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The Kite Runner | 
 enlarge | Author: Khaled Hosseini
Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing PLC
Category: Book
List Price: £7.99
Buy New: £1.90
You Save: £6.09 (76%)
New (35) Used (17) Collectible (1) from £1.58
Avg. Customer Rating:  7 reviews
Sales Rank: 177
Media: Paperback
Edition: Film Tie-in Ed
Pages: 352
Shipping Weight (lbs): 0.5
Dimensions (in): 7.7 x 5 x 0.9
ISBN: 0747594880
EAN: 9780747594888
ASIN: 0747594880
Publication Date: December 17, 2007
Availability: Usually dispatched within 1-2 business days
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| Customer Reviews: Read 2 more reviews...
 Kite-fighting and friendship June 27, 2008
This film's story begins in Kabul, Afghanistan, in the 1970s. We meet two 12-year-old boys, Amir and Hassan. The two are close friends. But there's also tension in their friendship: Amir is the son of a well-to-do family; he is a Pashtun, the ruling class in the country at that time. Hassan is the son of the family's servant, and is a Hazara, a racial group looked down on by many Pashtuns. Though Hassan is Amir's friend, he never forgets he is also his loyal servant. A central theme in the movie is that of "kite-fighting", a popular sport in Afghanistan. In a big tournament, hundreds of kites can be in flight at the same time. Contestants coat the strings of their kites with broken glass; the object of the game is to cut the strings of other kites, with the last kite flying being declared the winner. As part of the game, boys run to pick up and keep each defeated kite. Hassan is not only Amir's dedicated supporter in the game - he is the most talented kite-runner in Kabul. The story moves on to the Russian invasion of Afghanistan, during which Amir and his father flee to America. Following the expulsion of the Russians comes the tyrannical rule of the Taliban. By this time, Amir, now married and in his early twenties, has lost track of Hassan. Amir's uncle calls from Pakistan, begging Amir to return to Kabul. Amir reluctantly agrees, and from that point events gain momentum until the climax of the story. Unlike some other reviewers, I think the screenplay does a pretty good job of staying true to Khaled Hosseini's book. Of course, in a film lasting just over 2 hours, a lot of content has to be cut out, but I'd say the movie does manage to capture the main turning-points of the story, so that interest never flags. I'm usually not one to go much on special effects - but in this film, during the kite-fighting sequences, we often find ourselves ABOVE the kites, looking down on them as they wheel and swoop in the sky, with the houses and streets of Kabul way below them. This is a thrilling experience, made even more so by energetic swishing sounds as the warring kites zoom past (a bit like the swishing of the swords in a kung-fu movie). There's splendid acting from the whole cast, especially the two boy actors who play the young Amir and Hassan.
 The Kite Runner June 24, 2008
An amazing book, so beautifully written with heart wrenching moments. One of the best books I have ever read, very moving.
Stunning June 10, 2008
There are only a few books that I have ever gone back to and read for a second time but The Kite Runner will be one of them. I couldn't disagree more with the reader who said it was badly written - I thought it was beautiful. It is told so simply but doesn't lose any of its impact because of this - I was in turn delighted, tearful and completely horror-stricken at some of the scenes that were described. I have already read his other book A Thousand Splendid Suns and was equally impressed by that. I think he is an amazing new writer and I certainly hope he will be bringing out more books. These two books have taught me more about the tragic Afghan situation than any number of news bulletins ever could.
Ahmed March 18, 2008
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
Absolutely brilliant!!! Cant wait to get home and get back to this wonderfully written book. Have now bought the next book (A thousand splendid suns) by Khalid Hosseini as I can see I will enjoy reading this authors work.
Excellent read February 24, 2008
3 out of 4 found this review helpful
I thoroughly enjoyed this book. It is an easy read and hard to put down. I found it thought provoking, showing an interesting side of life and values that probably escape a few of us!
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