Reviews tagging 'Gun violence'

The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini

131 reviews

alexisgarcia's review against another edition

dark emotional sad tense medium-paced

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

3.0

i was expecting to love this because i love the genre and everyone raves about it. however, i struggled enjoying a book where i really despised the main character. i never really wanted him to succeed so i never really got invested unfortunately. i only got invested in the side characters story which was devastating. the writing was amazing though. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Bullying, Colonisation, Rape, Toxic friendship, Cursing, Death, Death of parent, Gun violence, Sexual violence, Abandonment, Adult/minor relationship, Classism, Grief, Pedophilia, Sexual content, Sexual harassment, Infertility, Alcohol, Blood, Body horror, Gore, Injury/Injury detail, Kidnapping, Murder, Sexual assault, Violence, and War

nooksandbooks's review against another edition

challenging emotional hopeful reflective sad medium-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

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Bullying, Death, Kidnapping, Misogyny, Rape, Self harm, Islamophobia, Death of parent, Gun violence, Hate crime, Murder, Pedophilia, Sexual assault, Suicide attempt, War, and Child abuse

Moderate: Bullying

Minor: Classism

nasab's review against another edition

emotional inspiring sad 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

3.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Rape, Child abuse, Violence, and Sexual violence

Moderate: Blood, Cancer, Death of parent, Gun violence, Genocide, and Hate crime

Minor: Miscarriage, Medical content, Infidelity, Infertility, and Alcohol

noahfence's review against another edition

dark emotional reflective 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

5.0

the kite runner is an absolutely heartbreaking and tragic exploration into taboo friendships, guilt, social and political turmoil, boyhood and manhood and, eventually, redemption. it follows the story of two boys, the underprivileged hazara hassan and the fortunate pashtun amir—and the seemingly irreparable rift that forms between them due to a tragic incident on what is meant to be a day of victory and celebration. it leaves amir reeling with guilt and self-hatred, of which stubbornly pervades into his adult life, and that he eventually goes to extreme lengths to atone for.

this was required reading for my a level course and i wasn’t sure what to expect before i read it. however, i can confidently state that i am left a changed person after reading the kite runner. it moved me to tears on multiple occasions and left me to reflect on the relationships i hold with those i hold most dear in my life, and how i need to hold them tight and never let them go.

broadly this book is the story of a troubled man learning that ‘there is a way to be good again’, and grasping that opportunity with both hands. i feel that, with its initial themes of self-hatred and lacking parental love, it resonates with many of us very deeply. and after the book has done this, it then jumps at the chance to show us how to learn to love ourselves again, and how to build and nurture that same, previously missing, parental love within ourselves so we may find the courage to atone for the bad things we have done… and, after all that, eventually find we are able to forgive ourselves.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Bullying, Cancer, Death of parent, Gore, Murder, Rape, Suicide, Suicide attempt, and Terminal illness

Moderate: Ableism, Child abuse, Classism, Xenophobia, Grief, Medical content, Sexual violence, Gun violence, Infertility, Injury/Injury detail, Misogyny, Pedophilia, Racism, Sexism, Toxic relationship, Vomit, and War

Minor: Drug use, Genocide, Abandonment, and Infidelity

nxs06's review against another edition

dark emotional reflective sad medium-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? Yes

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Suicide attempt, Violence, War, Child abuse, Gun violence, and Rape

heidi0770's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional inspiring 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? Yes

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Terminal illness, Sexual assault, Cancer, Death, War, Rape, Gore, Infertility, Violence, Sexual violence, Suicide attempt, Blood, Death of parent, Gun violence, and Grief

bnorwood86's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional hopeful inspiring sad tense slow-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

This book was wonderfully written. It was devastating but brilliant!

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Gun violence, Adult/minor relationship, Bullying, Child abuse, Death of parent, Genocide, Hate crime, Murder, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Racism, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, and Slavery

drewhowerton's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional hopeful inspiring reflective sad tense 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

5.0

Absolutely amazing. What a journey. What a story. I’m so emotional. 

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Colonisation, Death, Death of parent, Domestic abuse, Genocide, Grief, Medical content, Medical trauma, Rape, Religious bigotry, Self harm, Sexual assault, Violence, Chronic illness, Abandonment, Adult/minor relationship, Blood, Bullying, Child abuse, Emotional abuse, Gun violence, Hate crime, Infertility, Injury/Injury detail, Islamophobia, Kidnapping, Mental illness, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Sexual violence, Sexual content, Suicidal thoughts, Terminal illness, Torture, Suicide attempt, and War

irene_g08's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional inspiring sad medium-paced

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

4.0

Read #2: 2023
I reread this book for school and my previous rating of 4 stars still stands but I think I have some more insight I didn’t have before. If I had to describe this book in one word it would be heartbreaking. All the characters have so much undiscussed trauma and they all cope with it differently. The writing is very hard and the trauma representation feels very realistic. I still think Amir was a selfish character, but by the end I think he is on the path to start redeeming himself. I highly recommend this book both please do know that there are many many trigger warnings that need to come with it. 

So I gave this book a 4 stars. And let me tell you why. First off the positives: The writing is incredible. The descriptions are so well written and so easy to imagine. The characters are written with positives and negatives making it hard to love and hate them. Now the negatives: The way the main character, Amir, acts is absolutely horrible. He has a bigger the life ego and always wants things to go his way. The way he treats his friend and then goes to save this friend’s kid is so wrong. His redemption journey is selfish as he is doing it to clear HIS conscious. He always gets himself in trouble that his friend, Hassan, or Hassan’s child, Sohrab, has to get him out of. I also didn’t cry most likely due to the fact that I couldn’t get over what Amir did no matter what he tried to do. It was still a good book nonetheless.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Rape, Death, Hate crime, Islamophobia, Bullying, Grief, Gun violence, Sexual assault, Toxic friendship, and Blood

Moderate: Suicide attempt

Minor: Infertility and Infidelity

beatriceku's review against another edition

adventurous challenging emotional mysterious reflective tense fast-paced

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

5.0

this book is many things. a waste of time is not one of them. the story is an overwhelming and heart wrenching tale, one that i feel is relatable, but other-worldly at the same time. you’ve heard it said before, but this is truly one important book. does anything ‘good’ necessarily happen in this novel! i would probably argue not. but it is filled with complexity and layers of human emotion that are unreachable in your typical YA novels and arguably, the most renowned classics. it speaks to the immigrant experience, the heartbreak of war, guilt, shame, class, and so many more in a gripping, nuanced, and eloquent manner. not only so, but is a riveting read, with twists and a fair share of devastating turns. all in all, although the term is cliche - it is an important read. to not only understand the history of Afghanistan, and the story of Amir, but also as a guide in how to navigate our own burdens and deepest shames.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Gun violence, Abandonment, Adult/minor relationship, Blood, Bullying, Child abuse, Cursing, Death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Gaslighting, Genocide, Grief, Gore, Islamophobia, Medical trauma, Mental illness, Murder, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Classism, Death of parent, Hate crime, Torture, Violence, Vomit, War, Medical content, Pedophilia, Police brutality, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexism, Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide attempt, Terminal illness, Racial slurs, Racism, and Self harm