Reviews tagging 'Racial slurs'

The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini

63 reviews

zoeleea's review against another edition

dark emotional reflective slow-paced

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

4.25

the writer is incredible, you fall in love with some character while getting angry and hating others. although the main character is infuriating 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Grief, Hate crime, Islamophobia, Physical abuse, Racial slurs, Racism, Rape, Religious bigotry, Sexism, Sexual assault, Suicide attempt, Xenophobia, War, Violence, Death, and Genocide

dannythestreet's review against another edition

emotional sad fast-paced

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

4.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Abandonment, Blood, Body horror, Cancer, Child abuse, Death, Death of parent, Fire/Fire injury, Genocide, Grief, Gun violence, Hate crime, Injury/Injury detail, Mass/school shootings, Medical trauma, Mental illness, Murder, Physical abuse, Police brutality, Rape, Self harm, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Suicide attempt, Violence, and War

Moderate: Body shaming, Bullying, Child death, Chronic illness, Infertility, Kidnapping, Miscarriage, Misogyny, Racism, Religious bigotry, Slavery, Suicidal thoughts, Terminal illness, and Torture

Minor: Alcohol, Animal cruelty, Pregnancy, and Racial slurs

sankta_aleena's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional sad 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

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Xenophobia, War, Violence, Suicide, Suicide attempt, Sexual harassment, Sexual assault, Self harm, Religious bigotry, Rape, Racism, Racial slurs, Pregnancy, Police brutality, Pedophilia, Murder, Miscarriage, Islamophobia, Injury/Injury detail, Infertility, Hate crime, Gun violence, Grief, Gore, Genocide, Excrement, Death of parent, Death, Colonisation, Cancer, Blood, and Animal death

Moderate: Abandonment and Alcohol

Minor: Drug use

bookcaptivated's review against another edition

emotional reflective sad tense slow-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

4.25

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Death of parent, Sexual assault, Rape, Violence, Xenophobia, War, and Child abuse

Moderate: Blood, Bullying, Cancer, Genocide, Gore, Grief, Gun violence, Infertility, Infidelity, Injury/Injury detail, Mental illness, Murder, Racial slurs, Suicide attempt, and Terminal illness

Minor: Medical content and Misogyny

bisexual_blasian's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional sad tense slow-paced

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

5.0

This book broke me. But it was exceptional.

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Rape, War, Violence, Suicide attempt, Sexual violence, Racial slurs, Hate crime, Death of parent, and Child abuse

alizia's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional sad tense medium-paced

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

4.25

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Bullying, Child abuse, Death, Gun violence, Hate crime, Kidnapping, Mental illness, Physical abuse, Racial slurs, Racism, Rape, Self harm, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide attempt, War, and Violence

224ok's review against another edition

dark emotional hopeful sad 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

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Rape, Racial slurs, Homophobia, Violence, Trafficking, Suicidal thoughts, Sexual harassment, Sexual assault, Religious bigotry, Islamophobia, Gun violence, Hate crime, Child abuse, Adult/minor relationship, and Ableism

violet_rose's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional inspiring reflective sad slow-paced

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

5.0

This book deserves all the hype it gets. One of the best books I’ve read in a long time. Incredibly, heartbreakingly sad, you think you’ve reached rock bottom but it just keeps getting worse, with both the war in Afghanistan and the protagonist’s personal struggles. I have never read something that explores the Afghani perspective of the war as in depth as the Kite Runner does; reading it with the hindsight of 2021 only makes it more sad. 

Hosseini’s prose is elegant and beautiful; his method of storytelling captivated me just as much as his lovingly crafted characters: Amir, the conflicted protagonist; Hassan, the devoted and loving servant; Baba, Amir’s indomitable father. 

Explores themes of the horrors of war, sexual assault, racism, classism, terrorism in a skilful and meaningful way. Everybody should read this book.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Blood, Bullying, Child abuse, Death, Death of parent, Hate crime, Racism, Racial slurs, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, and Violence

Moderate: Death of parent, Death, Genocide, Gore, Grief, Gun violence, Pedophilia, Self harm, Slavery, Suicide attempt, Toxic friendship, and Violence

Minor: Child death

const_meg's review against another edition

challenging emotional informative inspiring reflective sad slow-paced

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

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Blood, Cancer, Child abuse, Chronic illness, Death, Death of parent, Grief, Physical abuse, Racial slurs, Racism, Rape, Religious bigotry, Self harm, and Suicide attempt

backpackingbookworm's review against another edition

adventurous challenging emotional inspiring sad medium-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? Yes

5.0

When I think of The Kite Runner, I think of it as the book that really got me into reading. The one that broadened my horizons to books that existed outside of popular British fiction. It opened my eyes to a new culture, genre, and history. I wasted no time in reading Hosseini's other books which were equally as brilliant. But The Kite Runner will always hold a very special place in my heart.

I first studied this book in my English Literature class, learning quotes and dissecting chapters. I  watched the film, followed by seeing the show live on Broadway, where I sobbed my heart out from start to finish.

Roughly nine years later, I reread the book as part of my February reading challenge (books set in Afghanistan). The familiar feelings washed over me as I read the first few lines and I couldn't put it down (even though I remembered much of what had happened). The quotes touched my heart as they brought back memories of my English lit days. They made more of an impact on me at 28, to the point where I was very tempted to highlight each one in the book (I refrained because I'm not an animal 😉).

I have read very few authors that write like Hosseini. His research/experience made the story feel harrowingly real and, from what I've read in other reviews, it was a very accurate portrayal. Which makes it even harder to digest. The character development was perfect, even though there was quite a jump from Amir's childhood to adulthood. We knew enough of his character to fill in the gaps though. This book had so many themes, but one I really liked was Amir's arc; he started out as a privileged boy desperate for a close relationship with his father, which made him act cruel and cowardly towards his most loyal friend. I detested Amir's behaviour but also tried to understand that he was just a child who craved his father's love. His actions were unforgivable but we could see that the guilt followed him through to adulthood. Then, Amir has the chance to redeem himself. He finally stood up for what mattered, rather than hiding and letting someone else fight his battles. He still wasn't a character I would say I liked, but I appreciated the complexities and the exploration of his arc.

Hassan on the other hand was one of my absolute favourite characters of all time. His unwavering loyalty and selfless nature made my heart break for him every time others tried to put him down for being a Hazara. One of the reasons this novel is so powerful and emotional is because Hassan lies at the centre. An innocent, optimistic, and brave boy with simple dreams, judged and abused because of his ethnic group. Hassan teaches us many things in The Kite Runner, such as confronting bullies, standing up for what's right, and staying loyal to the people who mean everything to you. 

There are so many other things I could say about this book, but I will end by encouraging everyone to read it and see for yourself the impact it will make on your life.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Violence

Moderate: Rape, Racism, Racial slurs, and Islamophobia