The Kite Runner

By: Khaled Hosseini

Narrated by: Khaled Hosseini

Length: 6 hrs and 17 mins

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; Hassan, as 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, betrayal, and 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 and Schuster Inc. All Rights Reserved. AUDIOWORKS is an imprint of Simon and Schuster Audio Division, Simon and 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)

A Beautiful Story of Love, Pain and Redemption

I had already read A Thousand Splendid Suns, Khaled Hosseini's other book, and I wasn't quite sure if The Kite Runner could top it.
Well, they are two very different and lovely books. The Kite Runner tells a story which portrays the struggles that we face as individuals trying to chart our courses in this wonderful, interesting world which is sometimes filled with pain and suffering.
Just like A Thousand Splendid Suns, this book gives us a view into the effects of regional conflict, in this case, the war in Afghanistan.

Fantastic

What a fantastic story. It brought me close to tears a few times. For a grown man to be brought to tears while driving his car has got to tell you how powerful this book is. Author does a great job of narrating.

Starts off a little slow and is hard to keep up with unusual character names but stick with it. Recommended.

Beautiful, captivating!!

Khaled Hosseini read it perfectly. I loved every second. I HIGHLY recommend The Kite Runner.

Thank you, thank you Khaled!!!

Worth the trauma,,,

Such a sad and traumatic story, but in the end the beauty of a mans heart so radically transformed... Worth the heartache to get to the nugget of beauty!

awesome

Great story and read perfectly. It is an eye opener to a different culture. Awesome and sad at the same time.

Loved it!

Would you listen to The Kite Runner again? Why?

I would definitely listen to this story again. It was a poignant and honest tale of how our jealousies and fears cause us to do things we are ashamed of but that we sometimes get the chance for redemption. I loved the book and highly recommend it and A Thousand Splendid Suns.

A beautiful book

This was one of the most beautifully written and most touching books i have ever listened to.

Riveting, moving, eye opening

This book carried me way past my bedtime as I couldn't turn it off. Surprised I found it in the kids section as some graphic disturbing description. I will search for more of his work.

Kite Runner

A cultural must read. I first read "A Thousand Splendid Suns", though it was the author second book, the order does not matter.
Both books brought tears to my eyes, and sympathy to my heart.
Wonderfully written and wonderfully read.
Your heart will break for the poor, simple, innocent people of Afghanistan that have nothing to do with their countries politics or hatred of the west. They struggle each day to fight for the basic human rights we so take for granted. A roof overhead, food and education for their young. You will feel shame for the things we take everyday for granted.
A brilliant author. I couldn't recommend it enough!

kite runner

I really like that the author is the one who reads this book. That way you can catch the correct pronunciations and experience the story with more passion and emotion. The only reason I gave it 4 stars instead of 5 is because he doesn't read the whole book, I think it must be the abridged version. But I guess that's my fault for not catching that... it is still an excellent book.