The Kite Runner

Rating:
Summary: Do not miss this book
Review: Very few books have moved me like The Kite Runner - it is a gripping and finely crafted novel, deserving of every ounce of praise received so far. This novel is heartbreaking, yet hopeful, and emotional riveting - at times I swelled with happiness and a page later I fought back tears.
An important book that follows Afghanistan through it's many facades in the past 3 decades, full of great historical context and detail, giving insight to a country that we only know from the Soviet occupation in the 80s and the Taliban after that - a country that before these regimes, was beautiful and full of promise and prosperity.
This is a book not soon to leave my memory - buy it and read it immediately. It is refreshing in it's uniqueness and gripping in it's beautiful voice. An absolute achievement for a debut novel - let's hope this is only the beginning for Khaled Hosseini.

Rating:
Summary: Not to be missed
Review: This book is mesmerizing from start to finish. It is the type of book you will not want to put down. This means staying up late or squeezing it in on your lunch hour. Do not miss it.

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: 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: 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: Powerful Indeed!
Review: "The Kite Runner" is a flawless symbiosis between a storyteller and his story which graciously invites the reader to bathe in a sea of healing emotions. The transformational power of this book is undeniable. I look forward to reading another piece by Khaled Hosseini, should he decide to write one.

Regards,

N. Damavandi, Ph.D.