Reviews

The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini

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hannahnana73's review against another edition

4.0

devastating. tragic. eye-opening.

a bit too culture heavy tho (imo?) i just found the islamic part a bit too much and basically forceful at times and did make me feel uncomfy as someone who doesn't believe in islam...

this was a compulsory read for school:)

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reread (two years later) because hey i'm about to sit my ALs:
equally devastating and tragic
at first you really hate Amir and Baba though but then as the story pans out your heart breaks for them and all the other characters, every single one of them shown suffering (except maybe like the blonde lady at the American embassy)

mirtlifthewise's review against another edition

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dark emotional hopeful informative inspiring reflective sad tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

tararoi_'s review against another edition

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2.0

Five years ago, it would have found its place in my Favourites shelf.
I don't like melodrama any more.
The first quarter of the book was very promising, but the rest of it became really messy. Messy is acceptable sometimes. It is just that Hosseini made it seem too corny.

themrshedrick816's review against another edition

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challenging emotional informative tense slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

I wanted to read this book because I knew it had a lot of cultural aspects to it as well as being considered a “banned” book. It’s not my usual style/genre of reading, but with that being said, it was good. I did struggle some with the concepts and cultural differences and fully understanding them as I read but also enjoy that I feel more educated on them after reading this book. Overall, there were a lot of difficult, sad, and frustrating parts to read, but I do think the story was told well. While not based on a true story, I did feel that all the aspects and hardships faced by the characters are real things that happen to Afghans and I feel that after reading this book I have an even deeper sympathy for what people of this origin faced during this time period. I do recommend this book, not necessarily as a “pleasure” read but as an expand your knowledge read, if that makes sense.

Content Warnings