The Kite Runner

Rating:
Summary: Afghanistan, in all its spendor and despair.
Review: Recreating the day-to-day existence of Amir and his father (Baba), a successful merchant in Kabul in the 1970's, Hosseini creates a warm and emotionally involving story of childhood, its traumas, and the importance of family. Telling of two families--Amir and his father, and Hassan and Ali, their servants--he depicts two different worlds. Amir and Baba are Pashtuns, while Hassan and Ali are Hazaras, descendants of the Moguls who are also Shi'a Muslims, and it is in these parallel tracks that we come to see the variety of life in Afghanistan, its mores, traditions, and its hierarchies.

Best friends, the boys grow up together, though Hassan, the servant, bears the burden of being different in appearance, both because of his Mogul heritage and because of his unrepaired hare-lip. When the boys are twelve, Hassan is beaten and severely injured by bullies, while Amir, who witnesses the attack, runs away in fear. Burdened by guilt and jealous of the close relationship between his father and Hassan and Ali, Amir manipulates their dismissal. Six years later, after a Communist coup, Amir and his father escape to the United States, where, away from the roles demanded of them in Kabul, they are on a more equal footing and come to new understandings. When Amir gets a phone call from his father's former business partner, twenty years later, he returns to Afghanistan to put his betrayal of Hassan to rights and "be good again."

Hosseini's narrative is fast-paced, and his sensitive portrayal of childhood with all its fears and tensions is striking. The glimpses of Afghan family life and values are captivating, particularly because they have been virtually unknown in American fiction. But it is the author's focus on the humanity of the characters that gives the novel its universality and appeal. Amir's betrayal of Hassan is believable and understandable, and his long-term remorse is not surprising. Hassan's nobility in the face of his trauma gives him a saintly aspect which never cloys. Baba seems larger than life, and it is only much later that Amir discovers that Baba, too, has secrets.

The focus on two families, one in the U.S. and one in Afghanistan, dramatically emphasizes the contrasts when the Taliban seizes power. This dual focus creates a few structural problems at the end of the novel, however, as the author reconnects the families. Relying heavily on coincidences, some of them unnecessary to the plot, he ties up loose ends and resolves conflicts. Occasionally, details seem artificial, inserted only to provide irony or obvious parallels with earlier events. Despite some narrative clumsiness, however, the novel is a moving and dramatic read, fascinating for its setting, its father-son relationship, and it study of guilt and its effects. Mary Whipple

Rating:
Summary: Excellent Debut
Review: Hosseini's novel is gripping from the first paragraph, causing me to stay up until 1:00am to finish it the same day I started. His characters are well fleshed-out and believable, the historical milieu is fresh and feels accurate, and his writing style is extremely engaging without being flashy.

A few of the coincidences in the novel seem a bit unlikely perhaps, but that's poetic license in the service of a great story. In all, this is a masterful novel. One hopes to hear much more from this author.

Rating:
Summary: WOW!
Review: The best books not only maintain the reader's interest, but impart fresh knowledge or persepective. The Kite Runner is one of those rare and exciting "finds." At a time when Afghanistan is a household word, Khaled Hosseini brings us a historical view of his native land, which he has blended exquisitely into the fabric of his narrative about fathers and sons, friensdhip and betrayal, and above all, redemption. If you're a fan of mysteries, love stories, coming-of-age stories, or historical fiction, you'll love The Kite Runner.

Rating:
Summary: Brilliant, Simply Brilliant!
Review: Bar none this is the best book I have read in quite some time. The writing is exceptional and the story is both moving and disturbing. I can only hope that Khaled will soon bless us with another as literature such as this is a rarity.

Bravo!

Rating:
Summary: Yes, Your Heart Will Soar
Review: I really can not find the right words to express my feelings about this book. In a serious effort to find the right words I did go back to read some other reviews and now just want to direct you to the sixth review written and posted on June 17,2003. Ron Franscell, Author of "Angel Fire" has written the perfect review for this book.
Please do not bother voting for my review because I am not in the least interested in that sort of thing.
I do want to encourage everyone to read this wonderful book even if you have to miss lunch in order to buy it and miss work in order to read it.

Rating:
Summary: Among the best fiction you'll ever encounter
Review: Khaled Hosseini's "The Kite Runner" is a masterpiece. It's everything you'd ever want in fiction - enthralling, heart-rending, educational. You'll learn more about Afghanistan in Hosseini's book than you will in similar works of non-fiction. For example, I know that there was an Afghani fascination with kites (news reports focused on this when the country began to open up again after the fall of the Taliban). But I never understood it until reading 'The Kite Runner.' Hosseini explains it brilliantly, vibrantly. The way it ties together the protagonists here - well, it sends shivers up my spine simply recalling it as I write here about it.

The first chapter of this book is the best writing I've ever seen - three sparse, sparkling paragraphs (the entire length of the chapter) set the stage for the book. Its true beauty is slowly revealed as you make your way through the book. Each time I completed another chapter, I'd go back and re-read the first chapter and realize that the meaning of another sentence had been revealed. What a thrilling reading experience. I pray 'The Kite Runner' get turned into a movie (it has been optioned by Dreamworks).

Rating:
Summary: An Exquisitely Written Novel With An Extraordinary Plot
Review: Khaled Hosseini's powerful and haunting first novel, "The Kite Runner" is the best book I have read this year. It is a story of family relationships, friendship, betrayal, guilt and atonement. Mr. Hosseini also explores, movingly, the horrors of war and the terrible conflicts between classes and ethnic groups that have long plagued the people of Afghanistan. The novel spans the period in Afghani history from the peaceful 70's to the rule of the Taliban in the late 1990's.

In Kabul, during the winter of 1975, Amir's life changed forever. Those were the last peaceful days of Afghanistan's monarchy. Amir, our young narrator, is the privileged son of a wealthy Pashtun businessman. They are Sunni Muslims. Totally unlike his father, (called Baba, the "Toophan agha" or "Mr. Hurricane"), Amir is very sensitive, introspective, and much more interested in poetry and literature than in football. His mother died giving birth to him and the boy struggles to win his father's affection. Hassan was the closest person to Amir and his constant playmate, but they were not quite friends. The two boys had nursed at the breast of the same wet nurse - a special bond to the Afghanis. They were virtually inseparable. They climbed trees, wandered the streets of Kabul, made mischief, shared secrets, ran kites, and Amir would read while Hassan listened avidly to the wonderful stories. "The Shahnamah," a 10th century epic of ancient Persian heroes, was Hassan's favorite. He was an illiterate servant and his father was Amir's father's servant. They are Sh'ia Muslim, Hazaras. During a kite flying tournament in the winter of Amir's twelfth year, he betrayed Hassan - a defining event that will haunt him always. He will spend the rest of his life trying to atone. The Soviet invasion caused Amir and his father to emigrate to the United States, leaving everything and everyone behind. However, Amir will have another opportunity to prove his loyalty to his childhood friend and gain forgiveness. The story revolves around Amir's internal struggle.

Mr. Hosseini's characters literally come alive on the page. Their emotional struggles and triumphs moved me deeply. Amir, Hassan, Baba, Ali, and Rahim Khan are so credible that I really became attached to them and miss them, now that I have turned the book's last page. The narrative is beautifully written, poignant, and also very informative about an Afghanistan most foreigners have never seen. Khaled Hosseini is an Afghan émigré living in San Francisco. I look forward to his next book. Very highly recommended.
JANA

Rating:
Summary: Wow!
Review: This book is absolutely riviting. It is one of the best books I have ever read. The characters will stay with me long after the book has been put down.

Rating:
Summary: One Week Book
Review: I judge books based on how long they take me to read. A book that I love, I can't put down so I will finish in one to three days (for instance: "My Fractured Life" and "Atonement"). A typical good book that keeps me interested but not up all night I will finish in under two weeks ("Secret Life of Bees" and "The Da Vinci Code"). Anything that takes over two weeks usually also takes over a month because it just isn't drawing my attention. I tend to say that the author is over writing. "Kite Runner" I consider to be very good - between an "I love it" book and a good book. I read it in about a week. It has a nice pace and an enjoyable story.

Rating:
Summary: Masterful Writing, Juvenile Plot
Review: A wonderfully written book that is both sensual and moving, The Kite Runner sinks like a lead anchor due to the absolutely abysmal plotting. The "big surprise" which appears midpoint in the novel can be anticipated well in advance, and the "coincidental" appearance of a character later on tests the reader's limits of credulity, not to mention the sickeningly sweet, trite ending. I am amazed that a writer of such incredible talent has no clue as to how to avoid junior high school level plots. I can only hope that Mr. Hosseini can improve his weak spots and bring them up to the high level of his masterful prose.