keeps so many people divided like Hassan and Amir were. Overall this book brought me to tears, made me smile and reminded me of how important it is to forgive. It has been a while since I have read a "good" book and I am glad I was finally able to.

I know I'm going totally against the stream on this one but I really disliked this book. Some of the subject matter was just too much for me and I found it disturbing. I did not enjoy this book at all and was glad it was a Heather's pick, as I returned it and got my money back.

Prior to reading this novel, I heard a lot of good things about it - and they were all true. From the start, Hosseini pulls you into the world and the story of the main character, Amir. I don't want to write too much because I don't want to give anything away. Basically the novel follows Amir from his childhood in Afghanistan to his adult life in the United States. He struggles with typical experiences of children and adults - gaining the approval of his father, friendship, marriage, wanting children, etc. He also experiences things that some people will not experience in their lifetime - becoming a refugee and immigrant in a new country; leaving an upperclass lifestyle in one country to a lower-middle class lifestyle in a new country. One thing remains constant for Amir - he is haunted by an incident from his childhood.

The story follows Amir has he tries to right the wrongs of his life. Several times I found myself holding back tears. I feel along with the characters in the novel. I found myself smiling and gasping at certain parts of the story. When you think nothing else can happen, the story takes another amazing turn.

As I neared the end of the novel, I thought Hosseini would disappoint me with the ending. And although it wasn't really the happy ending I was looking forward to, it was a great ending that suited the tone and style of the novel.

Definitely make the time and effort to read this book - you won't be able to put it down!

I absolutely loved this book. It is a bit of a heavy read, however once you start it is quite difficult to stop. I sympathized deeply with the characters and felt as if I was living though their experiences myself. Fantastic novel!

What an emotional jouney this book takes you on. Makes you feel like you are there with Aamir & Hussan in Kabul getting ready to fly that kite! A bond so strong between Aamir & Hussan that is truely tested. Value every friendship you have, and don't take any friendship for granted!

The Kite Runner is an inspirational novel about a man named Amir struggling to live with his horrible memories. Amir was a very innocent boy growing up in Kabul. As the Soviets invaded Kabul, his life turned up side down. I thought the book was a powerful novel and it was one of the best books I read. This story is very touching and my view on people changed after I read this novel. I really liked this story because of its great plot line. Also, I liked how the author wrote it in the format of an autobiography. This made the book more interesting. My favourite part about the book is when Amir found Sorohab. I found this part very touching and it was my favourite part of the book. I would recommend this book to people that like drama and powerful novels. To me this was one of the greatest books ever written.

The Kite Runner is an inspirational novel about a man named Amir struggling to live with his horrible memories. Amir was a very innocent boy growing up in Kabul. As the Soviets invaded Kabul, his life turned up side down. I thought the book was a powerful novel and it was one of the best books I read. This story is very touching and my view on people changed after I read this novel. I really liked this story because of its great plot line. Also, I liked how the author wrote it in the format of an autobiography. This made the book more interesting. My favourite part about the book is when Amir found Sorohab. I found this part very touching and it was my favourite part of the book. I would recommend this book to people that like drama and powerful novels. To me this was one of the greatest books ever written.

The Kite Runner is an inspirational novel about a man named Amir struggling to live with his horrible memories. Amir was a very innocent boy growing up in Kabul. As the Soviets invaded Kabul, his life turned upsidedown. I thought the book was a powerful novel and it was one of the best books I read.
This story is very touching and my view on people changed after I read this novel. It was moving and great. I give this book a 9/10. The author's style of writing is a very different writing style. The writing style was a fictional autobiography and it helped make this novel so powerful.

The Kite Runner is one of those rare stories that wiggles it way into your heart and stays there forever. It's a story about family, friendship, honour, and survival amidst conflict. Put down whatever you are reading now, and pick this book up! One of the best books I've ever read, from a truly gifted storyteller!

The jacket of this book by Khaled Hosseini says- "Unforgettable... Extraordinary... Powerful" It is all those things and more. It looks into the minds of children, their perspective of the world, their mistakes and how they can forgive and adversly how wounds can fester- all this while explaining a history of a country and religion so foreign to "our" way of thinking -this is a story that will hold the reader spellbound until the final page!

Based on the phenomenal novel, The Kite Runner, a film version was filmed and released in theatres in 2007. This movie was directed by Marc Forster. The cinematography was outstanding. The cinematographer took the movie scenes in many different angles, which made the movie look interesting to see. The music composition was excellent, as it made the movie suspenseful during serious moments, such as the kite tournament. The cast portrayed their roles in the film flawlessly. The facial expressions of the actors were nearly exactly as described in the novel. The makeup on the actors was done very well, again, as described in the novel. I think that the novel was more perceptive than the film interpretation.

One reason why the movie interpretation of the novel was flawed was because that there were some things in the movie that I thought weren't adequate. One was the lighting. I visualized the lighting of the novel as brighter, because of the sun in the U.S., Afghanistan, and Pakistan. However, the director's interpretation of the novel included lighting as dark as the sunset; the sun wasn't as vivid as I thought it would be.

Another reason I think the novel is better than the film is because the director left out a few important scenes, that would've made the movie as interesting as watching a crime being solved. I thought my interpretation of the novel was a lot better than the movie because it included those scenes which would have made the movie more than excellent. One example is when Sohrab attempts to commit suicide by slitting his wrist. In the novel, I found that part as one of the most suspenseful. It kind of also relates to contemporary society. The reason Sohrab slit his wrist was because he was afraid to go back to the orphanage, which the Taliban rules in Afghanistan, instead of going to California with Amir. This relates to contemporary society because it shows that children would do anything because of anger, such as if a girl wants a doll and her parents don't buy it, she would cry or break things due to anger. Another example is when Amir tries to get Sohrab a passport and the embassy rejects the request. I think the novel makes more sense about this issue because in the movie, the film-maker shows Sohrab and Amir landing in California, not telling the viewers about how Sohrab got his passport. Legally, an orphan cannot leave the country with a person who has no proof of relation. In the story, Amir is the one with no proof of relation. It is almost like a prisoner escaping prison as the police watch.

Therefore, I think that my interpretation of the novel is a lot better than the film-maker's, because I thought some things were not adequate and that scenes that would've made the movie more suspenseful were not added. I f I were to rate the book out of ten points, I would give it a ten. However, if I were to rate the film interpretation out of ten points, I would give it a seven and a half. Apart from those mistakes, the film was amazingly done.

This book is not for everyone. It describes some very disturbing events, and I would not recommend it for a relaxing read. If you can handle it though, then it's a fantastic page-turner, and an amazing story. I found the middle of the book a bit slow, but if you get through the few chapters, the rest comes back just as good as the beginning.

I usually have difficulty finding books that keep me intrigued throughout the entire book. This was one of the rare ones that did just that for me. It is a story about friendship, betrayal, trust, and second chances. The novel also does a great job at accurately portrayed a portrait of modern afghanistan in the minds of the readers. It starts off with an afghan boy named Amir who is the son of a wealthy man in their hometown of Kabul. Amir grew up along side the servants son, Hassan. Amir later betrayed Hassan which ruined a long friendship with each boys father. The story goes on about Amir's life growing up and refers to Amirs guilt many times. Amir wishes he could take back what had happened when he was a child but he could never do that. Instead, he is rewarded a second chance at "being good again" when he attempts to adopt Hassan's son after Hassan was murdered while they are in their mid-thirties.
Reading this novel can teach you lessons through others mistakes even though it is a fiction novel. Hassan never stopped loving Amir no matter what the circumstances and always thought about him which marks true friendship even after betrayal. It also shows that you could be wealthy but not be happy. When Amir was young he was a wealthy child but was miserable after the incident that sparked the downward spiral between him and Hassan. He never felt truly happy again until he was able to adopt Hassan's son, Sohrab.
Reading this novel could make one think about their relationship with other people around them as well as pervious life experiences that have effected them in both positive and negative ways. I no this because this novel had this affect on me and it played a major role in keeping me interested the story. Also, i enjoyed how the novel was completely made with suspense. It was very "to the point" while providing descriptive content. This novel was full of very graphic scenes which made the reader feel like they were in the same situation as the characters in the story. If you are a person who enjoys graphic, action-packed novels that make you feel like your in the book this is a perfect story for you!

A view of the difficult times the middle east has gone through. . This story is flanked by a prospering Afghanistan, then returns and shows you the effects of a ravaged country. There is a feel good tone to it amist all the devastation. Really well written.

The Kite Runner, written by Khaled Hosseini, is a novel filled with suspense and complex characters, narrarated by an Amir, an Afghan man, whose voice you can hear and picture telling you the story. Amir now living in San Francisco, thinks about his past living in Afghanistan with his boyhood friend he had betrayed. As a young child living in Kabul he was the child of a merchant, while his best friend Hassan was an ethnic minority who works as a servant with his father at Amir's house. Although Hassan defends Amir from a bully named Assef, on the occasion that Amir sees Assef sexually assaulting Hassan he is unable to find the courage to protect him. Later, he accuses Hassan of theft forcing Baba, Amirs dad, to fire Hassan and his father from their houehold. Both Baba and Amir immgirate to the United States of Amrica when the Soviets invade Afghanistan, and they face poverty. Baba begins to develop lung cancer, but luckily lives long enough to see his son get wed to Soraya, the daughter of two other Afghan immigrants. After getting a degree in community college, Amir ends up a successful author. All is well until him and his wife come to learn that they are unable to have children. It's fifteen years after Amir got married to Soraya, and now the present. He gets a call from Afghanistan from a person by the name of Rahim Khan, who tells Amir that Hassan had been Amirs half brother. Tragically, Hassan and his wife were killed by the Taliban, but their son Sohrab was still alive, and needed someone to look after them. Amir uses this as an opportunity to redeem himself. Amir finds Sohrab in an orphange where children are preyed upon by the Taliban who use the children for sex. At this point Sohrab is badly traumatized and attempts to suicide. Amir brings him back to San Francisco and do their best to heal him from his emotional wounds. After many years, Amir discovers a way to connect with him - flying kites, the same way him and Hassan had connected in their younger days.

This page turning novel provokes you to think about life's most interesting and important things such as friendship, good and evil, survival and redemption. The novel is an excellent method of learning about Afghan history and culture. Afghan's terrible history was always softened because it was told through the eyes of a child. There are vivid descriptions of certain events throughout the novel, where as some events are not spoken about in detail. The lack of detail allows the reader to run with their imagination and think deeply of how things could be happening, and in fact allowing us to have a more clear mind image of what was happening. On another note, the novel was filled with clichés. However, overall I enjoyed the book. I think most people would. Although the novel is filled with uncertain twists and turns, it ends in a high note. Though the novel is filled with betrayals, lies, losses, discriminations, and thieves it reassures the idea that everyone is capable of having a happily ever after.

The book is exceptional, especially seeing how it is the authors first novel, and I recommend this book for young teen readers and adults. It's a good book to read among friends, for it provokes great discussion and thoughts to exchange afterwards.

- Javana Thayaparan