The Kite Runner

Rating:
Summary: Inspiring novel of immeasurable importance
Review: I had never heard of Kite Runner until a co-worker bought a copy and GAVE it to me. I read it in one sitting and bought as many copies as possible to give to my friends and family. There are scenes in this story that are incredibly hard to read, but I could not bear to put it down; I stayed up all night to finish. All I can say is that in Kite Runner Khaled Hosseini has written a story that will impact my life for a long time to come.

Rating:
Summary: Surprisingly good
Review: An tale of very strong ethnicity, of a weak son and heroic father and how the son tries to come to terms with 'failure' in the father's eyes. The original English version must be extremely good because I read the German translation (given to me by my wife as a gift) and found it to be first rate. I wonder how much of the book is autobiographical. One gets the author's view of Afghan society, as well as interesting facts that are independent of the author's viewpoint. We learn, e.g., that Farsi (Dari) is the official language, and that the Pushtun have more or less enslaved the Hazara as uneducated servants. Terrible racism and brutality are portrayed. Extreme brutality occured seldom, but when it did I felt it in my stomach. The role of women? Only there to serve the men, when seen at all. The author's opinion is that the Taliban is worst than were the communists, which is believeable. Under the mullacracie there was the regression from servanthood and brutality to murder and massacre. Khaled writes that the Talib "rats" went back into their holes after US troops arrived, but there are many fundamentalists and they are still operating too freely from their nests all over the world. On my wall hangs a newspaper picture from Fall, 2001, of some American Special Forces troops riding on horseback along with members of The Northern Alliance in the mountains. I hope that the photo reflects truth, that it was not 'cooked' like so much else under the Bush Administration.

Novelists should take extreme care (following Hemingway in "A Farewell to Arms". e.g.), to be historically and geographically accurate, because their work has greater effect than the history texts in forming peoples' opinions of other places and cultures. For more on Afghanistan under the Taliban mullacracie, see www.satp.org/satporgtp/usa/Taliban.htm. I haven't yet read Aasne Seierstad's "Bokhandleren i Kabul", which provides an account of her travels with The Northern Alliance, but more importantly an inside view of the lives of women in traditional Islamic society, a view that would have been inaccessible to a male journalist.

For a very sympathetic inside picture of Afghan warriors and the Afghan peoples generally, seen through English eyes, read "An Unexpected Light". Beautiful photos of the wildest region can be seen on http://www.pashto.org/gallery/.

The portrayal of people and place in "The Kite Runner" is so strong that this book may stay with you after you finish it. One lives parallel to Amir, Hassan, their fathers and others in the story. And one begins to become informed about Afghanistan.

Rating:
Summary: Awesome Achievement
Review: This was the first book I read in 2004 and it will certainly be a hard act to follow! What a magnificent achievement for a first-time novelist. I was especially astonished to read that Hosseini only visited Afghanistan as an adult AFTER he wrote this book! It read like a memoir, the writing was so genuine and personal.

I learned so much about Afghanistan and its people, their struggles and heartbreaks, and the horrors they have endured. This book was a real eye-opener for me and I hope to read more about this strife-ridden country. The themes of betrayal, forgiveness, courage, cowardice, retribution, and redemption are woven throughout the narrative. As the book cover says, it is an epic story.

I will not write a synpopsis as so many others have done it already...and probably better than I could! But I will recommend this amazing book without reservation. I cannot count how many people to whom I have already sung the praises of "The Kite Runner".

Rating:
Summary: Word of mouth: A pleasure to read
Review: While I was scoping new fiction at my public library, another patron pulled this book off the shelf, sang its praise and suggested I read it if I was looking for a good novel. I didn't ask for her recommendation--but I took it, and am glad. You didn't ask for my recommendation--but please strongly consider reading this fine book. And then I bet you will want to pass along your recommendation to others....

Rating:
Summary: The Best Book in Recent Memory
Review: WOW. A friend of mine who works with Dr. Hosseini gave me an autographed copy of this book last summer. It took several months for me to pick it up, and while I'm usually a fast reader, it took weeks for me to finish this. Why? It is so beautifully written, I'd finish a chapter and then re-read it because I enjoyed it so much. Hosseini paints a beautiful picture--in my mind's eye, I could see the sights of Afghanistan, of the neigborhood and home where the boys grew up, of the big tree they visited, of the kite contests in the streets. I understood the main character's feelings about his father. I felt what it must be like to say goodbye to your homeland, leaving behind a life you love, to escape from the oppression and terror of others. The book gave me a glimpse of what life is like for the thousands of people who come to America, who give up everything they had, and are glad to take whatever jobs they can get, to live free. Hosseini is a master at painting the picture, deep in your brain. His skill does not end there, though. The plot is full of surprising twists and ironies that held me until the last page. I can't remember when a book made me cry, but this one did, with its expressive, clear writing and its ability to create empathy for each character.

I enjoy books and then move on to the next one. Other than reference books, there is only one book that I've read more than once (The Agony and the Ecstasy). The Kite Runner will be another book that I will read again. I anxiously await Khaled Hosseini's next book.

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Summary: Great Story!!
Review: This is a heartwrenching story. I never believed more in Anne Frank's famous quote "...people are good at heart". If you are looking for ways to spend QUALITY time...READ this book.

Rating:
Summary: The first novel of a new grand master
Review: Reading The Kite Runner, I had the same sensations that must have been felt by the first readers of Twain, Tolstoy, Dostoyevsky, Harding and all the other great modern novelists. This book has and pays tribute to all elements of great literature, and is a marvelous read as well. It examines courage and cowardice; unbounded kindness and elemental cruelty; love, hate; the most cowardly betrayal and the terrible, but finally liberating, karmic retribution; war, peace; madness and nobility of sentiment; mindless fundamentalist religeon and the most uplifting spirituality. Hosseini understands not only the complicated interplay between fathers and sons and the extreme difficulty of forgiving those whom you have betrayed, but the humanity and basic importance of those moments of blinding failure that can sometimes be responsible for creating the truly heroic act and man. This book deserves every accolade that the other reviewers have given it. Buy it, read it and pass it on to those you love. wfh

Rating:
Summary: A beautiful and haunting novel
Review: Oh my goodness- where do I begin... I thoroughly recommend this book. I finished reading it in one day ( I could not tear myself away from it). Although I am not Afghan, I have a special place in my heart for them. They have been through so much, for so long. This story allows you to see (as if you're watching a movie)what has happened to Afghanistan and it's dear people. So well written. If you have to read a book, please pick this one up. You will not regret it. Thank you Mr. Hosseini. Your novel has touched my heart deeply.

Rating:
Summary: So great, I had to write a review!
Review: I am an avid reader of first novels, finding that often more truth can be seen in the descriptions and nuances presented by those who are not yet "perfected and practiced." This incredible novel is so pertinent today and descriptive of the regime changes in Afghanistan and the extent of the injuries inflicted upon a nation when power is subsumed by forces extraneous to the people of a nation. The dual nature of the plot, focused on a weak boy grown into a weak man and his redemption along with the demise of a once vibrant Afghani country into depravity at the hands of the Taliban, makes for truly compelling reading.
This book brought to light for me that since the US went in and dismantled the Taliban and its control over Afghanistan, there is a possibility of a better life now for those living there, whereas there was only fear until very recently.

Rating:
Summary: Riveting. Fascinating. Powerful.
Review: In a word or two, this book is riveting, fascinating, powerful. An avid reader, I found this to be the best book that I have read in recent memory. It more than lived up to all the accolades that heralded its US debut. Khaled Hosseini could not have written a more apropos novel than The Kite Runner, a story that is set against the backdrop of the recent historical events and subsequent political upheaval of Afghanistan. And while this story does cover much of the political turbulence that disrupted and destroyed the lives of so many Afghani people, this is a story, which because of its of theme friendship, betrayal and ultimate redemption, will eventually transcend time and place.

The author presents the reader with a serene, picturesque description of pre-war Afghanistan before the fall of the monarchy and the 1979 Soviet invasion. Hosseini, who portrays Afghans as a generous, gregarious people in a land where perhaps the only things more cherished than custom and tradition is loyalty and honor, has given a face to his country that until the events of September 11, 2001, have remained virtually unnoticed by the rest of the world. The deeply held mores and customs of the Afghan people that Hosseini so skillfully, yet simplistically weaves into his story also serves to enlighten the reader about Afghanistan.

Finally, it is the storyline itself that is truly memorable. The Kite Runner is ultimately a tale of friendship, betrayal and redemption - about how one person finally atones for the sins of his past. Filled with bouts of harrowing action and blissful calm, the novel verily elicits the entire spectrum of human emotions. Hosseini makes his characters quite real, very human, keeping them true to themselves, their personalities, although it is the protagonist, the primary narrator, whose character flaw is at the heart of this novel. Finally, I must admit that some parts of the story were predictable, but it does nothing to lessen the terrific tale told by Hosseini. The Kite Runner is a beautifully written story that will stay the reader long after many other stories have been read and forgotten.