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  1. $13.99 Sale Hardcover add to wish list

The Kite Runner

by Khaled Hosseini

The Kite Runner Cover

Synopses & Reviews

Publisher Comments:

An epic tale of fathers and sons, of friendship and betrayal, that takes us from Afghanistan in the final days of the monarchy to the atrocities of the present.

The unforgettable, heartbreaking story of the unlikely friendship between a wealthy boy and the son of his father's servant, The Kite Runner is a beautifully crafted novel set in a country that is in the process of being destroyed. It is about the power of reading, the price of betrayal, and the possibility of redemption, and it is also about the power of fathers over sons-their love, their sacrifices, their lies.

The first Afghan novel to be written in English, The Kite Runner tells a sweeping story of family, love, and friendship against a backdrop of history that has not been told in fiction before, bringing to mind the large canvases of the Russian writers of the nineteenth century. But just as it is old-fashioned in its narration, it is contemporary in its subject-the devastating history of Afghanistan over the last thirty years. As emotionally gripping as it is tender, The Kite Runner is an unusual and powerful debut.

Review:

"Brilliant...both as a political chronicle and a deeply personal tale about how childhood choices affect our adult lives." Publishers Weekly, starred review

Review:

"Rather than settle for a coming-of-age or travails-of-immigrants story, Hosseini has folded them both into this searing spectacle of hard-won personal salvation. All this, and a rich slice of Afghan culture too: irresistible." Kirkus Reviews

Review:

"Hosseini's book is more than a typical coming-of-age story. Rather it is about personal salvation, betrayal, and redemption." Albuquerque Journal

Review:

"[A] beautiful novel...ranks among the best-written and provocative stories of the year." The Denver Post

Review:

"Hosseini clearly loves his country as much as he hates what has become of it." Pamela Constable, The Washington Post

Synopsis:

An epic tale of fathers and sons, of friendship and betrayal, takes readers from Afghanistan in the final days of the monarchy to the atrocities of the present. As emotionally gripping as it is tender, "The Kite Runner" is an unusual and powerful debut.

About the Author

Khaled Hosseini was born and raised in Kabul, Afghanistan, the son of a diplomat whose family received political asylum in the United States in 1980. He now lives in Northern California, and is a physician. The Kite Runner is his first novel.

What Our Readers Are Saying

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Average customer rating based on 1 comment:
Cathy from Olympia, Washington, November 7, 2006 (view all comments by Cathy from Olympia, Washington)
Not an easy read, but a book that should definitely be read. Amir struggles from childhood to win his father's approval, and finds himself envying Hassan, his childhood companion and the son of the family servant. The title comes from the running of the kites, a favorite past-time in Iraq. The kites are fighting kites with glass-reinforced string to allow the kite fliers to cut down his competitors' kites, and the kite runners literally run after the cut-down kites and claim them as a prize. Amir is a talented kite flier/fighter, and Hassan is the best kite runner in the region...

What made the novel hardest for me to read is the violence-- a neighborhood bully who delights in using brass knuckles on his victims. Violence from the hated and feareded Russian soldiers, and the even worse violence perpetuated by the Taliban... Hard as parts of the book were for me, I still recommend reading the Kite Runner.
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(13 of 18 readers found this comment helpful)

Product Details

ISBN:
9781573222457
Author:
Hosseini, Khaled
Publisher:
Riverhead Hardcover
Location:
New York
Subject:
General
Subject:
Boys
Subject:
Afghanistan
Subject:
Social classes
Subject:
Betrayal
Subject:
Male friendship
Subject:
Kåabol
Subject:
Bildungsromans
Subject:
Literary
Series Volume:
22:4, Winter 2002
Publication Date:
June 2003
Binding:
Hardcover
Grade Level:
General/trade
Language:
English
Pages:
336
Dimensions:
9.36x6.34x1.16 in. 1.33 lbs.

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