Shelf Addiction
  • Home
  • The Podcast
  • Blog
  • Monthly Read-Alongs
  • About Shelf Addiction
    • Media Kit
    • Advertising
    • Privacy Policy
  • Support Us
  • Shop
  • Tee Public Merch Store
  • Book Club Guide
  • Giveaways
Sign up for the FREE Shelf Addiction Newsletter!

Review: The Kite Runner, by Khaled Hosseini

12/31/2012

4 Comments

 
Picture
Publisher: Riverhead Hardcover
Release Date: Illustrated Edition, October 4, 2007
Format: Hardcover
Pages: 352
Source: Library Borrow
Genre: Historical Fiction, General Fiction
Review Date: December 31, 2012
Rating: 4 bookmarks

Synopsis: A novel set mostly in Afghanistan. The introverted and insecure afghan narrator, Amir, grows up in Afghanistan in the closing years of the monarchy and the first years of the short-lived republic. His best and most faithful friend, Hassan, is the son of a servant. Amir feels he betrays Hassan by not coming to his aid when Hassan is set on by bullies and furthermore forces Hassan and his father Ali to leave his father´s service. Amir´s relatively privileged life in Kabul comes to an end when the communist regime comes to power and his extrovert father, Baba emigrates with him to the U.S. There Amir meets his future afghan wife and marries her. Amir´s father dies in the U.S. and Amir receives a letter from his father´s most trusted business partner and, for a time, Amir´s surrogate father, which makes Amir return, alone, to a Taliban-dominated Afghanistan in search of the truth about himself and his family, and finally, a sort of redemption.

This book isn't something I would have chosen to read on my own. A coworker talked to me about this book over and over...and over again. ;-) Basically I felt I had to add it to my TBR list at that point. Why not!? So, I added it into my book club's voting poll and it was selected by the majority. Thus, here I am, reviewing The Kite Runner.
With that said, this was a book that I was genuinely surprised that I liked.  I'm glad that I read it.  I picked up the illustrated edition from the library by accident, which ended up being a nice feature.  There are three sets of photos within this edition and they gave me a stronger sense of what things looked like through Amir and Hassan's eyes.

I found that I didn't like Amir to much as a child nor as an adult. But in the end, he did the right thing and redeemed himself.  Not only did I feel sad for Hassan and his family, I felt saddened to read about things that I'm sure actually happened to the people of Afghanistan even though it's set in a fictional story.  Many of the places are real and the situations seem even more real, and probably are.  We see a ton of stuff on the international news about the fighting going on in the middle east, but to bring it up close and personal, even through a fiction book, is disheartening.

I was a little disappointing that I didn't get my storybook happy ending. But with this story, that wouldn't have been realistic. Instead we got a bitter sweet and more truthful ending.  After everything that happened to Amir, Hassan and young Sohrab, the ending they experienced was probably what would have happened for real.

I wouldn't recommend this book for everyone, but if you're looking to read something with more substance and a serious tone to it, this is what you should read. There are some really sad moments but there is are lessons to learn from this story. It's well written and will indeed take you to another place and time.

If you loved The Kite Runner and want to read more by Khaled Hosseini, Check out his other book A Thousand Splendid Suns, the reader reviews are pretty awesome. I'm sure you'd enjoy it too.


Happy Reading, 
~Tamara
Get the Kindle version here:The Kite Runner
4 Comments
Kelly Harrison
12/31/2012 01:16:16 am

Thanks for reading this! I'm glad my persistence wore you down and that you did read and enjoyed this book! I feel exactly the same way about the book. It could not have had a really happy ending, but the story is definitely worthy of our attention. I also felt like I learned a lot about life in a far away place and that it increased my understanding of the world, even though it was fiction. I think I will read another of his books now. I think the author does a fine job of describing life that is unlike our own- in a way that we can easily understand.

Reply
Lectus link
12/31/2012 06:14:19 am

I loved this book. I have yet to watch the movie.

Reply
Tamara @ Shelf Addiction
1/2/2013 01:01:32 am

Lectus, I didn't know there was a movie. Thanks for the info! I may have to check it out.

Reply
Alexis @ Reflections of a Bookaholic link
1/4/2013 08:23:55 pm

This is a book I've had on my bookshelf for years. I've always meant to read it but just never did. I'll get to it one day I suppose.

Reply

Your comment will be posted after it is approved.


Leave a Reply.

    Picture
    Picture
    Picture
    Picture
    Picture
    Picture
    Gain access to exclusive content!
    Picture
    Click for Shelf Addiction merch!
    Follow on Bloglovin

    Picture
    Picture
    Picture
    Picture
    Get ONE month FREE!

    ​Rating Scale: 

    Picture
    Wonderful! Loved it! Add it to your shelf!
    Picture
    ​Very good read! It's bookshelf worthy.
    Picture
    ​I liked it. Borrow it from the library or a friend.
    Picture
    I got through it...barely! If you must read it, borrow it.
    Picture
    Don't waste your time.

    Picture

    Currently Reading

    Somebody I Used to Know
    Hidden Bodies

    Follow on Bloglovin

    Read the Printed Word!
    Picture

    DISCLAIMER 
    All affiliate links used on this site are links which I will receive a small commission if you purchase using them. A percent of all monies earned goes to help pay for this website and giveaways hosted by me .
    Click here to read the 
    Privacy Policy for Shelf Addiction


    Categories

    All
    1 Bookmark
    2 Bookmarks
    3 Bookmarks
    4 Bookmarks
    5 Bookmarks
    Aa Fiction
    Armchair Bea
    Audiobook
    Author Features
    Autobiography
    Biography
    Blog Tours
    Book Conventions
    Book Haul Tuesday
    Bookish Bargains
    Bookish News
    Bookish Pod Chat
    Book To Movie Adaptations
    Book To TV Adaptations
    BookTube Weekly
    Buddy Reads
    Chick Lit
    Christian Fiction
    Contemporary Fiction
    Contemporary Romance
    Cover Reveal
    Dystopian
    Erotica
    Fantasy
    Fantasy Series
    Feature & Follow Friday
    General Fiction
    Giveaways
    Guest Posts
    Historical Fiction
    Horror
    Inspirational
    Literacy Events
    Memoir
    Movie Reviews
    Mystery
    Narrator Interviews
    New Adult
    Non Fiction
    Paranormal
    Paranormal Romance
    Pop Culture Sunday
    Read Along
    Read A Thon
    Romance
    Romantic Suspense
    RTU
    Sa-book-club
    Saturday Book Chat
    Science Fiction
    Seasonal Reading
    Shelf Byte
    Short Stories
    Steampunk
    Summer Of Indie
    Suspense
    TBR Jar
    The Book Exchange
    The Recap!
    Thriller
    Throwback Thursday
    TPCP
    Tv Show Reviews
    Urban Fantasy
    Why I Love Wednesdays
    Womens Fiction
    Ya Dystopian
    Ya Fantasy
    Ya Fiction
    Ya Historical Fantasy
    Ya Historical Fiction
    Ya Mystery
    Ya Paranormal
    Ya Retelling
    Ya Romance
    Ya Science Fiction
    Ya Steampunk
    Ya Thriller
    Ya Urban Fantasy

    Reviews Published

    Sponsor Love

    Picture
    Advertise on 
    ​Shelf Addiction!

    Picture
    Picture
    We can't do this without you!! Support this podcast! Use the referral links, leave a review on your platform of choice, donate a coffee or checkout the merch store. Even show your support on Patreon!

    Podcast Book Chats, Bookish Topics, Book Reviews, Audiobook Reviews, Author and Narrator Interviews, Online Book Club

© 2012-2023 shelfaddiction.com. All rights reserved.