Synopses & Reviews
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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.
PICTURE A BOOK CHANGING LIVES. NOW MAKE IT HAPPEN. Starting June 15, 2010 through August 31, 2010, visit this campaign page and join the “Hosseini” group--and find out how you can make a difference!
Watch a video about the campaign here:
Watch a video from Khaled Hosseini introducing his online book group discussion where readers can ask him questions through his website here: ...
Review
"Soaring Debut." —
Boston Globe
"Exquisite. A wonderfully conjured story that offers a glimpse into an Afghanistan most Americans have never seen, and depicts a side of humanity rarely revealed." —The Philadelphia Inquirer
"A beautiful novel. Ranks among the best-written and most provocative stories of the year so far. Hosseini is an exhilaratingly original writer with a gift for irony and a gentle, perspective heart." —The Denver Post
“A moving portrait of modern Afghanistan, from its pre-Russian-invasion glory days through the terrible reign of the Taliban."—Entertainment Weekly
Review
"A moving portrait of modern Afghanistan."
Entertainment Weekly
"This powerful first novel...tells the story of fierce cruelty and fierce yet redeeming love. Both transform the life of Amir, Khaled Hosseinis privileged young narrator, who comes of age during the last peaceful days of the monarchy, just before his countrys revolution and its invasion by Russian forces. But political events, even as dramatic as the ones that are presented in The Kite Runner, are only a part of this story. In The Kite Runner, Khaled Hosseini gives us a vivid and engaging story that reminds us how long his people have been struggling to triumph over the forces of violenceforces that continue to threaten them even today."The New York Times Book Review
"A powerful book...no frills, no nonsense, just hard, spare prose...an intimate account of family and friendship, betrayal and salvation that requires no atlas or translation to engage and enlighten us. Parts of The Kite Runner are raw and excruciating to read, yet the book in its entirety is lovingly written."The Washington Post Book World
"An astonishing, powerful book."Diane Sawyer
Review
“The wisdom and enchantment of thousands of years are spun together in this vivid, beautifully written book. The author brings one tribe in Afghanistan into your heart as well as your mind, taking you on a fascinating journey across the centuries and laying bare the undying strength as well as the trials, triumphs and tribulations of the Hazara people. A wonderful account of the past in fiction. [
The Honey Thief] was a true joy to read.”
Deborah Rodriguez, author of Kabul Beauty School
Review
“If a story is a recipe for how life should be, then Mazari’s unforgettable stories—of wolves and warriors, beekeepers and musicians—hold the power to rewrite his country’s past. Reading his recipes for traditional Afghan food feels like being in the kitchen with your favorite uncle. The Honey Thief is one of those books you’ll want to read out loud so you can delight in Mazari’s wise and funny voice.” Annia Ciezadlo, author of Day of Honey: A Memoir of Food, Love and War
Review
“This dazzling narrative is full of wonders and unfamiliar magic, shadows and lightnings. The tales it tells are fascinating in their ordinariness and their strangeness.
The Honey Thief is simply delightful to read on its own terms, but it also illuminates the real Afghanistan, that country many great powers have proved keen to invade but rarely to understand.”
—Thomas Keneally, bestselling author of Schindlers List and The Daughters of Mars
“The wisdom and enchantment of thousands of years are spun together in this vivid, beautifully written book. The author brings one tribe in Afghanistan into your heart as well as your mind, taking you on a fascinating journey across the centuries and laying bare the undying strength as well as the trials, triumphs and tribulations of the Hazara people. A wonderful account of the past in fiction. [The Honey Thief] was a true joy to read.”
—Deborah Rodriguez, author of New York Times bestseller Kabul Beauty School
“If a story is a recipe for how life should be, then Mazaris unforgettable stories—of wolves and warriors, beekeepers and musicians—hold the power to rewrite his countrys past. Reading his recipes for traditional Afghan food feels like being in the kitchen with your favorite uncle. The Honey Thief is one of those books youll want to read out loud so you can delight in Mazaris wise and funny voice.”
—Annia Ciezadlo, author of Day of Honey: A Memoir of Food, Love and War
“This is such a charming book. Its delightful tales take me back to my own childhood of stories. Its so good to see another side of Afghanistan—here we see a magical place, full of trials, certainly, but where we can observe the triumph of the human spirit. It has lessons for all of us in the West. How good to see the enormously rich vein of Afghan traditional story-telling tapped rather than the usual catalogue of death and destruction we read of in the papers.”
—Saira Shah, Emmy-winning filmmaker of Death in Gaza and author of The Storytellers Daughter and the upcoming novel, The Mouse-Proof Kitchen
“An homage to the richly folkloric Afghani culture. This entertaining tapestry of myths from Mazari and Hillman will shed light on the Hazara people and their backgrounds.” —Publishers Weekly
“The artistic process behind this collection is uncommon, for Mazari, an immigrant to Melbourne, tells his stories to Australian author Hillman, who reshapes them and then runs them by Mazari again to see whether he has captured the authenticity of his original voice. Mazari and Hillmans collaboration reveals the rich culture of a region largely unknown in the West.” —Kirkus
Synopsis
The perennial bestseller-now available as a sensational new graphic novel.
Since its publication in 2003, nearly 7 million readers have discovered The Kite Runner. Through Khaled Hosseini's brilliant writing, a previously unknown part of the world was brought to vivid life for readers. Now, in this beautifully illustrated graphic novel adaptation, Hosseini brings his compelling story to a new generation of readers.
Synopsis
A deluxe collector's edition of the phenomenally bestselling
The Kite Runner, filled with striking and memorable photographs that bring Khaled Hosseini's compelling story to life.
Since its publication in 2003, The Kite Runner has shipped over four million copies and spent more than two years on the New York Times bestseller list. Taking us from Afghanistan in the final days of the monarchy through the horrific rule of the Taliban, The Kite Runner is the heartbreaking story of the unlikely and inseparable friendship between a wealthy Afghan boy and the son of his father's servant, both of whom are caught in the tragic sweep of history. Published in the aftermath of America's invasion of Afghanistan, Khaled Hosseini's haunting writing brought a part of the world to vivid life that was previously unknown.
Now this beautifully produced, collectible hardcover enhances Khaled Hosseini's story with unforgettable color and black-and-white photographs of the people of Afghanistan and their surroundings, further illustrating the world in which the story is set and heightening the already powerful experience of reading this incredible book.
View a video for The Kite Runner and learn more about The American Place Theatre's Literature to Life adaptation here.
Synopsis
This enchanting novel of interwoven legends burns with both gentle intelligence and human warmth This extraordinary book, derived from the long oral tradition of storytelling in Afghanistan, presents a mesmerizing portrait of a people who triumph with intelligence and humor over the oppressions of political dictators and an unforgiving landscape.
A musician conjures stones to rise in the air and teaches his art to a mute child. Master Poisoner, Ghoroob of Mashad, has so perfected his craft that it is considered an honor to die from his meals. These are stories of magic and wonder in which ordinary people endure astonishing extremes in a world of bloodshed and brotherhood, miracles and catastrophes.
With lyrical wit and profound simplicity, The Honey Thief reveals an Afghanistan of greater richness and humanity than is conveyed in newspaper headlines; an Afghanistan not of failure and despair, but of resilience and fulfillment.
About the Author
Najaf Mazari fled Afghanistan in 2001 for Australia, where he now lives with his wife and daughter and owns a shop in Melbourne selling traditional Afghan rugs. He is the author of the memoir
The Rugmaker of Mazar-e-Sharif.
Robert Hillman is a Melbourne-based writer whose autobiography, The Boy in the Green Suit, won the Australian National Biography Award in 2005.