Customer Reviews
Good - but not that good! - By: Charlotte Lou, 23 Aug 2008 
Just a short review as there are so many already - BUT .... I was a bit disappointed by The Kite Runner, not least because I read A Thousand Splendid Suns first & expected this book to be as good - it wasn't.
Another reviewer said of The Kite Runner 'It's an adequate story, filled with parts that are designed to make the reader cry.' I agree with this. I did find it a little predictable & it lacked something which A Thousand Splendid Suns had (which I can't quite put my finger on) but that's not to say that it's not well written as Hosseini does have an incredible gift as an author.
Perhaps I wasn't compelled to turn the pages as quickly as I expected - this is all too often the case though with massively over-hyped books. That said, I've read worse.
Astonishing - By: D. McCann, 18 Aug 2008 
This book was amazing! One of the best books I have ever read! It's beautifully written with a bitter sweet ending that will leave you speechless & thinking!
Amazing - My first ever review - By: Ms. L. M. Duddington, 16 Aug 2008 I read a lot of books & this is my first review on Amazon (which shows how fab this book is!). This is one of my all time favourite books. It portrays the relationship between 2 boysin Afghanistan absolutely beautifully & is realistic which is why this book will have youin tears by the end of it. Much much better than the film. Takes you on a real journey that you will enjoy, with the ups & downs that life brings. Fantastic book!
YEAH, IT'S GOOD COS IT'S SET IN AFGHANISTAN - By: Easily Me, 14 Aug 2008 
Don't believe the hype: a highly predictable, very average tale that only got any attention due to its setting.
Not necessarily a bad book, just not the departure from the run-of-the-mill that others would lead you to believe.
don't believe the hype - By: S. Joyce, 12 Aug 2008 As usual with any over-hyped book, I put off reading this one for as long as possible. After months of rave reviews from not only professional critics but also friends & family, I finally gave in.
At the time I was just finishing off Harper Lee's 'To Kill a Mockingbird', & I think my final view of 'The Kite Runner' may have been tarnished by my undying loyalty to what,in my opinion, is one of the greatest books ever written.
I read 'The Kite Runner'in one day. This, some might say, would suggest that it was such a good read I couldn't put it down.
True, I could not put the book down, but not because of the quality of the writing or story. I was desperately trying to find what exactly it was that people were raving about.
In my opinion, the book has acheived the success it has because it is a book written for the masses. It's an adequate story, filled with parts that are designed to make the reader cry.
I read an earlier review that mentioned that the author portrays the characters as either a saint or a villain, & that there is noin between. I must say I have to agree. There is no option for the reader to forge their own opinion of any of the characters.
I liked the story of Amir's relationship with his father & how it developed. I didn't like the cliche characters of the 'humble servants'. I liked the way the relationship between the two boys was portrayed. I was bored by the chapters of Amir as a grown man.
The dialogue is somewhat unbelievable & there are too many coincidencesin the book that change it from being a good, realistic read, into a book written to be a film.
Don't get me wrong, this is far from the worst book I've ever read, hence the 3 star rating.
It may be a risky thing to say, but the book is as popular as it is because it is written for middle class white people who think that reading a book by an Afghan-American, cashingin on 9/11, about how horrendous lifein Afghanistan is, will make them that little bit more cultured.
