The Kite Runner

Not a good book at all. Suffers from the same fate as most contemporary or semi-autobiographical fiction books: The story has no direction. Instead, the reader is simply taken through the life of the main character, focusing on his relationship with his father and a friend. Of course, the writing is good, the events are sad, and I did learn more about Afghani / Islamic culture, but there really is no point.
A bad recommendation...

Read this book in one sitting. Started at 6 pm and then finished roughly at 2:30 am. Normally it takes me longer but I couldn't put the book down. It wasn't so much that I liked Amir, I could relate to him but I felt he was such a coward, and I wasn't satisfied in the end. Anyway, where do I begin? I really enjoyed the first half of the book, while Amir was a child in Afghanistan, and the foreshadowing about Hassan was obvious. Amir craving and seeking love for his father was something I could relate to, however throughout the story I felt that he never fully grew up, that despite being a man in some ways he was a foolish child. The ending was a slap in the face and I a part of me wanted more. The book was okay and I never thought I'd say this but I prefer the movie.

There are definitely disturbing parts in this book, but in the end, the theme of redemption is what kept me engaged with this story and made it worth my time. I didn't love it, but it was okay, and was fairly well written.

This book wrecked me. I remember crying the entire last chapter but also loving the ending. Read it if you haven't. It is masterful.

Deeply moving and unforgettable.

SO HEART-WRENCHING OMG.

I watched the movie adaptation before this, and I knew what to expect, but it was still so, so sad to read. I had to remind myself to breathe every so often because I was so stricken. I kept wondering why Khaleed Hosseini made me read such depressing stories :(

A beautiful read.

This is a disturbing and haunting book, at times so painful that I wanted to stop reading. But it also shows complex and interesting friendships and family relationships and how events affect one another. It's powerful and intricate. I also really appreciated seeing Afghanistan from a non-American point of view.

It's a soap opera actually, but very well written.

I felt so, so sad the entire time I was reading this book; it was like my heart was just crumbling from page one. Amir and Hassan are best friends; at least, as much as they can be, as Hassan and his father work for Amir's Baba in Afghanistan. Hassan would do anything to make Amir happy, but Amir proves repeatedly that he is not worthy of Hassan's friendship. After witnessing a vicious attack on Hassan — and doing nothing to stop it — Amir tries to silence his guilt and pretend nothing has happened. But their friendship is never the same, and Amir's ghosts will continue to return over the course of three decades, until he can atone for and forgive himself for his transgressions.

Great book. Talented writer.

Clearly one of the very best novels I have ever read.

Heart-breaking and very, very beautiful. It left me awed, wondering how writing could achieve and create something as amazing as this. Two days is all it took for me to finish this book, despite my best efforts to read as slowly as possible. Very highly recommended. One of the books that just make you feel immensely.

I started reading it, but didn't get to the meat of the story at all. I just hated the writing style. Maybe I'll get to it later.

Really loved the first half. I felt like the characters changed so much in the second half, almost to an unbelievable degree. But still a good read.