The Kite Runner
4.7 | 62,797 ratings
Price: 17.71
Last update: 04-14-2026
Top reviews from the United States
- KirchersmilesPhenomenal Storytelling!!!5 stars are just not enough for this book!!
This book has been sitting on my TBR list for far too long, and now that I’ve finally read it, I honestly can’t believe I waited. The Kite Runner was everything, raw, emotional, and completely unforgettable.
This was not only my first time reading Khaled Hosseini, but also my first time diving into a story centered around Afghanistan, and I was completely swept away. At its heart, this is a story about relationships. Amir and Hassan’s complicated, heartbreaking bond takes center stage, but Hosseini weaves in so many more layers: a boy and his father, the quiet bond between two fathers, broken connections, new ones, and even the deeply personal relationship between a boy and his homeland. Every thread mattered, and together they created something powerful and amazing.
I understand why this book is considered controversial and why some schools have chosen to pull it from reading lists. It’s alot, and it doesn’t shy away from trauma, cruelty, and moments that are painfully difficult to read. But that’s exactly why it’s important. These aren’t just “stories.” They tell of real experiences, and reading them feels essential. To me, that makes it one of the most relevant books I’ve picked up in a long time.
I fell hard for these characters. I ached for them, got frustrated with them, wanted to reach through the pages to shake them, and then immediately wanted to hold them close. The emotional toll was real, but the writing was so phenomenal that I couldn’t put it down.
This book left me hungry to learn more about Afghanistan, about the history, about the people whose voices deserve to be heard. It’s the kind of novel that lingers long after the last page, and I know I’ll revisit it again in the future, hoping to capture even a piece of that “first-time” reading magic.
If you haven’t read The Kite Runner yet, I can’t recommend it enough. Unless the triggers are too much for you personally, this is one of those rare novels that demands to be read. A true modern classic.
I LOVED LOVED LOVED IT! - Amazon CustomerA must read book!Cried three times while reading this book. Such a moving story which is heartbreaking at times. So well written. Definitely a must read book. I read it within a few days time. It was so good I could not wait to continue.
- pedikeensGreat bookKhaled Hosseini’s The Kite Runner is a book that will stay with me forever. This is not an easy read, but it’s an essential one. The story of Amir and Hassan broke my heart and then painstakingly tried to put it back together. Amir is a deeply flawed narrator who makes unforgivable choices as a boy, betraying his loyal friend Hassan in the worst ways. I was devastated by his actions, but I was also moved by his lifelong journey of guilt and his difficult path toward atonement. Seeing him suffer the consequences of his past, his "karma" was both painful and, in a strange way, a relief. It felt deserved and necessary for any hope of redemption. This book is a powerful exploration of cowardice, loyalty, and the long shadow of childhood sins. I can't recommend it highly enough.
- kirikaProfoundly amazing!*SPOILERS AHEAD* -the quotes are all from the book and this review is based on the audio book read by the author.-
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
I only started the audio book yesterday and I couldn't turn it off until now because I finished it a few seconds ago. It is the first time I read a non-British or non-American novel and to tell the truth, I listened to the audio book without having high expectations since I knew this novel was a best seller and I like to stay away from best sellers because they are, most of the time, a disappointment.
However, this is not the case. The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini it is certainly the most delicious piece of literature I've had the pleasure to lay my eyes on (or listen to), an outstanding novel that will be remembered for many generations to come...it will always be in my mind and heart, to say the least.
I have tears in my eyes right now and my heart is swelling with overflowing emotions. The suspense made my heart skip many times, but the ending left a satisfied smile plastered on my face and I don't know what else to say because my mind is busy remembering those precious and cherished times from the main character's past as if they were my own memories. I feel like I went to another world and lived Amir's life and came back to this life, wondering about my own life too.
The kite runner was so good, so sad, so real. There were no perfect characters and no imperfect characters. They all were human, they were despicable, they were lovely. I read this book or I should say, I listened to this book like when I eat my favorite cake: I can't stopped eating it and the only most important thing in this world is that small moment of pleasure, nothing else matters.
Many people were mad at the main character because they thought he was heartless or committed many mistakes. We have to keep in mind that Amir was only a kid longing for his father's love, so everything that mattered to him was to make his father to look at him as a dear son, this just shows us the huge impact a father/mother's treatment can make to their children's lives. Although Amir was only a kid, that's no excuse for the cruel things he did to his best friend, the ever so kind and gentle soul, Hassan. His love and loyalty towards Amir never wavered even though he knew about his betrayal and everything he's done. He always loved him unconditionally. Hassan was my favorite character, he reminded me of Petey from another great book "Map of the harbor Islands".
I cried for Hassan as if he was my best friend, I even wished to meet him, to be greeted one day by a man with such a pure soul and gentle smile like his. I admit I was mad at Amir many times for the things he did or I should better say, for the things he didn't do for Hassan, like rescuing him from that horrible time..." on a frigid overcast day in the winter of 1975" ...I wasn't mad at the fact that he was afraid, he was only a kid so it's understandable but I was mad at how good he was at pretending he didn't know nothing afterwards or that he was worried more about the blue kite than about his friend's condition, or so I thought.
I wondered many times how I would react in Amir's place...that's why I couldn't hate him like others do...because he was just human and humans have feelings. We are selfish sometimes, we feel jealousy and envy, we are cowards or at least have something we are afraid of, we lie, we steal, we hurt, we love. Life becomes beautiful where love is involved. I believe that we should live our lives in love with the world and the people in it and not waste our short life by hating and rejecting people just because they are different. This book dealt with many issues of hate, status, politics, religion, poverty, wars, sins, the importance of your bloodline but most importantly, the importance of redemption and love over everything else.
"...there is a God, there always has been. I see him here, in the eyes of the people in this [hospital] corridor of desperation. This is the real house of God, this is where those who have lost God will find Him... there is a God, there has to be, and now I will pray, I will pray that He will forgive that I have neglected Him all of these years, forgive that I have betrayed, lied, and sinned with impunity only to turn to Him now in my hour of need. I pray that He is as merciful, benevolent, and gracious as His book says He is."
Amir discovered later on that his life has been like a lie because his father kept a secret from everybody...this cost the suffering of many people, including himself. Amir also made many people suffer because of his lies and betrayal..."like father, like son"
"But better to be hurt by the truth than comforted with a lie."
Amir suffered for the things he did, his conscience didn't leave him alone during all his life. He physically and mentally grew up and changed from a selfish, afraid boy to a responsible, valiant man. I forgive him because I also love him. :)
"A boy who won't stand up for himself becomes a man who can't stand up to anything."
Let me quote another great character, Rahim(oh! another good thing is that all the characters here are important and we learn something from all of them):
"A man who has no conscience, no goodness, does not suffer."...
"Forgive yourself"
He said this to Amir because Amir always thought of himself as unworthy, despicable, dirty, a sinner.
"When guilt leads to good"
Amir's guiltiness lead him to discover who he really was and what he really wanted. I love the fact that he risked his life to save Hassan's son as a way to redeem his sins, as a way to ask for forgiveness and he changed for him, suffered for him, felt for him. I was so sad for Hassan's son, Sohrab, just to think that many children has gone through the same things as him makes me shiver from terror.
I'm afraid to say it has become my favorite book because The Count of Monte Cristo remained as my favorite book of all time for many years but now that I think about it, The Kite Runner is more realistic and touched me deeply on so many levels unlike the former which is a bit unrealistic but both novels are magnificently created for greatness.
There was not a single time I felt bored or tired. It is not a short novel, thus I'm amazed that I finished it so fast, I wasn't even aware of it, for my mind was glued to the story. I will listen to it again and buy the book because I want to run my fingers through the pages and re-read my favorite parts. And as you can see, the top-notch writing was perfect and so was the unfolding of the story. The characters captivated me the most, though.
And finally, I loved this small story written by little Amir:
"That same night, I wrote my first short story. It took me thirty minutes. It was a dark little tale about a man who found a magic cup and learned that if he wept into the cup, his tears turned into pearls. But even though he had always been poor, he was a happy man and rarely shed a tear. So he found ways to make himself sad so that his tears could make him rich. As the pearls piled up, so did his greed grow. The story ended with the man sitting on a mountain of pearls, knife in hand, weeping helplessly into the cup with his beloved wife's slain body in his arms."
I tell ya, this book is AMAZING!