The Kite Runner

Unabridged
Author: Khaled Hosseini
Narrator: Khaled Hosseini
Genres: Fiction
Publisher: Simon & Schuster Audio
Date: February 2005
Length: 12 hours
Ratings:
Formats:
  • CD
Abridged
Author: Khaled Hosseini
Narrator: Khaled Hosseini
Genres: Fiction
Publisher: Simon & Schuster
Date: June 2003
Length: 6 hours
Ratings:
  • Book Rating: 4/5
Formats:
  • CD
  • WMA

Overview

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.

Reviews (79)

Kite Runner

Written by Anonymous on August 26th, 2009

  • Book Rating: 5/5

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

had me upset

Written by christine on August 18th, 2009

  • Book Rating: 4/5

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

afghan tragedy

Written by DF on August 6th, 2009

  • Book Rating: 5/5

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.

Achingly beautiful...

Written by Mary from Ashburn, VA on July 6th, 2009

  • Book Rating: 5/5

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.

Engaging

Written by Anonymous on June 18th, 2009

  • Book Rating: 4/5

This book starts out a bit slow, but really becomes very interesting. I loved how the story really took me to a different culture, so completely different from my background. I could see how this book would be quite boring to some, but it truly captured my interest.

The Kite Runner

Written by Colette on May 16th, 2009

  • Book Rating: 5/5

Outstanding Book! One of the best I have listened to in a LONG time!

Kite Runner

Written by Anonymous from Santa Rosa, CA on April 16th, 2009

  • Book Rating: 5/5

This was really really great. Incredibly heavy, depressing, touching, and wonderful. It was wonderfully read and made my daily 2 hour comute fly. However, it is haunting and well read sections have stayed with me. Overall, a masterpiece. I immediately put his other book on my rental shelf, but moved it down a few spaces, after some lighter fare.

The Kite Runner

Written by Barbara Ann on February 23rd, 2009

  • Book Rating: 5/5

The Kite Runner was an exceptional book, so when I had a second chance to hear the audio book I jumped @ the chance. This is an A-1 number one book. Gives you a chance to hear how others outside the US have life experiences. I enjoyed this story.

WOW, listened twice

Written by Susan on February 18th, 2009

  • Book Rating: 5/5

I was pleasantly surprised by this book. Very moving, very. I liked that the writer read the book. It helps in that I couldn't have pronounced the native words. It is a heavy book in that the subject matter is war, the relationship between a father and son and intensity of guilt that one can sometimes carry due to childhood choices. Very good book

Fascinating

Written by Anonymous on January 18th, 2009

  • Book Rating: 5/5

This book starts out a little slow but unfolds into something really tremendous!

Author Details

Author Details

Hosseini, Khaled

Khaled Hosseini was born in Kabul, Afghanistan, in 1965. His father was a diplomat with the Afghan Foreign Ministry and his mother taught Farsi and History at a large high school in Kabul. In 1976, the Afghan Foreign Ministry relocated the Hosseini family to Paris. They were ready to return to Kabul in 1980, but by then Afghanistan had already witnessed a bloody communist coup and the invasion of the Soviet army. The Hosseinis sought and were granted political asylum in the United States. In September of 1980, Hosseini's family moved to San Jose, California. Hosseini graduated from high school in 1984 and enrolled at Santa Clara University where he earned a bachelor's degree in Biology in 1988. The following year, he entered the University of California-San Diego's School of Medicine, where he earned a Medical Degree in 1993. He completed his residency at Cedars-Sinai Hospital in Los Angeles. Hosseini was a practicing internist between 1996 and 2004.

While in medical practice, Hosseini began writing his first novel, The Kite Runner, in March of 2001. In 2003, The Kite Runner, was published and has since become an international bestseller, published in 48 countries. In 2006 he was named a goodwill envoy to UNHCR, the United Nations Refugee Agency. His second novel, A Thousand Splendid Suns was published in May of 2007. Currently, A Thousand Splendid Suns is published in 25 countries. He lives in northern California.