Reviews tagging 'Religious bigotry'

Les cerfs-volants de Kaboul by Khaled Hosseini

86 reviews

bigteo's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional 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

4.25

The first half was amazing and I was engaged throughout the whole book.  I  found myself frequently googling terms often. As it’s a culture I don’t have much exposure to, it was fascinating to read about the rich history, people, culture, etc,.

However, the last arc was a bit of a slog for me personally due to how depressing it was. Keep in mind I read the last half of the book in a single sitting tho. 

I actually did like how the protagonist was unlikeable because it’s not something I often see in books. The outrage at some of his actions means I was emotionally invested (even if it was through anger) with what the character would do next. 

But yeah would recommend it tbh just check trigger warnings because it gets very dark and heavy at parts.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal death, Adult/minor relationship, Toxic friendship, Suicide attempt, Death, Gun violence, Gore, Injury/Injury detail, Rape, Racial slurs, Death of parent, Blood, Cancer, Chronic illness, Pedophilia, Murder, War, Violence, Classism, Self harm, and Medical content

Moderate: Religious bigotry, Infertility, Miscarriage, Genocide, Hate crime, Infidelity, and Pregnancy

uncreativeoops's review against another edition

dark emotional hopeful sad slow-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

4.75

That was somehow even more emotional than I expected. Beautiful storytelling and a very honest look at the cruelty of Afghanistan under Taliban rule. The protagonist was... a lot and sometimes very difficult to follow in his decisions but I actually think that it's one of the biggest strengths of the novel to present a character that makes many bad choices, behaves cowardly, and has to deal with the repercussions and his guilt. It also leads to the reader questioning their own belief that they would have chosen better at least a few times.
Listened to this on audio that was read by the author, which i felt was a really nice touch and his voice was easy to listen to. It also ensured that I would not try and mispronounce the names.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Physical abuse, Religious bigotry, Sexual violence, Sexual assault, Cancer, Child abuse, Medical content, and Death of parent

Moderate: Trafficking, Murder, Suicide attempt, Kidnapping, and Terminal illness

Minor: Genocide

oscarnotwildin's review against another edition

emotional hopeful informative reflective sad tense 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? It's complicated

5.0

the most beautiful book i have read this year. hosseini's writing is unbeatable. i was emotionally destroyed at the end of it.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Classism, Death, Grief, Gun violence, Sexual violence, Deportation, Rape, Self harm, Sexual content, Sexual harassment, Police brutality, Religious bigotry, Child death, Child abuse, Hate crime, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, and War

lostintheworldoffiction's review against another edition

emotional sad medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? N/A
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

2.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexual assault, Religious bigotry, Child abuse, and Adult/minor relationship

Moderate: Addiction

Minor: Death

taibreakfast's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional hopeful informative inspiring reflective 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

I guess it's a cliché to like this book but it was really, really good! My friend put it well: it's so well crafted that it reads like a memoir. I think this is because it does such a good job with scene vs summary, connecting moments to broader history, recalling forward and backward in time. Like, the protagonist has really thought about the meanings behind his life events and the story it represents for him.

At times, some details or developments feel just a little too tidy, but also so much happens and there's so much hardship and violence, the tidy or circular elements do ground the story and help the reader to make meaning along the way. It means the writer is able to present us with not quite a happy ending that is still deeply satisfying and even hopeful. 

Listened to the audiobook, which I highly recommend! It's read by the author, which can be hit or miss, but he does a good job. And I got to hear how he pronounces Afghanistan etc. It's not how they pronounce it on CNN!

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Rape, Violence, and Sexual violence

Moderate: Trafficking, Religious bigotry, Torture, War, Death of parent, Pedophilia, Antisemitism, Bullying, Infertility, and Miscarriage

figwood's review against another edition

dark sad tense slow-paced

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

1.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child abuse, Child death, Religious bigotry, Mass/school shootings, Police brutality, Bullying, Rape, Self harm, Suicide attempt, Gun violence, Domestic abuse, Mental illness, Abandonment, Sexual assault, Chronic illness, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Sexual violence, Suicide, Terminal illness, War, Adult/minor relationship, Death, Genocide, Slavery, Torture, Trafficking, Violence, Animal cruelty, Classism, Emotional abuse, Grief, Blood, Cancer, Infertility, Injury/Injury detail, Medical trauma, Murder, Racism, Death of parent, Miscarriage, and Misogyny

lizzardbeth99's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional sad

3.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Classism, Grief, Physical abuse, Racial slurs, Religious bigotry, Sexual assault, Torture, Pedophilia, Rape, Toxic friendship, Xenophobia, Gun violence, Blood, Injury/Injury detail, Racism, Medical content, Police brutality, Ableism, War, Bullying, Death, Genocide, Gore, Hate crime, and Abandonment

suneaters's review against another edition

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

Oh gosh. This book was wonderful, but very hard to read in some parts. The ending with Sohrab really hurt, but I'm so glad

he got to go home with Amir after his suicide attempt. I also hope he'll eventually heal and be able to open up more to Amir and his wife Soraya.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Suicide attempt, Rape, Religious bigotry, and Child abuse

Moderate: Infertility, Terminal illness, War, and Death of parent

Minor: Murder, Vomit, and Miscarriage

phantomgecko's review against another edition

dark emotional sad medium-paced

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

4.0

I'm a simple reader. If a book evokes emotion, I probably like it. This wasn't my favorite book ever, but it brought me to tears several different times. Mostly the heartbreaking juxtaposition of the Amir's selfishness with Hassan's selflessness. And also the cruelty of circumstance.

Idk, it's a sad book that provides interesting insight into a country I know very little about. Would recommend.

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Classism, Death, Genocide, Bullying, Death of parent, Rape, Religious bigotry, Suicide attempt, Pedophilia, Child death, Hate crime, and Murder

shoshin's review against another edition

dark emotional informative sad tense medium-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: Murder, Medical content, Toxic friendship, Rape, Violence, Pedophilia, and Religious bigotry