Reviews with content warning for Gun violence - The Kite Runner

So this book was something that I had always heard of as such a great book and something everyone should read. So I bought it years ago. Then my mom borrowed it for one of her college courses and loved it, so I kept the book even though I never looked up the summary. So I went into this book totally blind. And part of me wishes I was still blind to it.

I could not get myself to really enjoy the book. I think I finished the book out of spite for the main character because I just didn’t like him. Most of what he did rubbed me the wrong way, even as a child yes some of those things, and I don’t feel that he really changed by the end. The only thing I liked was Amir’s wife and the fact that we got justice for Hassan through his son.

“But Baba had found a way to create good out of his remorse… What had I ever done to right things?”

The trauma and assault that Hassan went through, while I guess I understand why it was added in the book, given the story and the time it was written, but I felt that it wasn’t needed, especially with the constant flashbacks with new details that Amir had. I almost stopped the book when it happened and each time it was brought up again I was close to stopping, but I had to know what happened to Hassan by the end. And I was only sad about what happened to him and his wife.

The somewhat namesake of the book, that kite tournament, was very interesting to read about though. I’d love to watch something like that or participate in. I think that it was a great point to start and stop the book during two different tournaments; possibly the two most important ones in Amir’s life.

Due to me just not liking this book or the main character (given the fact that his growth really only happened during the last few chapters in my opinion) I gave The Kite Runner 3 stars. I was originally going to do 3.5 stars but after thinking about it more I decided against it. I have started the author’s second book, and I wonder if I’ll complete it or DNF should I feel the same as I did with this one.

“Or, maybe, it was meant not to be.”

Hassan was just too loyal and accepting. The mother who abandoned him comes back years later and he aides her back to health, he does what he is told and never tells on Amir, and for just watching the home while Rahim was gone he is met with trauma, grief, and his own death.

I know why Baba also probably paid for the surgery, but did anyone ask Hassan if he even wanted to get the surgery done on this lip? Because I feel like he only did it because his master told him to.

I didn’t like how we were supposed to just always feel bad for Amir when all bad that came to him was karma and his own doing. He was a rich boy and had bad things happen to him yeah, but what about all the bad he did himself?

Sohrab hitting Assef in the eye with that brass using the slingshot felt like poetic justice. The weapon and threat from Hassan finally came true and he should feel proud for what he did.

Soraya’s infertility was something that had to be done to bring Sohrab home, but I wish that it talked more into Soraya’s sadness with him and focused on her a little during that time. As someone with fertility issues it was sad to see that it was only written as a way to bring a child in later, that no woman can be happy without a child in her life.

I KNEW THEY WERE BROTHERS WHY ELSE WOULD BABA TREAT HIM LIKE THAT!?

Content Warnings

kierstyn's review against another edition

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challenging dark emotional hopeful informative 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

Hopeful yet heartbreaking, this book is a masterpiece that TRULY shows what it is to be a human. It's not a fuzzy feel-good novel — it takes you into the depth of what Amir's life is like without sugar coating anything.

Content Warnings

eviegbaker's review against another edition

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dark emotional 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? Yes

4.5

a lot of content warnings.
so so sad but informative for someone who doesn’t know as much as they should about the conflict in afghanistan.
the entire book made me feel like crying and i loved it. definitely deserves all the praise

Content Warnings

ezrazoe4's review against another edition

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dark emotional 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

4.25

The author has a very easy-to-read writing style, and convey emotions without excess wording. I learnt much about the culture of Afghanistan and the plights that the people face, in their own land and out of it. Grief, regret, and guilt is constant throughout the book, which the author uses to create a powerful story.

Though, honestly, this book wasn't that impactful to me. It didn't make me feel emotional, it didn't have that big an impact on me as I was expecting it to. Perhaps this is because I had high expectations after hearing about all the good reviews. Now that I think about it, the protagonist is a really passive character, who doesn't really do much on his own. The writing was easy to follow, which I liked, but the story itself probably won't stick around in my head for long.

Content Warnings

micarus's review against another edition

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challenging dark emotional hopeful sad tense medium-paced

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

5.0

I watched the movie a million years ago, and couldn't get myself to read the book because of the heartbreak it gave me. Until now, years later, i finally picked up the book to read. As expected, it really dug itself into my heart and made me sob. It's an incredibly well-written book, and the story just keeps on turning and twisting into all kinds of shapes, making me desperately turn the pages. It's painful, but so beautiful. An emotional pleasure of a read, really.

Content Warnings