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noshinbean's review against another edition
- 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
4.5
Graphic: Death, Sexual violence, Sexual assault, Religious bigotry, Rape, Bullying, Physical abuse, Death of parent, Vomit, Suicide attempt, Racism, Medical content, Islamophobia, Hate crime, Grief, and Child abuse
seapotatohowisitalrtaken's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
Graphic: Gun violence, Injury/Injury detail, Misogyny, Murder, Physical abuse, Toxic friendship, Child death, Religious bigotry, Self harm, War, Blood, Bullying, Child abuse, Death, Death of parent, Medical content, Pedophilia, Racism, Rape, Sexism, Slavery, Suicide, Torture, Violence, and Vomit
Moderate: Abandonment, Addiction, Classism, Grief, Infertility, Panic attacks/disorders, Sexual assault, Alcohol, Animal death, Cancer, Chronic illness, Drug use, Infidelity, and Sexual content
Minor: Cursing
dreamwifu's review against another edition
- 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
Graphic: Sexual assault, Rape, and Suicide attempt
Moderate: Blood, Child abuse, and War
Minor: Cancer and Vomit
krystal_uwu_'s review against another edition
- 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
I borrowed this book from my school's library and I feel that I should file a complaint as it has caused me severe emotional distress.
I loved this book. The writing, the characters and the subtle plot twists were absolutely immaculate. The characters were extremely richly developed. The book is jam-packed with surprises.
There was a sense of morbid humility hovering over the pages and, I often found myself feeling upset even though nothing truly bad had yet happened. In retrospect, I guess it was because of my anticipation of the giant wave of sadness that was about to hit me like a tsunami.
Personally, I love the way the characters are fabricated. I absolutely loved the character development; Hosseini has done an amazing job developing them, which increases the emotional impact of the plot by a metric fuckton. Especially, it's remarkable how well he handled the first person protagonist, Amir. The traditional 'do wrong, then atone, conclude with happy ending' is not the way with The Kite Runner; instead, it utilizes an attempt to direct Amir towards a path of atonement, while sticking to a more realistic ending. Had it not been for Hosseini's unique narrative, Amir's character could have turned far more contemptible. Luckily, for me, it was never the case. Many would probably love the secondary characters more, but it is important to remember that it was the protagonist's undistorted, self-criticizing account of the events that made it that way. It's not something usually talked about or shown but, I quite liked the freshness of it.
What I loved most was that just when you thought it was all over, there was MORE. Like damn. There was arc after arc of grief, repentance, a constant struggle with one's own consciousness and poignance.
The writing was medium paced but, it brought me out of a reading slump. I liked the pace of the story, including the intermittent jumps in time used to separate the book in to a few main parts. Each of these parts had their own theme going on, while introducing an occasional twist to keep things interesting.
The writing style is somewhat simple, but I believe most readers would be too absorbed in the plot to notice it. If anything, it felt more appropriate, reducing distractions from the flow of the story. But the plot, and the characters make up perfectly for any other shortcoming in my opinion. Not exactly an emotional rollercoaster, for, the majority of the emotions include regret, disappointment, sadness, fear, anger, privation but very little happy ones. But all this helped the book become more moving.
It is certainly hard to believe that this was Hosseini's debut novel. And that is where the flaw comes in, it was just so beautifully fabricated that almost everything that happens seems intentional. I don't really know how to explain it, some may understand what I mean but, some may not and that's okay. Well, it's not much of a flaw but, it's like when you bite your nail and there's a hangnail where you know that if you pull it off it'll hurt very much but, you can't really just leave it there. I guess I could call it a lingering feeling of deliberateness. The arcs of the story, the characters, the plot and the symbolism were sometimes a bit in your face, so much so that it could retract from the story the initial sweetness.
However, I guess I'm biased to liking this book. I believe that the words of Hindi, Urdu and Farsi that were sprinkled throughout the book added depth to it and as someone who knows a bit of those languages I found it very endearing. I think it helped me connect with the book more. The culture, the language and the POV of Amir really helped me connect with the book. It was like a fungi growing in my heart 😠a good one though.
What's interesting is that even though my personal situation is worlds away from that of the main character, Amir, and yet I could still see what he saw and feel what he felt. It's so easy to slip into his shoes even though at times he is despicable and insufferable. That was truly incredible. The way that I could connect to the story was extraordinary. There's just so much heart within the pages that escapes the pages and resides within you for the entirety of the read.
Now, I must explain why I found the main character relatable. A very controversial thing to say considering the things he does. I'm not saying I'm an Angel or a goddy two shoes but damn, I wouldn't ever do that, I can't be THAT cruel. Nevertheless, I think I can understand why he did what he did and that is partly because of the linguistic and cultural barrier not being there. South Asia and the Middle East have quite a few cultural similarities, our cuisine, our entertainment, our stories and languages. And, I think Amir's constant struggle for redemption and striving for something someone else has which he hasn't is a universal experience; at least here in India. No matter how good or bad you have it, there will always be someone who has it better than you and always someone who has it worse than you. The most prominent part of the book where this disparity is clearly denoted, which has no ups and downs, is where Farid, the person driving Amir from Peshwar to Afghanistan, says that Amir was "khudkihi watan me khud ajnabi" a stranger in his own land.
Going into the story I thought it was about an Afghani boy named Amir who made a horrible, horrible mistake in his past that haunts him for the rest of his life. Boy, was I wrong.
I really don't have anything to say about this book that hasn't been said already. It may seem overhyped to some but, once you read you will be able to understand why it is glorified the way it is. It's not just a story, it's a plethora of stories intertwined together to form a beautiful tale. It is a draining book; infuriating, agonizing, frustrating and excruciating even. But it was also moving and a 'dil deheladene wala kitab', a heartwarming book.
It's a book that grows on you. Truly. Would 100% recommend. Do check out the trigger list though.
Graphic: War, Pedophilia, Death, Vomit, Rape, Bullying, and Suicide
pr1ncessj's review against another edition
- 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
Graphic: Sexual violence, Suicide attempt, Suicide, Torture, Rape, Injury/Injury detail, War, Vomit, and Physical abuse
Moderate: Infertility
audra_etta's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Graphic: Grief, Death of parent, and Death
Moderate: Violence, Islamophobia, War, Suicide attempt, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Physical abuse, Infertility, Self harm, Rape, Racism, and Vomit
Minor: Antisemitism and Ableism
kepferchris's review against another edition
3.75
Graphic: Terminal illness, Suicide attempt, Murder, Rape, Suicide, Child abuse, War, and Vomit
greatexpectations77's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Graphic: Medical content, Grief, Chronic illness, Death, Hate crime, Infertility, Blood, Bullying, Cancer, Child abuse, Classism, Death of parent, Violence, Emotional abuse, Injury/Injury detail, Rape, Toxic friendship, and War
Moderate: Sexual content, Sexual assault, Abandonment, Terminal illness, Physical abuse, Forced institutionalization, Sexual violence, Religious bigotry, Mental illness, Police brutality, Ableism, Adult/minor relationship, Alcohol, Excrement, Misogyny, Pedophilia, Racism, Sexism, Genocide, Gore, Infidelity, Murder, Pregnancy, Suicide attempt, and Vomit
Minor: Antisemitism, Body shaming, Body horror, Torture, and Miscarriage
audiem's review against another edition
- 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
4.0
Graphic: Suicide attempt, Child abuse, Sexual violence, Rape, Racial slurs, War, Sexual harassment, Racism, and Vomit
froggylife01's review
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
This book had me sobbing over and over again, it explores cowardice, loyalty and family with a heartbreaking, believable story.
Graphic: Genocide, Gun violence, Grief, Suicidal thoughts, War, Child abuse, Death of parent, Adult/minor relationship, Blood, Misogyny, Sexual assault, Suicide attempt, Death, Suicide, Rape, Vomit, Abandonment, Mental illness, and Violence