What I love about this book is that the author writes about Afghanistan in a familiar way, and is able to show us that while the culture there is very different, in some ways it's not so different at all. I won't focus on the story so much as I will what I liked and didn't like about it.

The first hundred pages or so take place in Afghanistan during the protagonists youth, and talk about the foundations of his friendship with Hassan, as well as the end of their friendship. What's good about this section is that it's amazingly readable, it's at times sad and funny, and always well written. The only problem is that this is by far the best part of the novel.

After this section the novel is still excellent, but it doesn't live up to the first section. I know it's fiction and the author has creative control, but some of the events in the latter part of the novel were still a little far fetched, though still entertaining. Though there are some sections that live up to the first part, such as when he first goes back to Afghanistan, or when he thinks the children are looking at his watch.

This is a well written novel that's very culturally and politically aware, and it is certainly worth the time.

Kite runner was in my library over 4 years but I did not touch it. Shame on me! It is an extraordinary book. I am so glad to read it in my life-time. This is a classic.

oh boy where to begin....This book had the potential to be great. And I can see why some people liked. I can't see why so many people LOVED it.

The writing was good, and did create a nice and rich world of the Middle East, letting the reader peek into the lives of the characters and see both their and their country's struggles to survive and become independent. I did enjoy some of the characters, The servant and his son Hassan especially, as well as the family friend. But the glowing saintlike way the author described them prevented me from ever being able to make my own decision about liking them or not.

Ultimately, the problems in a general description were:
1) The main character/narrator of the story was so weak, and selfish, and aimless, it was almost impossible to feel compassion for him or his strife. I read many books where the character is flawed in major ways, but the story or the personality is so compelling, you still yearn to see them succeed, or at least to grow. Or if the person is a villain, or bad at least they are good at being a bad person. This character was just a waste of space, a void. I felt no connection to him at all

2) There are poignant coincidences in literature, and then there are just laughable unbelievable events that actually ruin the book. The Kite Runners ending is bloated with these.
*****************SPOILER ALERT!!*******************




So when the spineless rich boy is accosted by the nazi loving mean kid, the over lovable servant boy saves him by threatening to shoot the left eye of the nazi kid with his sling shot. Sadly, later, the overly lovable servant boy is raped by the nazi loving kid while the weak worthless rich kid watches hiding. Amazingly, years and years later, The lovable servant boy had a son, who is kidnapped by the nazi loving boy (now man)who promptly continues raping this poor family tree! It has now become a tradition to be molested by this man. The spineless rich boy(man, only in the sense of age) goes to save the servant boys child from the nazi raping, only to blunder and get severely beaten up. Miraculously (and ridiculously) the servant boys son has the SAME sling shot he inherited from his father, and saves the rich man by shooting the nazi lover IN THE SAME EYE his father had threatened to take so many years ago. wow!! AND take into account all of this happens by chance. The Nazi loving boy didnt stalk the servant to rape his son, he just kind of found him. The servant boy never told his son that he had threatened to shoot out nazi boys eyeball, it just happened to be in the kids blood i guess. who would have imagined? A variety of other things happen throughout the book to try to add meaningful points here and there, but ultimately the book becomes such a joke, that the punchline of an ending completely deflates any merit it started to build in the beginning.
I was telling my husband the synopsis of the book and he was laughing and shaking his head saying 'stop! stop! it's too much!' When said out loud and concentrated, it really is laugh out loud ridiculous.

I read this book a year ago for the first time and recently read again after seeing the movie...amazing story, amazing author

I enjoyed this book from cover to cover, although it kept me up at night turning pages when I should have been sleeping.

Haven't read the book The Kite Runner, but the condition of the book was o.k. readable. Thanks

What can I say about this book that hasn't been already? Outstanding, a must read...end of story.

This was by far one of the best novels I've read..I had to read it for my English 102 college course and it was so interesting. I recommend this book to anyone!

The Kite Runner is a powerful book; the kind of novel that sticks with you, probably forever. On one level, it's the story of a friendship between two boys. On another level, it's the story of modern Afghanistan. The threads of the two stories are interwoven expertly, and parallel each other in many ways. Both threads are tragic, but both end on a note of cautious hope.

The story begins in the 1970s, when Afghanistan is a poor but beautiful, peaceful and cultured country. The protagonist is Amir, a young boy who lives a sheltered life as the son of a prominent Afghani. Hassan, the son of his father's servant, is Amir's best friend. Because Hassan is a Hazara, one of Afghanistan's underclass, Amir cannot openly acknowledge his friendship with Hassan. The result is a one-sided relationship in which Amir cherishes and relies upon Hassan while simultaneously disdaining and disavowing him.

At the same time, Amir struggles to gain the approval of his father, who doesn't understand his unathletic, bookish son. An opportunity to endear himself to his father arises in a kite-fighting contest. He believes -- with good reason -- that if he wins the contest, he will garner his father's respect and love. Amir becomes so obsessed that when he is unexpectedly thrust into a situation where he must choose between this goal and his friendship for Hassan, he betrays his friend.

From this point, things go rapidly downhill for both Hassan and Afghanistan. You're probably at least a little familiar with the travails of Afghanistan: First the Russians invaded, which was bad enough. But when the Russians left the Taliban took over. The Taliban makes the Russians look like the Mormon Tabernacle Choir.

Amir and his father eventually flee to the U.S. But Afghanistan -- and his betrayal of Hassan -- continue to haunt him, and in the book's final act he finally has an opportunity to "be good again." The final few chapters are so riveting and haunting that you won't be able to put it down.

This book is amazing. I have passed it on to other family members and they all loved it. The movie was decent too. The book is better of course. I can't wait to read more from Khaled Hosseini.

First of all go buy this book and read it , its great and very easy to go through!!! I read it in one day and ever since that day i haven't been able to find a book i love as much. Second of all this book has nothing to do with Muslim culture really!!! I mean its in that setting but really is more about the struggles and lives of Afghanistan. I have always wished to adopt a child from Afghanistan, and just go there in general....This book just made me go through a bunch of emotions like sadness, romance, hatered...and so much more...JUST READ IT ALREADY!!!!

I love Hosseini's works so much that am working on a thesis on both the books. His books are a gateway to a world unknown to many. People all over the world have guessed what this world would be like, however, Hossein has made them live it through his narrative.

This book was one of those books I could read over and over again. It was beautifully writen and really played on your emotions. Khaled is able to use irony in a way I have never seen used before and left no plot holes. If I could rate it above a five I would.

The beginning of the book is truly fantastic and sets what could be a good story. Takes place in a war ridden Afghanistan but emphasized are the simplistic  trivialities of childhood tainted by an incredibly emotional topic of discussion. However towards the middle as our main character grows the novel takes a nosedive a la sappy soap opera. I give it a 2.5.

This was such a good read. Really informative about the Arab/Muslim Cultures, too! It was so well-written. I would definitely recommend it.

This book reads like an autobiography, and since the main character is a writer looking back on his life, I had to remind myself several times that this was a work of fiction. Hosseini's writing style is very clever. He does a great job of slipping the reader some knowledge about the story, and waiting until later to unravel how that scene came about. He is able to describe some gruesome and tragic thoughts and events, while also being able to beautifully capture instances of love and caring. The story is excellent not only because it is great fiction, but also because it gives a personal perspective on the plight of Afghanistan over the last 30 years. This novel is helpful in understanding the experiences of expatriate Afghanis, and what 20 years of war has done to a society in modern day Afghanistan.

For longer than I can remember I've read an average of 2-3 books every week. Over time, my reading tastes have changed, with fiction now taking a backseat to non-fiction. The Kite Runner is the perfect book to bridge these two genre.

The author was born in Afghanistan, and lived his early years in that country. Then, after a stint in Paris, his family moved to America.

The main character in the book only loosely follows the same path as the author, but the animated narrative style and strong images painted in the book clearly demonstrate that, if not in actual fact, at least in spirit, the author and his subject are true kin.

Those of us living in the United States have a highly propagandized view of Afghanistan, after years of politicizing this sad country's fate. With this book, however, we get an insider's view of daily life in modern Afghanistan, as well as an outsiders perspective of the cultural shock following a move to the U.S.

It is difficult to remember a book in recent times that was so exciting to read, while at the same time being so affecting. For anyone who wants the guilty pleasure of a quick and interesting read, but at the same time wants the benefit of actually learning something from the experience, The Kite Runner is one of the best examples of a satisfying book to be had in current literature.