The Kite Runner

Abridged / Go to Unabridged (Audiobook)

Written by:

Khaled Hosseini

Narrator:

Khaled Hosseini

Length:

6 hours 20 minutes

Summary:

Taking us from Afghanistan in the final days of the 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: through the novel's faith in the power of reading and storytelling, and in the possibilities he shows us for redemption.

Ratings:

Book

Narration

Publisher:

Simon & Schuster

Date:

June 2003

Genres:

Literature > Novels
Fiction > Historical Fiction
Literature
Fiction

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Customer Reviews
Customers Also Liked

Andy

I lost myself completely in this story. It's beautiful, gut-wrenching, and wonderfully written. The author's narration is terrific, it was nice to hear it read by someone with the correct accent for the mind of the main character..

3 of 3 people found this review helpful.

james dawes

As a father of three boys, reading this book impacted my thoughts and emotions like no other book has before. Amazingly heart wrenching and thought provoking. You must read this book.

2 of 2 people found this review helpful.

amit arora

This one is a real good read/listen. It keeps you engrossed in the story, and you don't know what's coming until you actually read/listen to it. It will definitely make you sad at points and you will get attached to the characters. I highly recommend it.

1 of 1 people found this review helpful.

Anonymous

Although this book is one of my favorites thus far, at one point, I almost stopped listening to it- because it made me so mad. I think once I got past the most heartbreaking (and emotion provoking points in the story), it just made you love the story even more. I definitely recommend.

6 of 8 people found this review helpful.

Anonymous

Loved the book, I did not want it to end. It will tear your heart out and replace it with an unbelievable experience. After I read it, I wanted to look up more books like it.

2 of 3 people found this review helpful.

Anonymous

This is a great book. It gives you a glimpse into life in Afghanistan and both the warm and terrible experiences of two little boys. Wonderful to hear it read by the author with the right accent and pronunciation of words. Would definitely recommend.

Anonymous

What a wonderful book! I thoroughly enjoyed the book itself, and the author/reader was superb! I would highly recommend this book to anyone!

christine

this book had me screaming mad at the author. i guess that means he did a great job of sucking me into the story. a sad story, but powerful

DF

Hosseini has written a modern tragedy. It unfolds slowly but remains compelling. The classic tale of friendship, betrayal, and a family gone horribly wrong plays out against a backdrop of Afghan and Afghan-American history that is important for Americans today to understand. Highly recommended.

Mary

It's hard to add more, there are so many excellent reviews already. So I'll just say I was sorry to see the story end. I hope to read more from this author.