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Loading... The Kite Runner (2003)by Khaled Hosseini
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Too heartbreaking I have no idea where to even begin. My AP Lit teacher hyped this up way more than it deserved. I heard such good things about it and was sadly deceived into thinking that I would like it. My biggest issue with this novel besides the entire plot, were the characters. I hated all of them. I felt bad for Hassan, but was constantly annoyed with him for just accepting things the way he did. If he had decided to stand up for himself, maybe I would have liked him. I hated Amir. He is one of the worst characters I have been forced to read about in school. He was awful. Why would I feel sorry for him when most of the misfortunes in this novel were caused by him and a war in Afghanistan. It was impossible to enjoy this novel. This novel also focused on such dark themes that I have no idea how people can enjoy this. It was so disturbing to read. I am fine with books with some violence. But this novel was awful. Most books dealing with wars do it in a different way. The author focused so much on trying to make you feel bad for the characters that it was hard to even try. Unfortunately for me, this author's second novel is also on the AP list and I will have to read that soon. This is one of those books that is either loved or hated, I for one, hate it. I have a few friends that enjoyed it. I really really did not like this. And if I hadn't been in this class, 8 I would never have picked it up. I have no idea where to even begin. My AP Lit teacher hyped this up way more than it deserved. I heard such good things about it and was sadly deceived into thinking that I would like it. My biggest issue with this novel besides the entire plot, were the characters. I hated all of them. I felt bad for Hassan, but was constantly annoyed with him for just accepting things the way he did. If he had decided to stand up for himself, maybe I would have liked him. I hated Amir. He is one of the worst characters I have been forced to read about in school. He was awful. Why would I feel sorry for him when most of the misfortunes in this novel were caused by him and a war in Afghanistan. It was impossible to enjoy this novel. This novel also focused on such dark themes that I have no idea how people can enjoy this. It was so disturbing to read. I am fine with books with some violence. But this novel was awful. Most books dealing with wars do it in a different way. The author focused so much on trying to make you feel bad for the characters that it was hard to even try. Unfortunately for me, this author's second novel is also on the AP list and I will have to read that soon. This is one of those books that is either loved or hated, I for one, hate it. I have a few friends that enjoyed it. I really really did not like this. And if I hadn't been in this class, 8 I would never have picked it up. *All reviews from online reviews* Kite Runner tells the story of Amir, a young boy from the Wazir Akbar Khan district of Kabul. The story is set against a backdrop of tumultuous events, from the fall of Afghanistan's monarchy through the Soviet invasion, the exodus of refugees to Pakistan and the United States, and the rise of the Taliban regime.
The Kite Runner is about the price of peace, both personal and political, and what we knowingly destroy in our hope of achieving that, be it friends, democracy or ourselves. At times, the book suffers from relentless earnestness and somewhat hackneyed descriptions. But Hosseini has a remarkable ability to imprison the reader in horrific, shatteringly immediate scenes... The result is a sickening sensation of complicity. This powerful first novel, by an Afghan physician now living in California, tells a story of fierce cruelty and fierce yet redeeming love. Is contained inHas the adaptationIs abridged inHas as a student's study guideHas as a teacher's guideAwardsDistinctionsWhitcoulls Top 100 Books (13 – 2008) Whitcoulls Top 100 Books (21 – 2010) Notable Lists
Traces the unlikely friendship of a wealthy Afghan youth and a servant's son in a tale that spans the final days of Afghanistan's monarchy through the atrocities of the present day. No library descriptions found.
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Google Books — Loading... GenresMelvil Decimal System (DDC)813.6Literature English (North America) American fiction 21st CenturyLC ClassificationRatingAverage:
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Amir is the first-person narrator of the book, so the story is all about his journey. Even at a young age, he’s a complex and nuanced character. I think a part of him loves Hassan as a friend, but because of society’s dictates and the bullies’ prejudices, he’s also keenly aware of the differences in their stations and Hassan’s status as a second class citizen due to his ethnicity. Because of this, Amir keeps some walls up between them, but I think what really prevents him from fully embracing Hassan is his jealousy. Amir has a complicated and sometimes fraught relationship with his father and when Baba treats Hassan the way Amir wants to be treated, it makes him envious. Amir’s feelings in turn cause him to sometimes be unkind to Hassan even though Hassan is nothing but loyal and loving toward Amir. In fact, Hassan risks himself to protect Amir from the bullies, but when Amir fails to do the same for Hassan, and witnesses the bullies doing the unthinkable, he’s wracked with guilt and shame over his own cowardice. Afterward, their relationship is forever changed. Amir can barely even look at Hassan and does some things to him that are not easy to read about because it only seems to add insult to injury. A part of me had a hard time liking Amir at this point, but then I had to remind myself that he was only twelve and a child that age doesn’t really have the capacity to process something like what happened in a logical way. It also makes him into a person in need of absolution. When he learns the truth from Rahim, Amir is still reluctant, knowing that he’d probably be risking everything, including his life, to return to Afghanistan, but deep down he knows he couldn’t live with himself if he didn’t. This opens the door for a powerful redemption arc, at the end of which, I knew Amir was a better person for it. He’d faced down his demons and won, and in doing so, helped another human being who desperately needed him.
The Kite Runner is a beautifully written piece of literature, so great, in fact, that I can hardly believe it was Khaled Hosseini’s debut novel. As a writer myself, I can genuinely appreciate the work that went into crafting this masterpiece. This is a very character-driven story, and I can say without a doubt that the author is incredibly skillful at characterizations. He’s populated this story with individuals who are so vibrant and richly drawn that I feel like they actually exist somewhere in the world. Amir is an interesting POV character who is far from perfect, but who finds atonement for his past transgressions in a compelling and realistic way. Hassan is a beautiful soul with a kind and loyal heart, who clearly never stopped loving Amir even after all that happened, which is why the things that are done to him broke my heart into a million pieces. Even when Hassan isn’t on the page, he’s still a driving force in Amir’s life whether Amir realizes it or not. All of the other supporting characters, even the ones that don’t have a lot of page time are brought to vivid life, as well. The Kite Runner is a powerful and haunting saga that examines what it truly means to be a family. It also explores the concepts of love and honor, the fear that sometimes drives us to action or inaction, and the guilt that can result from those decisions. But ultimately it’s a story about facing our fears and finding courage, and in doing so, we may also find liberation from past mistakes. This was admittedly not an easy book to read. It’s a heart-wrenching story that sometime made me sad, but at the same time, it ends on a note that brings hope for the future, not only for the characters but also to the reader that, we, too, can find redemption for our own transgressions. As much as I really appreciated the characters and going on this journey with Amir, I also appreciated the beauty of the Afghan culture. I learned so much about that, as well as the history of Afghanistan from reading this book. It’s a story I won’t soon forget and one that I can wholeheartedly recommend to my fellow readers.
Note: This story contains both implied and one moderately descriptive scene of child rape, as well as suicidal ideation in a child, both of which could be distressing to sensitive readers. ( )