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The Kite Runner

By: Khaled Hosseini
Narrated by: Khaled Hosseini
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Editorial review


By Seth Hartman, Audible Editor

THE KITE RUNNER CONTINUES TO SOAR

Like many of my favorite titles, The Kite Runner came into my life when I was in middle school. The novel was sold to me as a coming-of-age tale set in a changing Afghanistan. While that is technically a solid gist, author Khaled Hosseini’s masterwork is so much more than that.

This story centers around Amir, a sensitive boy born into a wealthy Afghan family. The Kite Runner begins in the year 1973, a very tumultuous time in Afghanistan. Amir’s upbringing in the idyllic Kabul region is undercut by the rumblings of political upheaval. As the government faced a swift coup d’etat by the king’s ambitious cousin, Mohammed Daoud Khan, wealthy citizens all over Afghanistan fled as quickly as possible. Amid all of this turmoil, Amir is separated from his servant and friend Hassan after the latter is sexually assaulted. While Amir’s family would escape inside an oil tanker, Hassan is left behind as the revolution takes hold. A good novel would build up to this massive climax and leave it there, but The Kite Runner takes a much more nuanced approach. Amir experiences this trauma from a young age and is then suddenly dumped in America, forced to cope with survivor’s guilt while adjusting to a totally new culture. His journey then becomes a bid to accept his surroundings, grow into the man he hopes to be, and address his checkered past.

I have always been a huge fan of historical fiction. Something about experiencing key moments in time through an intimate perspective just works for me. Listening to the audiobook, Khaled Hosseini's narration adds yet another layer of context to the story. Imagine my surprise, then, when The Kite Runner pulled away from Afghanistan and introduced a culture shock element to the plot. The beauty of this title comes not just from its intricate setting descriptions and steady character development, but also from this tonal shift. This title has something for everyone, but is especially relevant for people who have dealt with a lot of change in their lives.

I will never forget where I was when I first experienced this section of The Kite Runner. I bought the book in the airport for an international flight and cracked it open while waiting for my flight to board. By the time I was on the plane, I was an absolute puddle. My young brain struggled to comprehend such an extreme level of social unrest and the human cost of political upheaval. Despite these unpleasant feelings, I was ready to dive deeper into this beautiful yet demanding story. This is not a tale about bravery, or defying odds, or even revenge in the traditional sense. This is a story about one man’s hope to redeem himself in the eyes of his oldest friend, and if that is not possible, at least do some good in the world for once.

Continue reading Seth's review >

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)

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What listeners say about The Kite Runner

Average customer ratings
Overall
  • 4.5 out of 5 stars
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    14,992
  • 4 Stars
    3,799
  • 3 Stars
    955
  • 2 Stars
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Performance
  • 4.5 out of 5 stars
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    10,795
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  • 3 Stars
    670
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Story
  • 4.5 out of 5 stars
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    11,198
  • 4 Stars
    2,065
  • 3 Stars
    544
  • 2 Stars
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  • 1 Stars
    128

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars

Great! Fantastic!!

In the beginning of the book, I thought, What is all the hype about? By the middle of the book I was hooked. I thought The Kite Runner was a fantastic read/listen, and I have already recommended this book to many friends. Although the book is fiction, the author uses real facts in writing the book making it more interesting. I definitely recommend this book to anyone trying to decide what to listen to next.

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars

Audio Books don't get any better than this

The first few chapters were a little hard to get into. However once past that, the book became very good. This is the first fictional Audio book that I have ever felt was much better than the printed version. This was due to the fact that the author reads the book very well and with his native accent your mind loses track of the fact that it is actually a fictional book. His native pronunciation of the Indian words is much better than trying to decipher the same foreign words in a written book. Excellent story!

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars

Among the best

I bought a printed copy for my wife. This is an outstanding book. Excellent writing. A masterfully crafted story. Only toward the end could you convince me that it wasn't an autobiography. Well done! Very sorry to reach the end.

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars

Catches your heart and doesn't let go!

This is a must read. One of the best books of the year. One of those great ones that you don't want to end. The reader (author) adds to the integrity and sensitivity of the book. Great cultural insights and a better understanding of Afghani life. Great, great book - one of my all-time favorites. I've recommended it to all of my friends.

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

The best book I've read (heard) in a long time...

...and it's not that I haven't read (or heard) a book in a long time. It arose so many emotions in me that I felt I was living in it.

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars

The Kite runner

This is an amazing book on growing up and realizing how mistakes can have a domino effect.
I went to sleep at night listening to this book. I did not want to put it down.

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars

Great

This was such a fantastic listen. So well done that I finished the entire book in 2 days. Enjoy!!

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

Excellent Read

Would you consider the audio edition of The Kite Runner to be better than the print version?

I thoroughly enjoyed this book, it had many twists I had not anticipated and it gave me an insight to an area of the world that remains quite excluded.

Any additional comments?

Excellent book

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  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    3 out of 5 stars

Unsatisfying ending

I felt the ending fell a bit flat, but the book was very well written and worth reading.

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  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    4 out of 5 stars

Redemption

A book of heart ache, betrayal and loyalty.
Human interaction from brutal to loving and forgiving.

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