Reviews

(In starting another of Hosseini's works I have decided to take the opportunity to start trying to backlog relevant books I read pre-downloading storygraph)

I read 'The Kite Runner' a few years ago as I was studying it for A-Level and it is one of the best books I have ever studied. It was such an impactful and emotional bildungsroman tale of growing up within the racial prejudice of Afghanistan, and the political impact of the rise of the Taliban and their rule in the country. Seeing a first hand narrative account of how this devastated what was once a country so full of life was heartbreaking and truly eye opening.

I recall Hosseini's writing being so beautiful, his characters so vivid yet so painfully written and the narrative extremely engaging (especially the two sections set in Afghanistan exploring the political climate, I don't recall being enthralled by the America section.)

I am recalling from three years ago so my review is far more limited, but shall try add backlogs from time to time :)

carlstark's review against another edition

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challenging hopeful sad medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

kingrando's review against another edition

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emotional sad medium-paced

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

4.5

midwifereading's review against another edition

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5.0

By far, this is one of the heaviest books I have ever read. It's a story filled with deeply hard things from cover to cover, and no simple answers. Things I can never hope to understand, but only learn to see as clearly as I can.

The writing is strong, efficient, powerful, and vulnerable. It's raw and painful.

The characters are painted with layers of complexity you can only find in real humans. Very few people are either truly good or truly evil. Hassan and Assef certainly bring both good and evil to light vividly in contrast to Amir and his father, who are somewhere in the middle. Good people with major flaws and blind spots that mire them both in suffering.

The ending is appropriately mixed. Neither happy nor sad, but both. Human. Real. Intimate even, with notes of hope. I'm glad for that.

This glimpse into Afghanistan's modern history through the trials of one small family is devastating, but hopeful. It's amazing.

jmitch28's review against another edition

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challenging inspiring reflective sad medium-paced

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

5.0

elusorius's review against another edition

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5.0

I went into this book blind, which was traumatizing.

The writing in this book is exquisite, the characters feel real and flawed in their own ways. Every scene was raw, realistic and most of them were incredibly emotional and painful. Please read the trigger warnings and make sure you're in the right headspace. But when you do and you are, this is a beautiful book. Devastating, yes, but beautiful.

5/5

sneha_06's review against another edition

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dark emotional hopeful informative inspiring lighthearted reflective sad tense fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

5.0

kjelu1022's review against another edition

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adventurous challenging dark emotional funny hopeful informative inspiring mysterious reflective sad tense medium-paced

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

5.0

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