Amazon.co.uk Review
The Kite Runner of Khaled Hosseini's deeply moving fiction debut is an illiterate Afghan boy with an uncanny instinct for predicting exactly where a downed kite will land. Growing up in the city of Kabul in the early 1970s, Hassan was narrator Amir's closest friend even though the loyal 11-year-old with "a face like a Chinese doll" was the son of Amir's father's servant and a member of Afghanistan's despised Hazara minority. But in 1975, on the day of Kabul's annual kite-fighting tournament, something unspeakable happened between the two boys.
Narrated by Amir, a 40-year-old novelist living in California, The Kite Runner tells the gripping story of a boyhood friendship destroyed by jealousy, fear, and the kind of ruthless evil that transcends mere politics. Running parallel to this personal narrative of loss and redemption is the story of modern Afghanistan and of Amir's equally guilt-ridden relationship with the war-torn city of his birth. The first Afghan novel to be written in English, The Kite Runner begins in the final days of King Zahir Shah's 40-year reign and traces the country's fall from a secluded oasis to a tank-strewn battlefield controlled by the Russians and then the trigger-happy Taliban. When Amir returns to Kabul to rescue Hassan's orphaned child, the personal and the political get tangled together in a plot that is as suspenseful as it is taut with feeling.



Well everyone is raving about this one. Look forward to reading it.

I have to say that I was hugely disappointed by this book. I'd waited over a year to read it, I kept putting it off because I thought I'd find it harrowing and upsetting, but the wildly enthusiastic reviews its had made me think it would be an inspiring reading experience.

Its not truly awful, I just expected more and am being hyper-critical. I enjoyed learning about Afghan life and culture before the Russian invasion as described in the first part of the novel and something of the nature of the Afghan people and how they dealt with the terrible things that happened to their country - both those who left and those who stayed behind.

However, the betrayal/guilt/redemption story of Amir and Hassan is contrived and predictable and the writing full of cliches, in the last third of the book the ludicrous coincidences and tear jerking set-pieces just pile up and it becomes too much. It's deliberately emotionally manipulative and sentimental where it doesn't have to be, the subject matter is strong enough not to need it. There's a great novel to be written about Afghanistan, but I'm afraid this isn't it.

RELEASE NOTES:

Sent to PussInBooks today - a 2nd anniversary RABCK.

Thanks so much for this kind rabck, can't wait to read and see if I agree with the hype.

Well, I'm usually a cynic when it comes to much-hyped novels or films, but this lived up to it completely. Absolutely involving, terrifying, disturbing, richly illustrative and ultimately redemptive. Even if it hadn't had such wide press, I imagine I still would have picked it up and been thoroughly involved by it at some point. It told me a lot about recent Afghan history that I was pretty clueless about, as well giving an achingly personal slant on the divides in the country's social strata. Read it in a couple of days and loved it.

Order for int'l ray:

OpheliaPhilips (UK)
turnpages (UK)
RuthyToothy (UK)
fritzykatz (Germany)
your name here...?

Arrived today - wow, when I signed up I didn't realise I'd get the book this quickly =). I have one ring ahead of this but should read it soon. Thanks for setting up this ring!!

I've been taking my time a little with this book and really enjoying it. It is a fantastic book, and gives you such an experience of the recent history of Afghanistan. The story of the two little boys is great too - just as fiction it works well too. The characters were interesting, in particular his father. He was almost like two people as far as his relationship with his son went - one in Afghanistan and another in the States, which almost made me wonder if the son had been a bit hard on him in thinking that he didn't care about him.

It was so sad how Amir and Hassan's friendship is broken up so early on over something that could have been dealt with much more easily. If Hassan had only told his father what had happened. It would have taken courage to admit that he knew but had been too scared to help, but I think his father would have forgiven him, done something about that bully... and then who knows what the future would have been like.

It was a disturbing contrast seeing Kabul before and after the Taliban. When Amir went back it was like Armaegeddon had been. Really upsetting that this stuff is real as well.

I wouldn't say the book's perfect. I think that part when he goes back to Afghanistan and fights with the man from the Taliban (I'm being vague for people who haven't read the book) - but that man and the fact that it turned out he was who he was, was a bit twee. As if everything has a connection and all storylines get a neat ending. On the other hand, at least it didn't have a sugary sweet ending, but something that did have hope.

I haven't seen the film and I don't know whether I will. I've heard it's a bit more sentimental than the book.

In some ways it reminded me of other books I've read that actually weren't about Afghanistan at all! House of Sand and Fog, and The God of Small Things.

Thank you Pussinbooks for setting up this - I don't know when I would have gotten to reading this book otherwise. I will PM for the next address and then get the book on its way.

Just got back from a short break. And the book's already here.
THANK YOU!

What a fantastic read!
I agree with what was said about the book not being perfect in that certain things are wrapped up and look slightly far-fetched, but overall a very emotional and interesting book.

And I also think I've learned more about Afghan culture in this book than all this time Afghanistan's been on the news.

I can truly recommend this read!
...and I'll probably try to get hold of "A Thousand Splendid Suns", too....

RELEASE NOTES:

Book is now travelling on to its next reader...
ENJOY!

My first ever BC catch - how exciting!!! I'm halfway through another fairly slim novel at the moment, but this will be next in line for reading :-) Thanks for including me in the Ring!

Oh my, what a page turner!!! This book is solely responsible for several late nights because I just couldn't bear to put it down until I knew what happened next!!!! I really enjoyed the book, found I developed a definite empathy for the ordinary Afghan people, and am now wanting to read more about this proud country's heritage. If for that reason alone, I would highly recommend the book, but the story itself is excellent - very moving (I cried at least 3 times, and I NEVER cry at books!), and really sucked me in big time! I may well go out and buy this book for my PC, because I want to read it again :-)

RELEASE NOTES:

Sending it on it's way to Fritzykatz by surface mail this afternoon :-)

It was absolutely great; full of feeling and cautiously informativw about another culture. I'd love to send it further, who's going to sign up?

fritzykatz sent it to me along with another ring. I already have read it in french but I think I'll give it another go.

I took it with me in Qatar when visiting my daughter, I have no time to read so I leave it by a friend who is a friend of books.

CONTROLLED RELEASE NOTES:

Given to a friend who likes reading.