Author: Khaled Hosseini
Published: 2003
Number of pages: 324
Genres: Novel, Historical fiction
Rating: 4 out of 5
Review
Khaled Hosseini's ''The Kite Runner'' was an overwhelming, emotional read. It is a wonderful novel that kept me very interested in the storyline. Hosseini's writing style is extremely remarkable, and with descriptions of the recent Afghanistan history, and with emotional and overwhelming content, this is a very good book... The only fault I found was: some of middle part is slightly not as good as the first and last parts of the book. But let's talk about it later.
Amir is the son of a wealthy father, and lives in a luxurious house. They have a Hazara servant, Ali, whose son, Hassan, is very close friends with Amir. Amir and Hassan had grown up together, they play together, Amir reads stories to the illiterate Hassan, and they fly kites during the kite flying tournaments held during the snowy winters. Amir has always felt detached from his father; his father is always cold to him, they never had a close or warm relationship.
During the kite flying tournament held in the winter of 1974, Amir thinks that winning in the tournament will give him an oppurturnity to become close with his father. He wins, and Hassan runs to catch the last cut kite. But he isn't coming back. Where is he? Amir wonders. And then he notices a very brutal thing happening to Hassan... and he doesn't have the courage to stop the incident... and he is filled with guilt and remorse over what happened...
Decades later, Amir, who, along with his father, had fled to America after the Soviet Union military had attacked Afghanistan, receives a phone call from his late father's friend, Rahim Khan, who tells him to come to see him in Pakistan, as he is very ill. Rahim Khan had always been a very inspirational person in Amir's life. So Amir goes to meet him. And then, Rahim Khan indicates that there is a way by which Amir can forget the guilt over had happened to Hassan almost three decades ago, and he must travel to Afghanistan for a task.
The first part of the novel, where there are vivid descriptions of Amir and Hassan's carefree childhood, to the parts of the incident, and Amir's guilt, are excellently-written. These first chapters were great. But then in the middle part, where his marriage to Soraya was described- I felt sort of irritated. I mean, I thought these elements weren't that much essential! I know, for the development of depth of the novel, it was needed. But I thought is somewhat moved away from the main storyline. The final chapters, however, were very appeasing, as emotionally overpowering as the first ones, perhaps more.
The poverty and misery described in this novel is also very vivid, intense. The novel gives a portrait of the free Afghanistan and Afghanistan under the Taliban rule.
I liked most of characters... Amir, Soraya, Hassan, Sohrab. The characters are well-developed. The antagonist, Assef, though he appears only in a few scenes, is also very well-developed, and I felt hatred for Assef the moment he was introduced.
This is a heartwarming, emotional book, and I'd recommend it.
4 out of 5
Published: 2003
Number of pages: 324
Genres: Novel, Historical fiction
Rating: 4 out of 5
Review
Khaled Hosseini's ''The Kite Runner'' was an overwhelming, emotional read. It is a wonderful novel that kept me very interested in the storyline. Hosseini's writing style is extremely remarkable, and with descriptions of the recent Afghanistan history, and with emotional and overwhelming content, this is a very good book... The only fault I found was: some of middle part is slightly not as good as the first and last parts of the book. But let's talk about it later.
Amir is the son of a wealthy father, and lives in a luxurious house. They have a Hazara servant, Ali, whose son, Hassan, is very close friends with Amir. Amir and Hassan had grown up together, they play together, Amir reads stories to the illiterate Hassan, and they fly kites during the kite flying tournaments held during the snowy winters. Amir has always felt detached from his father; his father is always cold to him, they never had a close or warm relationship.
During the kite flying tournament held in the winter of 1974, Amir thinks that winning in the tournament will give him an oppurturnity to become close with his father. He wins, and Hassan runs to catch the last cut kite. But he isn't coming back. Where is he? Amir wonders. And then he notices a very brutal thing happening to Hassan... and he doesn't have the courage to stop the incident... and he is filled with guilt and remorse over what happened...
Decades later, Amir, who, along with his father, had fled to America after the Soviet Union military had attacked Afghanistan, receives a phone call from his late father's friend, Rahim Khan, who tells him to come to see him in Pakistan, as he is very ill. Rahim Khan had always been a very inspirational person in Amir's life. So Amir goes to meet him. And then, Rahim Khan indicates that there is a way by which Amir can forget the guilt over had happened to Hassan almost three decades ago, and he must travel to Afghanistan for a task.
The first part of the novel, where there are vivid descriptions of Amir and Hassan's carefree childhood, to the parts of the incident, and Amir's guilt, are excellently-written. These first chapters were great. But then in the middle part, where his marriage to Soraya was described- I felt sort of irritated. I mean, I thought these elements weren't that much essential! I know, for the development of depth of the novel, it was needed. But I thought is somewhat moved away from the main storyline. The final chapters, however, were very appeasing, as emotionally overpowering as the first ones, perhaps more.
The poverty and misery described in this novel is also very vivid, intense. The novel gives a portrait of the free Afghanistan and Afghanistan under the Taliban rule.
I liked most of characters... Amir, Soraya, Hassan, Sohrab. The characters are well-developed. The antagonist, Assef, though he appears only in a few scenes, is also very well-developed, and I felt hatred for Assef the moment he was introduced.
This is a heartwarming, emotional book, and I'd recommend it.
4 out of 5
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