The Kite Runner - Khaled Hosseini

Having recently read the breathtaking “Brick Lane” by Monica Ali, I thought it would probably be quite some time before I read anything quite so evocative or inspirational. I can’t really pinpoint what motivated me to pick up a copy of “The Kite Runner”, it may have been the stunning sepia photograph on the front cover, or then again, it might just have been fate. The author Khaled Hosseini uses the beauty and simplicity of language to deliver a powerful, emotive story, thereby creating a priceless, artistic masterpiece. In my opinion this novel should be defined as a literary classic. Khaled ... more

The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini I have not heard a bad word about this book and so when my husband bought it for me for Christmas, two Christmases ago, I was jolly pleased. Not only was it a book I was looking forward to reading, but it is a beautifully made book. The copy I have is a hardback with no dust jacket, just a dark red binding with a sepia toned photograph of a boy on the front with the title in gold above it. It turns out I have the celebratory edition with a new introduction by the author. This edition was published in 2006. So pleased was I with my present that I left it in a ... more

In 1970s Kabul, Amir and Hassan are best friends; Amir is the first word that the slightly older Hassan spoke and the two grew up in each other's pockets. Yet Amir is the son of a wealthy man and a Pashtun, whereas Hassan is the son of his servant and a Hazara. As they grow up, the differences in their background threaten to separate them, especially when Amir's father seems to favour Hassan over Amir. However, they hold on to their friendship, Hassan always ready to support Amir in any times of trouble, until one day, when something dreadful happens to Hassan. Amir choses to stand back ... more

'The Kite Runner' is a book I've been meaning to read for a long time. Everyone I know who has read it has recommended it without reservation. However, I'm pretty picky about what books I'll deem good, and with such hype I was ready to be disappointed with Hosseini's debut novel. The Book I actually received my copy of the book for Christmas and it's been sitting on my pile of books, waiting to be read, while I finished my current book (Tsitsi Dangaremba's 'The Book of Not' - which, incidentally, is also very good). The cover is unlike the photo on ciao and is actually a sepia photograph of a ... more

I bought the book because four people recommended it highly in a matter of days, they didn't give me any details, only told me that I had to read it, period. The name of the author, Khaled Hosseini, meant nothing to me, not surprisingly, as The Kite Runner is the debut novel of an Afghan whose family received political asylum in the USA in 1980. The first chapter begins with the sentence, "I became what I am today at the age of twelve . . ." creating suspense. The choice of words in the following paragraph makes it clear that something negative must have happened to the first-person narrator ... more