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Khaled Hosseini: The Kite Runner

he rolls out some joke argument tho...
some clever phrase

the aptness of the cliche is overshadowed by the nature of the saying as a cliche

im not sure he convinced
 
Yep, it's always the inferior product that gets the hype; the good products carry their own weight.
 
Stewart said:
...listing what he remembers without commenting on any emotional impact it may have caused.


...Amir’s life in America is a section of approximately seventy pages which, thinking back, seems tagged on.
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I agree with these two comments. I wondered as I read the book if maybe I was missing what the emotional impact was because of a cultural difference between the author and myself. I wish I could put that into words better... I can't.


I did like the book though. I would give it 4 stars.
 
I have just finished reading the Kite Runner. I would give it 3 stars because I found the first part when the boys were growing up in Kabul interesting.

However the second part of the book I felt was contrived, and I think that Amir, acted out of character. I kept reading because I wanted to finish the book and not from any desire to find out what happened next.
 
<<<However the second part of the book I felt was contrived, and I think that Amir, acted out of character.>>>

Oh you've kinda spoilt it for me by sayin' that. I just ordered that book from my library. But I'll read it anyhow thinking I never read your post - lol.
 
I've heard a lot of good things about this book, and it was in the Top 100 books in a survey done by Angus & Robertson (Australian book company). If I can get hold of a copy from my local library, I'll give it a go. I've seen it in bookstores, and was surprised at how short it looked. For some reason I thought it would be a "brick-sized" book.
 
I just finished this book; I quite enjoyed it, but I definately agree with others about the cliches, and corniness. The part where
Amir has his upper lip split in two (just like Hassan's childhood hare-lip) by Aseef
, had me rolling my eyes a bit. :rolleyes:

I definately enjoyed the first part of the book more - Amir and Hassan's childhood, and especially the author's description of Amir's weaknesses and Hassan's strength and loyalty. Some parts just had me cringing at Amir's behaviour towards Hassan. I think there are a lot of people (adults and children) that have had that kind of relationship with another person, and hated themselves for it. I was quite moved by Amir's desire (an inability) to be the strong person, who did the right thing regardless of any consequences to himself - such as his father, and Hassan would do.

Stewart, what part were you referring to when you said the biggest cliche is at the end? Do you mean when
Sorhab starts responding when Amir shows him to use the kites, and when Amir grabs the kite and runs with it
?

All in all, I liked the book, but I think all the hype has made me more critical about it. I would recommend it for people who enjoy emotional/moving stories. :)
 
angerball said:
Stewart, what part were you referring to when you said the biggest cliche is at the end?
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I can't remember now and, I can only think of
the bully from earlier life being a bullying soldier who he just happens to meet and they both recognise each other, etc. bullshit
. I don't think that's what I meant either, though. I'm sure there was something else but it was so damned forgettable.

I don't think I ever truly lived and breathed Afghanistan through the words of the book. I wonder if the author has actually been back since he was a young. If not, maybe a visit would be in his best interest as I'm aware he's working on another set there about Afghan women.
 
I loved the atmosphere described by Khaled Hosseini about Afganistan in the 1970's. The country truly does have a rich culture and Hosseini does a decent job at giving the reader an understanding and glimpse of what it means to be an Afghani. I agree that Amir's life in America doesn't quite grasp the reader the same way the parts of him as a little boy did. I would give the book four out of five stars.
 
Any Thoughts on this...

I just got home from a book group where we discussed The Kite Runner. One of the guys thought that it was very "interesting" that the author made Aseef (sp?) half European - he was the biggest bully and
ends up being one of the top Taliban guys
- why half European and why make such a big deal about it (the author did mention it more than a few times)? Did this seem odd to anyone else? The gentleman who brought it up really thinks the author is trying to say something, but isn't exactly sure what.

Any thoughts?
 
Picked this one up from the library as our community is doing one of those "one town, one book" series discussions. I've read up to chapter 7 of this one and I have to say that I'm really enjoying it. While it is fiction, you can see the progression of the characters through historical time periods. From the Afghan monarchy, to a republic, to Soviet control, and eventual Taliban domination, the reader is taken through Afghan society and their practices in a whirlwind story of two friends. I have read ahead and the story is technically "spoiled" for me, but I'll leave that out for others.

Anyone else read this one? A lot of praise and press for it.

Author's website.

Barnes and Nobles page on the book.

A random book review.
 
Read it about 6 months ago...throughly engrossing read...My sis had just gotten back from Afghanistan (Nat. Guards) and she told me about it.
 
Thanks for the link Stewart, but that one became irrelevant after the "oldest" post in it became two years old.:D I'm sticking to this one.:) I suppose they could be merged, but do tell---how odd is it to respond to a thread where 99% of the people are gone? Kind of an odd feel if you ask me. It's tantamount to talking to your own answering machine.:rolleyes: :D

I am enjoying the book so far, at least in regards to the history mentioned. From the monarchy, to the republic, to Soviet domination, to Taliban rule. I'm to the part where Baba and his son make their journey to California and he graduates. The relationship between father and son was done very well and seems plausible. The brutal thing that occured to Hassan and subsequently, his son, is a bit of a stretch for me. I don't know why the author had to pick that of all things to depict cruelty. It's especially incongrous with the way that particular society views that act. Even a prominent son known for his cruelty would've have been called to answer for that in some way as the imams even in that day, held sway over public morals. Other than one bit of criticism, not too bad of a read.
 
Mattyj said:
Thanks for those links, SFG. I think I'll add this one to my TBR list! :)
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You certainly won't regret it Mattyj. The ending is just truly something else.
 
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