Customer Reviews
Powerful story, beautifully written - By: Renate Bahnemann, 11 May 2008 
Beware, this is the kind of book that will make you miss your stop.
The story is set in Afghanistan in the 1970's. It is told by Amir, the main character. He lives in Kabul with his father, a popular & influential man. Amir is a timid & sensitive little boy who loves books & making up stories. He never stands up for himself against the neighbourhood bullies. Luckily his best friend & devoted servant Hassan is always there to defend him. Amir is a bit of a disappointment to his father & he desperately seeks for a way to win his heart. The annual kite-fighting tournament presents an opportunity. As always, he has the help of Hassan, his best friend & devoted loyal servant.
And then Amir betrays Hassan. At least that is how Amir sees it. It is likely that the reader would feel that Amir is not to blame. He was too young. But as much as you'd like to, you cannot step inside the book & rescue either of the two little boys. You can only be a helpless witness to the tragedy that unfolds.
Thus is a powerful story, beautifully written.
Huge themes are covered in this book: loyalty & betrayal, privilege & injustice, cowardice & bravery, love & evil, guilt & redemption.
I avoided this book for quite a while because I was afraid of the pain of reading about Afghanistan. That was a mistake. Even though at one point there was such a weight on my chest that I was struggling to breathe, that I thought my heart would break, I am glad that I did not miss out on this book. I am so grateful to the friend who pestered me until I read it.
A different world - By: Hamstead, 09 May 2008 Wealthy Afghan boy Amir lives in Kabul with his father whose approval he is desperate to gain. His close friend Hassan is the son of his father's servant & lives in a hut on the property of Amir's father. Hassan has a hare lip & is illiterate, but possesses skills that Amir does not, & of which Amir is jealous. Amir sets out to prove to his father that he has the makings of a man, his ambition to win a kite flying contest held annuallly in Kabul. Hassan will be his runner, & capture their rival's kite. However, on the day of the contest, something happens to Hassan that will change the relationship between him & Amir beyond recovery. Not long after this, the Russians invade the country & Amir & his father flee to America. Hassan remains behind. Yeas later, Amir receives a communication that sends him back to Afghanistan, now ruled by the Taliban, to retrace the past & find redemption if he can.
I enjoyed the novel very much. It kept me reading until late at night & turning the pages. Some things fell into place a little too smoothly or were decided cliches & cop-outs. The Nazi bad boy for example whose parents lived in Australia. Thus the confrontation between him & Amir wasn't an indigenous one so to speak.
The characters of Amir & Hassan are finely, thoughtfully & vividly drawn. It was also an interesting insight into aspects of a culture I know little about. As to the twist....I got it more or less straight away, so it came as no surprise, but then perhaps it wasn't meant to.
All in alll an enjoyable, entertaining & thought provoking read that I can thoroughly recommend. Nine out of ten from me, equating to four & a half stars, rounded up to five.
the only 5 star book I have ever read! - By: Dr. J. S. E. Sullivan-lyons, 05 May 2008 I had to read this book for the book club I have just joined. I can't say I was looking forward to it, but made myself do it as the whole purpose of joining the club was to broaden my reading.................
This book is genuinely packed with action & events, no droning prose & unnecessary description to set the scene: the characters tell you alll you need to know about the life they have led. I totallly recommend this book to anyone. I learnt lots of things from this book & found it thought provoking, but none of it was a chore.
One big, huge, thumbs UP!
Read it! - By: Mr X, 01 May 2008 Since so may others have written about this book alll I have to add is that it is a truly brilliant novel, the best I have read in a long time. It is fast-paced, interesting & unpredictable. I definitely recommend it.
amazing - By: Gemma Ford, 30 Apr 2008 i read the back of this book in shops... convinced it wasn't my type of thing (i'm not that into war etc). when the film came out & everyone wanted to go, i thought..... i need to read the book first. so i gave in & bought the book. i ended up having it finished in days.... the book is truly amazing. i adored every moment of it, the flow throughout keeps you begging for more! I actuallly learnt a lot through its content. I advise anyone to give it a try & i promise you will enjoy it. ps the film is good too.
