Book Review: The Kite Runner

Title: The Kite Runner
Author: Khaled Hosseini
# of Pages: 401
Published:
Genre: Fiction
Rating: 5/5

The unforgettable, heartbreaking story of the unlikely friendship between a wealthy boy and the son of his father's servant, The Kite Runner is a beautifully crafted novel set in a country in the process of being destroyed. It is about the power of reading, the price of betrayal, and the possibility of redemption. And it is also about the power of fathers over sons -- their love, their sacrifices, their lies...

After having this novel for approximately a year and letting it gather dust on my bookself, I finally decided to read it. I really should have read it sooner because this book is phenomenal.

This emotional story is told from the point of view of the protagonist, Amir, as he recounts his childhood and the horrible event that scarred him and his life afterward. Set in Kabul, beginning prior to the Russian invasion and the Taliban regime, Afghanistan's violent history acts as a backdrop to this powerful story.

The Kite Runner surprised me several times, and had me completely immersed within the first couple pages. This novel is not for the faint-hearted; some of the events are chilling. It's shocking to realize that many of the events in this novel really did happen or do happen. This book really touched me, and I'll admit I did cry quite a few times. I don't want to give much away because this novel really did surprise me, and it would have much less impact if the storyline was completely revealed. I'm very happy to have an Afghan novelist writing in English to give a native perspective on a country that's so present in political life.

This novel is well-written and the style was easy to read and follow. Hosseini added a lot of Farsi words (with English translation) that really connected the story with it's strong culture. I greatly enjoyed this novel, and I would recommend it to anyone. I award Khaled Hosseini's spectacular debut novel, The Kite Runner, a 5/5 for a compelling and touching story.

A room without books is like a body without a soul.

I was reading a review of one of my favourite novels, and I thought that I would share my favourite novels here!

I'm a total sucker for the Harry Potter Series by J.K. Rowling.
Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone; Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets; Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Askaban; Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire; Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince and finally, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows.


(SPOILERS AHEAD! DO NOT READ IF YOU HAVEN'T FINISHED THE SERIES)

My favourite novels of the 7 book series were: the 4th book, Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire and the 6th book, Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince and the 7th and final book, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows. Goblet of Fire is one of my favourites because of the whole idea of the Triward Tournament. The competition was the main idea of the novel, and the introduction of the two other schools of witchcraft and wizardry (Beauxbatons Academy from France and Durmstrang Institute from Bulgaria) just expanded Rowling's magical universe! Also, the first meeting with Voldemort in his own body was just breathtaking. I believe Cedric Diggory's death at the hands of Peter Pettigrew really brought the darkness of the series into light. The 3 previous novels had toyed with death, such as all petrified students in the 2nd novel, but the 4th installment finally went there. Although some complain that Cedric's death qualified the books as unsuitable for children, I don't believe the series is necessarily intended for 10 year olds. The 4th novel really begins the complex issues involving Voldemort, and I just adored it.
Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince was another favourite because this book was just so darn funny! All of the drama going on between Ron/Hermione/Lavender was so amusing and I often got into laughing fits over this love triangle. Dumbledore's lessons with Harry, visiting memories in the Pensieve, were just exceptional. I especially liked the memory of a ministry official questioning the Gaunts. The title of the novel, the Half-Blood Prince, was brought about by Harry finding a potions book with written comments, alterations and spells by a previous Hogwarts student who nicknamed themselves "the half-blood prince". This was very intriguing, and trying to figure out who owned the book kept me hooked.
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows is my final favourite simply because it is the final installment of the series. There is so much that happens in this novel. All loose ends are tied by the end of the novel, and every event in the novel was incredibly important. I greatly enjoyed the part where Ron stabbed Voldemort's locket, and ghosts of Harry and Hermione appeared and exposed Ron's biggest fears: that Hermione did not love him. I thought that was unbelievably sweet, and when they FINALLY kissed at the end of the novel, I'm pretty sure I screamed! I'm a huge Ron/Hermione fan :) Also, the fight scene at the end, with deaths that would make the readers cry and scream, was very realistic. I was so sad to see Fred, Lupin and Tonks die, and although I wish they hadn't, it was a realistic portrayal of a war. Not everyone you love will end up alive, and Rowling did not try to sugarcoat this war.

One of my favourite authors wrote four of my favourite novels, however none of these are part of a series. These novels are written by the fabulous Sarah Dessen.

The Truth About Forever (my favourite of hers)


Dreamland (my 2nd favourite of hers)


This Lullaby (my 3rd favourite of hers)


Lock and Key (my 4th favourite of hers)


This following novel is A Thousand Splendid Suns by Khaled Hosseini.

A Thousand Splendid Suns is a breathtaking story set against the volatile events of Afghanistan's last thirty years-from the Soviet invasion to the reign of the Taliban to post-Taliban rebuilding-that puts the violence, fear, hope, and faith of this country in intimate, human terms. It is a tale of two generations of characters brought jarringly together by the tragic sweep of war, where personal lives-the struggle to survive, raise a family, find happiness-are inextricable from the history playing out around them.

Propelled by the same storytelling instinct that made The Kite Runner a beloved classic, A Thousand Splendid Suns is at once a remarkable chronicle of three decades of Afghan history and a deeply moving account of family and friendship. It is a striking, heart-wrenching novel of an unforgiving time, an unlikely friendship, and an indestructible love-a stunning accomplishment.

This novel is The Perks of Being a Wallflower by Stephen Chbosky.

This is the story of what it's like to grow up in high school. More intimate than a diary, Charlie's letters are singular and unique, hilarious and devastating. We may not know where he lives. We may not know to whom he is writing. All we know is the world he shares. Caught between trying to live his life and trying to run from it puts him on a strange course through uncharted territory. The world of first dates and mixed tapes, family dramas and new friends. The world of sex, drugs, and The Rocky Horror Picture Show, when all one requires is that perfect song on that perfect drive to feel infinite.

This novel is White Oleander by Janet Fitch.

Astrid Magnussen, the teenage narrator of Janet Fitch's engrossing first novel, White Oleander, has a mother who is as sharp as a new knife. An uncompromising poet, Ingrid despises weakness and self-pity, telling her daughter that they are descendants of Vikings, savages who fought fiercely to survive. And when one of Ingrid's boyfriends abandons her, she illustrates her point, killing the man with the poison of oleander flowers. This leads to a life sentence in prison, leaving Astrid to teach herself the art of survival in a string of Los Angeles foster homes.As Astrid bumps from trailer park to tract house to Hollywood bungalow, White Oleander uncoils her existential anxieties. "Who was I, really?" she asks. "I was the sole occupant of my mother's totalitarian state, my own personal history rewritten to fit the story she was telling that day. There were so many missing pieces." Fitch adroitly leads Astrid down a path of sorting out her past and identity. In the process, this girl develops a wire-tight inner strength, gains her mother's white-blonde beauty, and achieves some measure of control over their relationship. Even from prison, Ingrid tries to mold her daughter. Foiling her, Astrid learns about tenderness from one foster mother and how to stand up for herself from another. Like the weather in Los Angeles--the winds of the Santa Anas, the scorching heat--Astrid's teenage life is intense. Fitch's novel deftly displays that, and also makes Astrid's life meaningful.

This novel is A Spell for Chameleon by Piers Anthony. This is the first novel of the Xanth series, and it is my favourite of the ones I've read so far.

Xanth was the enchanted land where magic ruled--where every citizen had a special spell only he could cast. That is, except for Bink of North Village. He was sure he possessed no magic, and knew that if he didn't find some soon, he would be exiled. According to the Good Magician Humpfrey, the charts said that Bink was as powerful as the King or even the Evil Magician Trent. Unfortunately, no one could determine its form. Meanwhile, Bink was in despair. If he didn't find his magic soon, he would be forced to leave....

And as many girls out there, another favourite series of mine is the Twilight Series by Stephenie Meyer. Twilight, New Moon, Eclipse and finally Breaking Dawn.


My favourite novel of the series is the 3rd, Eclipse. By this novel, the Bella/Edward/Jacob love triangle has reached a peak and it's a constant guessing game of what's gong to happen next. Plus the drama with the vampire gang in Seattle and the upcoming battle between Victoria and the Cullens really kept me hooked. The fight at the end was the best of the series, and I really enjoyed the whole novel. Personally I'm a HUGE Jacob Black fan, and his attempts to win Bella's love confirmed that I am very much Team Jacob, haha.

So if you're in a bookstore, and you're looking for a great novel, pick up any of these novels and enjoy! They're all fantastic and I promise they won't disappoint!