I have some criticisms for this book, but because I chewed through it in such a short amount of time, I'll start with what I like and move to the criticisms.

I did NOT want to like this book. I am one of those annoying people who wants to dislike what everyone else likes, and wants to like what everyone else dislikes. Usually, this works out for me without effort; however, in the world of literature there are occasions that it does not. This was one of those occasions.

The book was brutally heartbreaking, but redemptive. Relationships were richly developed, emotions piqued and dropped - hallmarks of a good story.

One of my favorite things in literature is learning. If I learn from a book, I consider it valuable. Bite-sized foreign languages lessons will bolster a book's merit. This author taught me about the history, language, and geography of Afghanistan, and about the sport/hobby of kite flying/kite running. I've always thought that a person just bought a kite and flew it. I've never heard of coating the string in cut glass to cut down other kites.

The book has numerous other redeeming qualities that are likely to make it a classic read, but it does have some flaws. One thing that just kept annoying me toward the end of the book was the names of John/Thomas and Betty Caldwell. The first time they're mentioned, they're Thomas and Betty Caldwell. The next time, they're John and Betty Caldwell. WELL? Which are they?? Where was the editor on this one? No, it didn't affect the story, and it shouldn't affect me, but it did. I kept finding my thoughts drifting. Because they were never real characters, did the editor/author not find them integral to the plot? Did they have the same issues with Thomases and Johns that I have with Kamals and Kamirs? Perhaps they're unfamiliar with the names, and so it was easy to make the mistake? I admit, I was plagued. I thought about removing a star for it, but we only have 5 stars with which to work, so I didn't.

The next flaw is perhaps in my own ignorance, but I can't imagine Assef being in the Taliban. The tale describes him as blonde and blue-eyed. I don't imagine him being part of a hate-group that targets Americans as infidels if he so closely resembles one, but I have also heard that there are blonde and blue-eyed Afghans, so perhaps this is my own ignorance shining through. I have Afghan friends, but none of them has blonde hair, or blue eyes. Further, Assef is absolute evil from an age at which I'm not convinced that any child has such a developed sense of hatred, especially when we consider that, upon meeting his parents, we find them timid. Again, this could be my own ignorance of children outside of my own culture, but it's a bit tough to swallow. I didn't find it too difficult to suspend my belief, but there wasn't too much else in the tale that required such suspension.

Overall, the book has all of the ingredients needed to create a great tale - whether or not it required some belief-suspension and some editorial errors. When I complete a book in one sitting, I cannot convince myself that I didn't enjoy it. I must be true to the obvious and give it 5-stars.

التجلي الغامر لعظمة الأدب.

Speechless when I'm finished this book...
Cried when read Hassan's letters to Amir
Adored what Hassan and Baba did to Amir
Excited during my journey to Kabul
Confused when I want to make a review

Hoalah....

Buku ini bikin aku nangis tengah malam, bikin aku bangun kesiangan, bikin mataku bengkak pagi-pagi, bikin gak konsen saat kerja...dan bikin aku bingung mau ngereview apa...dah menguras airmata, menguras emosi dan menguras konsentrasi...karena begitu membaca gak bisa naruh lagi bukunya....pikiran selalu ke buku ini, gak ada dalam dua hari selesai ini buku tapi mikirinnya lebih dari seminggu.
Bukan mengenai Superhero, bukan mengenai kisah cinta-cinta jaman sekarang...tapi mengenai seorang Amir yang mempunyai banyak kekurangan dan kesalahan dan harus menebusnya saat dia menemukan cintanya....ehmmm.

Dah untuk sahabat-sahabatku, hanya satu dari buku ini :
For you,a thousand times over!

رميت الكتاب جانبا وقلت لن اكمله وبكيت
لا احد يستطيع ذرف دموعي كما يفعل خالد حسيني

هو وحده من يستطيع ان يقلق القارئ ويبكيه على بطل من ورق

وهذا ما فعله معي ولو كان للكتاب ملامح لارأيت شفتيه ترسمان ابتسامة كيرياء وهو يلمحني امد يدي واقرأ ماالذي حدث مع أمير

كلما قلت لن اكمل الرواية بسبب ماتسببه لي من ألم وحزن اجد نفسي بعد لحظات اعود لها

جميلة جدا هذه الرواية ومن اروع ما قرأت

****

من كثر ما اضاع خالد حسيني عقلي رحت فتحت التقرير وكتبته واكتشفت اخر شي اني حطيت التقرير تحت روايتي


الله يسامحك يا خالد حسيني

What a beautiful sweet and tender story, this is a book full of warmth and heart. A book that left me breathless with raw real emotions for the characters. It's about redemption and second chances and I loved the simplicity of the narration I was able to really connect with the story through the eyes of Amir. The book is full of sadness and sorrow but it's never exploited and I thought the author tackled some of the themes thoughtfully and with a tenderness that I really appreciated. I just know I will read more from this author and quite impressed to learn this was his first novel. This is the kind of book that makes me proud to be a reader.

أجلت قراءة الرواية لمدة أكثر من عام، رغم إصرار الصديقة هديل غسان التي أحبت الكتاب ورشحته لنا مراراً
سمعت كثيراً عن خالد حسيني وعن رواياته الموجعة للقلب وكأنني بتأجيل قراءة هذا الكتاب أجلت الحزن وانقباض الصدر الذي أشعرني به.
مع كل صفحة كان قلبي يتمزق ما بين رغبتي في معرفة ما سيحدث ورغبتي في إنهاء هذا الألم. أقرأ الرواية مع صديق لي، ويتهمني بقسوة القلب للسرعة التي أنهيت بها هذه الرواية.
قد تكون الأحداث متوقعة عن بلدٍ يغرق في الفقر وفي الحروب، أحداث رأيناها في عدة دول. تعذيب، قصف، قتل، تجارة أعضاء واعتداء جنسي. مستغلو الحروب لتحقيق مكاسب أخرى. لكن لخالد حسيني ما يميزه في السرد.
ما أثار انتباهي أكثر من غيره، الندم، الندم الذي يأكل بطلنا أمير ووالده، أمير الذي لم يكن بطلاً بالكامل، أو معنى البطل الذي تصوره لنا الأفلام والرسوم المتحركة. الشجاع، الطيب، الذي يهّب لمساعدة الآخرين والتضحية من أجلهم. هنا يرينا خالد حسيني أن البطل قد يكون وغداً أحياناً وجباناً ومدّعياً.

لأجلك ألف مرة ومرة !

“ قلت: هل الأمر سيء كما أسمع؟

قال: لا، أسوأ. أسوأ كثيرًا. إنهم لا يسمحون لك بأن تبقى إنسانًا”.

خالد الحسيني.

lovely book,specially use of metaphor and hyperbole.
Just loved way of writing.

"“When you kill a man, you steal a life. You steal his wife's right to a husband, rob his children of a father. When you tell a lie, you steal someone's right to the truth. When you cheat, you steal the right to fairness.”"

n   The more that you read, the more things you will know. The more that you learn. The more places you will go. n Quote by Dr. Seuss.

Afghanistan, 1975: Twelve-year-old Amir is desperate to win the local kite-fighting tournament and his loyal friend Hassan promises to help him. But neither of the boys can foresee what will happen to Hassan that afternoon, an event that is to shatter their lives. After the Russians invade and the family is forced to flee to America, Amir realises that one day he must return to Afghanistan under Taliban rule to find the one thing that his new world cannot grant him: redemption.

Having previously read this book when it was released back 16 years ago ( that is hard to believe) I was thrilled when it came up as a bubbly read as I felt I remembered enough about the characters and the story to make me want to revisit and discuss this one again. A great book is one that remains firmly is your memory and while you may not remember all the details you will certainly remember the plot line and the main characters. The Kite Runner is an emotional but stunning read with a remarkable sense of time and place.

I loved the characters of the boys and that the book takes us from Afghanistan in the 70s to America shortly after 9/11. I love books that introduces to different cultures. Some aspects of the book make for difficult reading but as I discussion book I think this is going to be a great one.

n   There is only one sin, and that is theft.... when you tell a lie, you steal someone’s right to the truth. n Quote by Khalid Hosseini. .

"For you, a thousand times over."

Every now and again, a book comes along, and leaves my heart physically aching afterwards. This is certainly one of those books.
"The Kite Runner" A fairly simple title, for an absolutely amazing book. I was swept away on a journey and on this journey I experienced a whole concoction of emotions;
Shock
Pain
Disbelief
Devastation
Inspiration
Compassion
Sorrow...

The style in which this author writes is nothing less than amazing. This is the second book I've read from him, and he certainly hasn't disappointed. The story is powerful and harrowing, but it is handled with sheer poignancy, which makes it such a wonderful read.
This book at times is definitely not easy to digest or even stomach. It literally made my heart beat a little faster, making me anxious to discover what happens next.

My Mother has read this, but she struggled with the exceptionally painful story, which I can understand, as, at times, I had to shut the book, and take a few deep breaths before venturing to continue.

What inspired me the most in this book, was the amazing friendship that existed between Hassan and Amir. Despite a certain race being totally persecuted, their friendship stands tall and true. It doesn't come across as a fake friendship either. You can almost feel the love that the two boys have for one another.

I have seen the film of "The Kite Runner" and it just doesn't measure up to how incredible the book is.
I love, love, LOVE this book. I'm just trying to figure out just how I'm going to sleep tonight.

What a powerful story. I didn't think I was going to like this book as much as I did... but I really did. I got so involved in this book that my emotions were going haywire. Not just feeling happy and sad as you do with most books, but feeling anxious and angry and dissappointed. Everything these characters felt I began to feel. That's definitely the mark of a great novel and a great writer.

One thing I think this novel really does is shed light on a situation we really don't know all that much about. It highlights a country we only see in stereotypical clips on the news, skewing our perception and making us think only of one type of world. The Kite Runner puts the world we either never saw or don't see into view. We think of Kabul and Afghanistan only as he writes it in the second half of the novel, most of us have never even thought about it in the way it's portrayed in the first half. And that's how Aghanistan was for the longest time.

I think one of the most amazing things about this novel was the friendship between Hassan and Amir. It wasn't what you would think with, "I don't care that he's in another race I'll defend my friend no matter what." It was a real friendship against the odds. He didn't make it cute or fake, Hosseini made it raw and how it would really be in the world where a certain race is persecuted.

The characters are also all well-developed and three demensional. Never once did I see a character that was just there to further the story along and then left, without a background or history to them. Every single character gracing that page had a soul and had a past.

As usual there's so much more I want to say about this book, but for something this good you'll just have to read it yourself. Trust me, it may sound like something you really don't think you'd care for, but you'll be surprised how much Hosseini's writing and characters pull you in. Soon you'll find yourself very grateful you listened to me and picked up this book. Seriously, this book is worth your time.

Incredible. That's all.

I'm in love.