Reviews tagging 'Murder'

The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini

170 reviews

theemster's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional sad medium-paced

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

3.5

Watch the trigger warnings, this one is heavy.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Kidnapping, Sexual assault, Infertility, Injury/Injury detail, Islamophobia, Medical content, Mental illness, Police brutality, Racial slurs, Racism, Religious bigotry, Self harm, Sexual harassment, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, War, Sexual content, Child abuse, Death of parent, Gore, Cancer, Suicide attempt, Blood, Death, Grief, Gun violence, Hate crime, Medical trauma, Pedophilia, Terminal illness, Violence, Xenophobia, Bullying, Emotional abuse, Adult/minor relationship, Classism, Genocide, Homophobia, Mass/school shootings, Murder, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexual violence, and Torture

areadingrose's review against another edition

dark emotional sad tense medium-paced

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

3.75

This is a good book, a great book even. If you loved the book thief this would be a great next step. 

However, this is not my favorite book by a long shot but I think that’s okay. 

This is not a book you pick up one afternoon and just decide to read. There’s a lot of heavy difficult topics in this book that are difficult to just jump into if you’re not mentally prepared. Please read content or trigger warnings prior to reading this book. I didn’t do that and I think I would have had a much different experience reading this if I had done that. 

It was extremely well written and I think what the author does well is write a main character who you aren’t sure if you like or not. I went back and forth constantly on whether there were any characters I really liked in this book. It’s just a sad book to me. It gives me a lot of perspective on what it might have been like for children in Afghanistan but it was hard to digest. 

I appreciated the way the book ended but I still have a lot of mixed emotions about Amir. I’m not sure if I actually liked him or not.

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Content Warnings

Minor: War, Sexual violence, Suicide attempt, Child abuse, Rape, Racial slurs, Pedophilia, Murder, and Violence

shiftycow1313's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional hopeful informative 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

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Bullying, Death, War, Religious bigotry, Cancer, Police brutality, Abandonment, Toxic friendship, Sexual violence, Suicide attempt, Injury/Injury detail, Pedophilia, Grief, Animal death, Racism, Child abuse, Self harm, Kidnapping, Murder, Blood, Rape, Miscarriage, Adult/minor relationship, Emotional abuse, Mental illness, Violence, Infertility, Ableism, Classism, Misogyny, Sexism, Death of parent, Genocide, Terminal illness, Sexual assault, Suicidal thoughts, and Vomit

squidlord23's review against another edition

emotional reflective sad medium-paced

• 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

4.5

This was a very good book that I'm glad I waited until I was older to take the time to digest and reflect. It is a very tough emotional read and Amir, especially as a child, you want to slap. He struggles with his father's approval but it was hard to digest how he treated Hassan. Overall the development of the characters as they grow, experience the changes of Afghanistan throughout the 60s/70s/80s to present day (2001) was a very interesting read. Half a star off because I felt that towards the end the last piece of trauma for the reader was unnecessary and the way some of the big events conclude in the way to benefit Amir were too obviously coincidental to help wrap a nice bow on the plot and just keep our emotions on a roller coaster we're ready to get off. I definitely recommend this book if you're interested in a small perspective on the Afghan family dynamic and some history of the country. This is not all encompassing and the history clearly is more complicated than this book. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Murder, Racism, War, and Suicide attempt

Moderate: Death of parent, Child death, and Child abuse

habibaa20's review against another edition

challenging emotional hopeful reflective sad tense fast-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: Infidelity, Abandonment, Xenophobia, War, Sexual violence, Sexual assault, Rape, Medical trauma, Murder, Injury/Injury detail, Genocide, Suicide attempt, and Grief

b3ttysbooks33's review against another edition

informative reflective sad tense fast-paced

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

5.0

This book is not only a relatable, emotional story about regret, but also a haunting and impactful insight into the tragic historical and ongoing conflict in Afghanistan.

note: some people criticize the depictions of religion and politics, but I feel that because most of these controversial opinions come from characters who is clearly deeply flawed, the author leaves room for such issues to be discussed rather than dictating a specific narrative.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death of parent, Grief, Medical trauma, Racial slurs, Racism, Rape, Sexual violence, Gun violence, Hate crime, Sexual assault, Suicide, Terminal illness, War, Child death, Classism, Colonisation, Genocide, Pedophilia, Child abuse, Toxic friendship, Infertility, Islamophobia, Murder, Physical abuse, Violence, Death, and Suicide attempt

hedyharper's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional hopeful mysterious reflective sad tense slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• 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: Religious bigotry, Abandonment, Death, Emotional abuse, Medical trauma, Rape, Toxic friendship, Trafficking, Cancer, Racism, Infertility, Death of parent, Medical content, Xenophobia, Sexual content, Terminal illness, Child abuse, Ableism, Blood, Bullying, Classism, Grief, Injury/Injury detail, Sexual assault, Suicide attempt, Violence, Vomit, and War

Moderate: Murder, Panic attacks/disorders, Forced institutionalization, Genocide, Infertility, Islamophobia, Mental illness, Terminal illness, Gun violence, Misogyny, and Ableism

Minor: Infidelity, Forced institutionalization, Police brutality, Miscarriage, Confinement, Vomit, and Pregnancy

oliviajjones's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional hopeful inspiring sad tense slow-paced

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

4.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Suicide, Violence, Sexual violence, Racism, Vomit, Rape, Murder, Gun violence, War, and Genocide

drashti_444's review against another edition

dark emotional sad tense 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

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexual assault, War, Trafficking, Toxic friendship, Self harm, Racism, Cancer, Murder, Child abuse, Pedophilia, Rape, Suicide attempt, and Sexual violence

richardiporter's review against another edition

challenging dark reflective sad tense 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

Who should read? People interested in Afghanistan and its people. People with the endurance for a story full of negative emotions, darkness, pain. 
CW: rape, sexual abuse, child abuse, murder, war etc

This book is not a pleasant experience. There is some redemption in it and there is value in perceiving the suffering depicted. It aligns with my understanding of the lives of many people in Afghanistan in many ways. It is well written and the audiobook is well read by the author. 
I will likely not read or listen to it again. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Rape, Sexual violence, Sexual assault, Murder, Medical content, Blood, and Medical trauma