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I really enjoyed this book, for its value in learning a bit more about Afghanistan and its people as well as for the story. It is a very personal story about a wealthy Afghan boy, with intriguing characters that go through a disturbing chain of events along with their country. I highly recommend this book and I look forward to reading A Thousand Splendid Suns.
If you can get past several contrived-seeming situations, and Amir's logic-defying decision-making skills, you'll find The Kite Runner worth the read, if only to learn a bit about Afghanistan and comprehend the sometimes-colossal consequences of poor choices. Almost up to the last second of the story, Amir is unwilling to take responsibility for his actions and strive to be a better person.
After reading it now, eight years later, I still like it, but no so much. Biased at the start by certain knowledge I didn't have the first time and being the parent of a son near the age of the two main characters whose pre-teen lives were changed "in the winter of 1975," I was bothered much more than before by: the amount of violence, profanity and coincidental history-repeating-itself happenings.
Eight years ago when I read The Kite Runner, I loved it, even after hearing a list of its flaws pointed out by my fellow book club members. Throughout the story, the author reveals incidents in Amir's life during which, debating multiple courses of action, he acts selfishly.
The Kite Runner, set in Afghanistan, is the story of a life-altering experience involving two childhood friends, Amir (the narrator) and his nearly the same-aged servant/playmate, Hassan (the kite runner). Several coincidental incidents seem contrived, including: that Amir grows up with a servant/friend just as his father did; the repeated appearance of a particularly rotten person (which also involves repeated, similar bad behavior by said person); Amir's adult injury; and the similarity in end-of-life sickness symptoms in two major characters.
And one of the worst comes in adulthood, when, after a lifetime of feelings of remorse about regretful behavior during his youth, he makes a bad blunder regarding his charge. On similar subjects: A Thousand Splendid Suns by Khaled Hosseini, Caravans by James Michener, and The Bookseller of Kabul (my rating-five stars) by Ånne Seierstad.
You won't want to put them down. It is just a great read - A Thousand Splendid Suns is also great.
It is beautifully written. I absolutely loved this book from the first page to the last.
I was inspired by their choices. I learned so much about a misunderstood country.
I was haunted by the characters' trials. I would give this book the edge between the two, but both are well worth your time.
I don't reread many books, but I would this one.
I just found my favorite new author. The author paints such a clear picture of life in Afghanistan and the hardships and triumphs facing the characters.By the end of the book I felt like I knew each character personally and loved each of them. This book is absolutely amazing. The story is incredible and the writing is so well done that I literally couldn't put the book down, and when I did, I couldn't wait until I could pick it up again. It was truly sad to read the final word of the book because I wanted to go on forever. You must read this book.
The story and relationship between Amir and Hassan is heart-wrenching, as is the relationship between Amir and his father. Wow. I knew very little about the different religious sects within the middle east. fiction. I hear it is just as good, if not better than The Kite Runner. Honestly, I knew very little about the war between the Russians and Afghans.I had to do a little research on the internet to understand some things.
It is a sad and gut-wrenching story. At first, this book made me feel really stupid. I usually see plot twists and where a book is heading from miles away, but I did not see this one coming. I have to say, I feel smarter for reading this book. It is a great work of historical (recent historical). It's hard to read parts of the story, but it is worth it.I plan on reading Hosseini's novel, A Thousand Splendid Suns.
~Jenn
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