Khaled Hosseini

I became what I am today at the age of twelve. I remember the precise moment, crouching behind a mud wall on a frigid winter day in 1975 . . . looking into a deserted alley. It's wrong what they say about the past, about how you can bury it, because the past claws its way out. I realize I've been looking into that alley for the last 26 years. Afghanistan is a divided country on the verge of war and two childhood friends are about to be torn apart. It's a beautiful afternoon in Kabul and the skies are full of the excitement and joy of a kite flying tournament. But neither Hassan or Amir can foresee the terrible incident which will shatter their lives forever. Khaled Hosseini's first and international best-selling novel has now been adapted into a stunning stage adaptation by Matthew Spangler. This edition was published for the production at Wyndham's Theatre, London, from 21 December 2016.

The Kite Runner

the light of his life, very important to him– from the dedication section

khush

Drachenläufer

Emma Kim

 Ein Dozent eines Kurses für Kreatives Schreiben an der San Jose State University hatte einmal über Klischees gesagt: »Meiden Sie sie wie die Pest.« Und lachte dann über seinen eigenen Witz. Der Kurs stimmte mit ein, aber ich fand schon immer, dass Klischees zu Unrecht kritisiert wurden; denn oft treffen sie den Nagel auf den Kopf. Doch die Tauglichkeit einer abgedroschenen Redensart wird überschattet von ihrer Wahrnehmung als Klischee. Zum Bei-

Gabi🌸🌷

Toliko sreće osjećam da me to plaši. Čovjeku je dano da bude ovoliko sretan samo kad se sprema nešto što će mu to oduzeti.

Djeca nisu bojanke. Ne možeš ih ispunjati svojim omiljenim bojama.

No shvatio sam da je pogrešno ono što tvrde za prošlost, da se može odbaciti. Jer prošlost se otima rukama i nogama.

Twelve-year-old Amir is desperate to gain the approval of his father and resolves to win the local kite-fighting tournament, to prove that he has the makings of a man. His loyal friend Hassan promises to help him - for he always helps Amir - but this is 1970s Afghanistan and Hassan is merely a low-caste servant who is jeered at in the street, although Amir feels jealous of his natural courage and the place he holds in his father's heart. But neither of the boys could foresee what would happen to Hassan on the afternoon of the tournament, which was to shatter their lives. After the Russians invade and the family is forced to flee to America, Amir realises that one day he must return to find the one thing that his new wold cannot grant him: redemption.
-back cover

Amalie Elisabeth

“What I have in ample supply here is children who've lost their childhood. But the tragedy is that these are the lucky ones.”

Uçurtma Avcısı

jakuzi

arkamızda hareketlenen, itişip kakışan çocuklar; ağaçların üstünde yalpalayan, başıboş uçurtmanın peşine çığlık çığlığa düşen bir grup uçurtma avcısı. gözlerimi kırpıştırdım, tebessüm silindi. ama oradaydı. onu görmüştüm. "uçurtmayı senin için yakalamamı ister misin?"* diye sordum. yutkunurken, âdem elması inip çıktı. rüzgâr saçlarını karıştırdı. başını evet anlamında salladığını gördüm. 

"senin için bin tane olsa yakalarım."* dediğimi duydum. 

sonra döndüm, koşmaya başladım. yalnızca bir gülümsemeydi, hepsi bu. her şeyi düzeltmiş değildi. hiçbir şeyi düzeltmemişti.* belli belirsiz bir tebessüm. minicik bir şey. ormandaki bir yaprak; ansızın havalanan bir kuşun kıpırdattığı bir yaprak. ama kollarımı ardına kadar açıp onu kucaklayacağım. bağrıma basacağım. çünkü bahar gelince, karların tek tek, tane tane eridiğini biliyorum; belki de ilk kar tanesinin eriyişine tanık oldum. koştum. peşinde avaz çığlık bir çocuk sürüsü, deliler gibi koşan, yetişkin bir erkek. ama umurumda bile değil. yüzümü kamçılayan rüzgâra karşı, dudaklarımda pençer vadisi kadar geniş bir tebessüm, koştum, koştum.

 it, even more than in times of peace.”

But no one woke up and in the silence that followed, I understood the nature of my new curse: I was going to get away with it.

That's what I made myself believe. I actually 

 to cowardice, because the alternative, the real reason I was running, was that Assef was right: Nothing was free in this world. Maybe Hassan was the price I had to pay, the lamb I had to slay, to win Baba.

The streets glistened with fresh snow and the sky was a blameless blue. 

Maybe Baba would even read one of my stories. I'd write him a hundred if I thought he'd read one.

And that's the thing about people who mean everything they say. They think everyone else does too.

Baba and I lived in the same house, but in different spheres of existence. Kites were the one paper-thin slice of intersection between those spheres. 

Huddled together in the dining room and waiting for the sun to rise, none of us had any notion that a way of life had ended. 

 way of life. If not quite yet, then at least it was the beginning of the end.

"Children aren't coloring books. You don't get to fill them with your favorite colors."

Dans les années 70 à Kaboul, le petit Amir, fils d'un riche commerçant pachtoun, partage son enfance avec son serviteur Hassan, jeune chiite condamné pour ses origines à exécuter les tâches les plus viles. Liés par une indéfectible passion pour les cerfs-volants, les garçons grandissent heureux dans une cité ouverte et accueillante. Ni la différence de leur condition ni les railleries des camarades n'entament leur amitié. Jusqu'au jour où Amir commet la pire des lâchetés...

Eté 2001. Réfugié depuis plusieurs années aux Etats-Unis, Amir reçoit un appel du Pakistan. "Il existe un moyen de te racheter", lui annonce la voix au bout du fil. Mais ce moyen passe par une plongée au coeur de l'Afghanistan des talibans... et de son propre passé.
--back cover

The kite runner

Elena Menendez

Pour toi, un millier de fois, m'entendis-je déclarer.

Shelby Doherty

fabiha

THE NUMBER ONE BESTSELLER 'Devastating' Daily Telegraph 'Heartbreaking' The Times 'Unforgettable' Isabel Allende 'Haunting' Independent Afghanistan, 1975: Twelve-year-old Amir is desperate to win the local kite-fighting tournament and his loyal friend Hassan promises to help him. But neither of the boys can foresee what will happen to Hassan that afternoon, an event that is to shatter their lives. After the Russians invade and the family is forced to flee to America, Amir realises that one day he must return to Afghanistan under Taliban rule to find the one thing that his new world cannot grant him: redemption.

sin h.

I am left speechless. While I did see a thing or two coming - what I did not predict was the pain this would give me at certain points. Some places, you feel scared to go to the next page, terrified of the next paragraph, petrified of the next line. You come out a little hoepful, a little spent, but overall a little calmer than when you began.

diya

this is a good book for teenagers to read in class. it is ridiculously heavyhanded and self analyzing

yasi

This book was heartbreaking the entire way through, but the ending just tied everything together so well and the writing was incredibly poetic and moving I really couldn't rate this any lower no matter how sad it made me

Emma Lechner

An epic tale of fathers and sons, of friendship and betrayal, that takes us from Afghanistan in the final days of the monarchy to the atrocities of the present. 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 that is 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.

Maureen

"For you, a thousand times over."

***

I had high expectations for this book. It didn't disappoint. Not one bit. Its Goodreads rating is well deserved, if not more. Really glad to have read this book in my lifetime. This may be the best, non YA book I've ever read (!!)

pamela enojas

Sajiya Chaudhary

It's written so beautifully, and I couldn't put it down, once I started to read. Also, it's as if Amir and Hassan are a part of life

anjali

Heart-breaking and very, very beautiful. It left me awed, wondering how writing could achieve and create something as amazing as this. Two days is all it took for me to finish this book, despite my best efforts to read as slowly as possible. Very highly recommended. One of the books that just make you feel immensely.

Megan Parrott

This is one of the first books I remember LOVING. Need to read again.

armoni mayes

I found this book particularly hard to read, but I am glad I finished it. I feel like I have learned so much about Afghan culture and traditions (although this book is not a history lesson of course). I am glad I read this novel!

extremely disheartened by the author's political views. 

sani

I had never read a story set in Afghanistan before. It showed me a lot of the country and its people. Also, the narrative about the two boys, whose destinies are strikingly different, deeply moved me.

Friedrich Schuler

Crystal Mfeka

Amelia C 

it was an excellent book that brought me to tears...

Afghanistan, 1975: Twelve-year-old Amir is desperate to win the local kite-fighting tournament and his loyal friend Hassan promises to help him. But neither of the boys can foresee what will happen to Hassan that afternoon, an event that is to shatter their lives. After the Russians invade and the family is forced to flee to America, Amir realises that one day he must return to Afghanistan under Taliban rule to find the one thing that his new world cannot grant him: redemption.

Marz 

One the best books I have read in awhile, I was hesitant to read this book at first because a friend had told me this had pages and pages of meaningless in detail descriptions that were useless to the plot . But I am happy to report they were quite wrong. While this book is full of vivid images they were balanced out by a interesting plotline.I do have to that the real action happens a few chapters into the book and it does absolutly pull at your heartstrings...ah I am not the type to cry reading books but this book left me tearing up at times. Hassan and Amir's friendship is precious and beautiful to witness and it was very upsetting when all didn't turn out as planned. 
There were one or two inaccuracies in the book but they were easily overlooked as this book I have to say is a must read.

Have just finished this book and I wholeheartedly agree. It was a little more contrived and at times frustratingly predictable at key plot turns, but the central motifs and the beautiful characterisation and essence of goodness overcame these minor quibbles. It took my time getting to this book for a great many reasons and now that I have finally read it. This book moved me. I was somewhat blind going into this read, unaware of the content of the story and the true depths of anguish I was about to dive into.

Hosseini was able to pluck heart strings of emotion that I had thought silent and stolid. The themes of loyalty, friendship, devotion countered with betrayal, animosity and selfishness were plaintive notes played out in a literary orchestra of human sentiment.

Beautifully written and told with compassion, empathy and with a skilled writer's eye for detail and expression, this can also be a painful book to read. Not for everyone, but for those who can endure what is at times heartbreaking the reward is as magnificent as is this work.

Can't wait to watch the movie next. Hassan was a reminder of the attractiveness of purity and the parallels with Lord were hard to miss.

Andika Farhan

Have just finished this book and I wholeheartedly agree. It was a little more contrived and at times frustratingly predictable at key plot turns, but the central motifs and the beautiful characterisation and essence of goodness overcame these minor quibbles. It took my time getting to this book for a great many reasons and now that I have finally read it. This book moved me. I was somewhat blind going into this read, unaware of the content of the story and the true depths of anguish I was about to dive into.

Hosseini was able to pluck heart strings of emotion that I had thought silent and stolid. The themes of loyalty, friendship, devotion countered with betrayal, animosity and selfishness were plaintive notes played out in a literary orchestra of human sentiment.

Beautifully written and told with compassion, empathy and with a skilled writer's eye for detail and expression, this can also be a painful book to read. Not for everyone, but for those who can endure what is at times heartbreaking the reward is as magnificent as is this work.

Can't wait to watch the movie next. Hassan was a reminder of the attractiveness of purity and the parallels with Lord were hard to miss.

“"For you, a thousand times over"

Ankit Panchal

' For you, A thousand times over... '

Khalied Hosseini just brought the emotions of friendship so precisely on the pages of this novel that you wont put down this novel while reading. It is worth to read the novel. Hosseini is an epic story-teller. Before reading the book, I was just touching outforms words ' The Kite Runner' on the cover. After reading it, while touching these words I can feel the emotions that novel has. So touched by the book. Must read.

Kite Runner

maitha mana

Very fast paced in comparison with the book, but that's nothing unexpected.

The book that got me into reading. A masterpiece.

Isabella 

as expected from hosseini, the writing is beautiful. he has a way of bringing you in with the main character's journey. devastating book but it falls flat in some areas.

ellie 💐💌⭐️

Books should come with trigger warnings though. This book is heavy AF. But good. Really good. 

The Kite Runner

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