The Kite Runner

By: Khaled Hosseini

Narrated by: Khaled Hosseini

Length: 12 hrs and 1 min

Publisher's summary

Taking us from Afghanistan in the final days of its monarchy to the present, The Kite Runner is the unforgettable and beautifully told story of the friendship between two boys growing up in Kabul. Raised in the same household and sharing the same wet nurse, Amir and Hassan grow up in different worlds: Amir is the son of a prominent and wealthy man, while Hassan, the son of Amir's father's servant, is a Hazara - a shunned ethnic minority. Their intertwined lives, and their fates, reflect the eventual tragedy of the world around them. When Amir and his father flee the country for a new life in California, Amir thinks that he has escaped his past. And yet he cannot leave the memory of Hassan behind him.

The Kite Runner is a novel about friendship and betrayal, and about the price of loyalty. It is about the bonds between fathers and sons, and the power of fathers over sons - their love, their sacrifices, and their lies. Written against a backdrop of history that has not been told in fiction before, The Kite Runner describes the rich culture and beauty of a land in the process of being destroyed. But through the devastation, Khaled Hosseini offers hope for redemption.

©2003 Khaled Hosseini (P)2003 Simon & Schuster Inc. All Rights Reserved. AUDIOWORKS. is an imprint of Simon & Schuster Audio Division. Simon & Schuster Inc.

Critic reviews

• Alex Award Winner, 2004

"A beautiful novel...ranks among the best-written and most provocative stories of the year." (The Denver Post)
"Powerful first novel...tells a story of fierce cruelty and fierce yet redeeming love." (The New York Times)

Riveting and well-read

This is a riveting novel, with wonderful characters who really come to life as the story unfolds. It also deals with the troubles and horrors of Afghan history since the 1960s. The reading is done by the author himself, a real advantage here because his passion for the material is clear and he gives authentic pronunciations to the Afghan words in the story.

Outstanding work

This book truly captivated me. I listen to Audible books often on my lengthy commute, but this time I spent considerable "driveway" time listening to this book. I would routinely arrive home but not be able to stop listening to the compelling story playing through my car sound system.

The poignant story itself will be enough to hold most listeners interest, but the rich language that creates the vivid landscape in which the story unfolds is addicting. The primary character's childhood fears, selfishness and angst is the core of the story and is revealed in the first person in an intimate and provocative way. The symmetry of the the entire story, from beginning to end, evolves naturally and completely. It is impossible not to be touched by this story.

This book is also unique in that the narration is done by the author himself. Like many of the reviewers whose reviews I have read and found helpful, I have come to make my Audible.com selections as much for the narrators as for the authors themselves. My favorite slections have been those when a great story was matched with wonderful narration. This was such a case. The author/narrator's subtle accent and fluent pronunciation of Afghan names and places reinforced the authenticity of the book. Beyond that, his voice and the production quality of the recording was outstanding.

If I was going to guess what the author himself would most want to hear is that he has told a wonderful story in an authentic voice.

Makes you angry but riveting

Although it is long, includes an uncountable number of scenes and settings, and is based on a character who can be so self-absorbed that it makes your blood boil at times in anger and frustration, it all fits together quite well. I am recommending this to my book club.

Touching beyond description

This book is one I'll remember for a long time to come. The narration is excellent and adds to the authenticity of the story. The story, as I listened, stayed with me after turning off my Muvo. The book offers a beautifully told description of events in Afghanastan from the 60's to the 90's. It's a story about acceptance and forgiveness and family secrets. Words fail me - this book is simply awesome.

The Kite Runner

This book is a wonderful work of art. Mr Hosseini gives us a glimpse into a different and mysterious culture yet tells a story with a common human thread. This is an amazing piece of literature for a first time author. I only wish it hadn't ended.

Wonderful!!

I loved this book. It is hard to understand different cultures, especially from the part of the world that is so painful to us. The characters are so well developed. The protagonist had more bad qualities than good and struggled to become good. The author-narrator read the book beautifully. I have a rule to only listen to my audible book when I was exercising but broke that rule. I could not turn my player off.
At first, I didn't want to be sympathetic or caring about someone from "over there". I didn't think I would like this book. I watched the ratings of other listeners for a long time and thought I would give it a try. I'm glad I did.

A must read

An excellant read into another culture. This book should be a must read for every high school student.

excellent

The story is excellent. I could not turn it off.

Beyond Words

This story stirs up emotion that can’t be contained— from yells of anger to sobs of happy tears. I can’t believe it took me so long to listen! This is one of my favorite books of all time.

Disturbing but captivating

I found this book disturbing but captivating. It invoked a wide range of emotions form joy to tears. It was a was a very culturally informative book and I found that it caused me to look at my role as a father and as a son, both in a positve way. Overall, I was pleasently surprised by how much I enjoyed this book, as it fit the catagory I like to call "a book about nothing". Which is not usually a type of book I enjoy.