A Thousand Splendid Suns
Average customer rating: 4.5 out of 5 stars
  • A vibrant, intense, and emotionally wrenching book
  • Tragic Journey of Love
  • terrific book, but left with some mixed feelings
  • Strong but disturbing
  • Afghanistan history
A Thousand Splendid Suns
Khaled Hosseini
Manufacturer: Riverhead Hardcover
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

ContemporaryContemporary | General | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books
LiteraryLiterary | General | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books
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ASIN: 1594489505
Release Date: 2007-05-22

Amazon.com

It's difficult to imagine a harder first act to follow than The Kite Runner: a debut novel by an unknown writer about a country many readers knew little about that has gone on to have over four million copies in print worldwide. But when preview copies of Khaled Hosseini's second novel, A Thousand Splendid Suns, started circulating at Amazon.com, readers reacted with a unanimous enthusiasm that few of us could remember seeing before. As special as The Kite Runner was, those readers said, A Thousand Splendid Suns is more so, bringing Hosseini's compassionate storytelling and his sense of personal and national tragedy to a tale of two women that is weighted equally with despair and grave hope.

We wanted to spread the word on the book as widely, and as soon, as we could. See below for an exclusive excerpt from A Thousand Splendid Suns and early reviews of the book from some of our top customer reviewers.--The Editors


An Exclusive Excerpt from A Thousand Splendid Suns

We have arranged with the publisher to make an exclusive excerpt of A Thousand Splendid Suns available on Amazon.com. Click here to read a scene from the novel. It's not the opening scene, but rather one from a crucial moment later in the book when Mariam, one of the novel's two main characters, steps into a new role.


Early Buzz from Amazon.com Top Reviewers

We queried our top 100 customer reviewers as of March 6, 2007, and asked them to read A Thousand Splendid Suns and share their thoughts. We've included these early reviews below in the order they were received. For the sake of space, we've only included a brief excerpt of each reviewer's response, but each review is available for reading in its entirety by clicking the "Read the review" link.

Joanna Daneman: "His style is deceptively simple and clear, the characters drawn deftly and swiftly, his themes elemental and huge. This is a brilliant writer and I look forward to more of his work." Read Joanna Daneman's review

Seth J. Frantzman: "Khaled Hosseini has done it again with 'A Thousand Splendid Sons', presenting a new, dashing and dark tale of two generations of women trapped in a loveless marriage, bracketed by great events." Read Seth J. Frantzman's review

Donald Mitchell: "Khaled Hosseini has succeeded in capturing many important historical and contemporary themes in a way that will make your heart ache again and again. Why will your reaction be so strong? It's because you'll identify closely with the suffering of almost all the characters, a reaction that's very rare to a modern novel." Read Donald Mitchell's review

Lawrance M. Bernabo: "All things considered, following up on a successful first novel is probably harder than coming up with the original effort and Hosseini could have rested on his laurels in the manner of Harper Lee, but as "A Thousand Splendid Suns" amply proves, this native of Kabul has more stories to tell about the land of Afghanistan." Read Lawrance M. Bernabo's review

Amanda Richards: "There are parts of this book that will have grown men surreptitiously blotting the tears that are on the verge of overflowing their ducts, and by the time you get to the middle, you won't be able to put it down. Hosseini's simple but richly descriptive prose makes for an engrossing read, and in my opinion, "A Thousand Splendid Suns" is among the best I have ever read. This is definitely not one to be missed." Read Amanda Richards's review

N. Durham: "All that being said, "A Thousand Splendid Suns" is a bit more enjoyable than Hosseini's previous "The Kite Runner", and once again he manages to give we readers another glimpse of a world that we know little about but frequently condemn and discard. However, if you were one of the many that for some reason absolutely loved "The Kite Runner", chances are that you'll love this as well." Read N. Durham's review

John Kwok: "Khaled Hosseini's "A Thousand Splendid Suns" is a genuine instant literary classic, and one destined to be remembered as one of 2007's best novels. It should be compared favorably to such legendary Russian novels like "War and Peace" and "Doctor Zhivago"." Read John Kwok's review

Thomas Duff: "Normally I'm more of an action-adventure type reader when it comes to novels and recreational reading. But I was given the chance to read A Thousand Splendid Suns by Khaled Hosseini (author of The Kite Runner), so I decided to try something out of my normal genre. I am *so* glad I did. This is a stunning and moving novel of life and love in Afghanistan over a 30 year period." Read Thomas Duff's review

Charles Ashbacher: "This book manages to simultaneously capture the history of Afghanistan over the last thirty years and how women are treated in conservative Islamic societies.... In many ways it is a sad book, your heart goes out to these two women in their hopeless struggle to have a decent life with a brutal man in an unforgiving, intolerant society." Read Charles Ashbacher's review

W. Boudville: "Hosseini presents a piognant view into the recent tortured decades of the Afghan experience. From the 1970s, under a king, to the Soviet takeover, to the years of resistance. And then the rise and fall of the Taliban. An American reader will recognise many of the main political events. But to many Americans, Afghanistan and its peoples and religion remain an opaque and troubling mystery." Read W. Boudville's review

Mark Baker: "I tend to read plot heavy books, so this character study was a definite change of pace for me. I found the first half slow going at times, mainly because I knew where the story was going. Once I got into the second half, things really picked up. The ending was very bittersweet. I couldn't think of a better way to end it." Read Mark Baker's review

Grady Harp: "Hosseini takes us behind those walls for forty some years of Afghanistan's bloody history and while he does not spare us any of the descriptions of the terror that continues to besiege that country, he does offer us a story that speaks so tenderly about the fragile beauty of love and devotion and lasting impression people make on people." Read Grady Harp's review

Robert P. Beveridge: "When I was actively reading it, the pages kept turning, and more than once I found myself foregoing food or sleep temporarily to get in just one more chapter. When I had put it down, however, I felt no particular compulsion to pick it back up again. It's a good book, and a relatively well-written one, but it's not a great book. Enjoyable without leaving a lasting impression." Read Robert P. Beveridge's review

B. Marold: "While the events in Afghanistan and the wider world create a familiar framework for the stories of these two women, it is nothing more than a framework. The warp and weft of everyday life, and the interaction of the two women and their close relatives is the heartbeat of the story." Read B. Marold's review

Daniel Jolley: "Khaled Hosseini has written a majestic, sweeping, emotionally powerful story that provides the reader with a most telling window into Afghan society over the past thirty-odd years. It's also a moving story of friendship and sacrifice, giving Western readers a rare glimpse into the suffering and mistreatment of Afghan women that began long before the Taliban came to power." Read Daniel Jolley's review


Book Description

After 103 weeks on the New York Times bestseller list and with four million copies of The Kite Runner shipped, Khaled Hosseini returns with a beautiful, riveting, and haunting novel that confirms his place as one of the most important literary writers today.

Propelled by the same superb instinct for storytelling that made The Kite Runner a beloved classic, A Thousand Splendid Suns is at once an incredible chronicle of thirty years of Afghan history and a deeply moving story of family, friendship, faith, and the salvation to be found in love.

Born a generation apart and with very different ideas about love and family, Mariam and Laila are two women brought jarringly together by war, by loss and by fate. As they endure the ever escalating dangers around them-in their home as well as in the streets of Kabul-they come to form a bond that makes them both sisters and mother-daughter to each other, and that will ultimately alter the course not just of their own lives but of the next generation. With heart-wrenching power and suspense, Hosseini shows how a woman's love for her family can move her to shocking and heroic acts of self-sacrifice, and that in the end it is love, or even the memory of love, that is often the key to survival.

A stunning accomplishment, A Thousand Splendid Suns is a haunting, heartbreaking, compelling story of an unforgiving time, an unlikely friendship, and an indestructible love.

Customer Reviews:

5 out of 5 stars A vibrant, intense, and emotionally wrenching book.......2007-10-09

"A Thousand Splendid Suns" is a gripping novel that left me with a profound respect for women who struggle and flourish under restrictive regimes and repressive religions. I could almost feel the pain, fear, anger, frustration, hope and courage these women endure each and every day. The author faithfully delivers an emotionally taut epic that will strike a chord with many. I hated and loved this story all at the same time.

5 out of 5 stars Tragic Journey of Love.......2007-10-08

A Thousand Splendid Suns is an absolutely wonderful story about the things that keep us going, even when our world falls apart. You will find yourself pulled into this tragic story, unable to put the book down. This book will touch your heart on a very real level. I can't wait to read it again.

4 out of 5 stars terrific book, but left with some mixed feelings.......2007-10-08

I just finished this audiobook in a straight 10-hour period while I listened to my iPod as I refinished my deck. This book certainly does not leave your emotions untouched and most certainly gets you involved intimately with the characters that Hosseini develops. It is difficult at this point to catalog the full range of emotions that I felt while reading this book. Righteous indignation may be the main emotion I can recall from most of the pages. How much I, as a man, wanted to swoop in and solve away all of their problems with my western life of abundance. On examining this particular desire, perhaps the true message of this book comes out. It is written completely and totally in a worldview that is very different from us Western readers. The themes of survival, fate, endurance, are not ones that come to the fore in our minds. Concepts so important to us in this part of the world such as ambition, achievement, and discovery of dreams keep a place in the forefront of our minds.

This is particularly pointed in my mind, since I had just visited DisneyWorld days before reading this book. Their theme is that every girl wants to be a princess and at one point they had the audience chant that "Dreams come true" and remarked how every boy wants to be a pirate and every girl a princess. The interesting thing is what our dreams are. They are not the dream shared by the characters in the novel of independence, a motherhood, and freedom from fear. This disney dream is the idea that we will be exalted above our peers, that our extreme abundance will be greater than the extreme abundance of those around us. That our difference, our individuality will give us significance, only possible at the expense of others.

This is perhaps why the novel hit me as such an unfamiliar, foreign thing. I was depressed by how everything seemed to go bad for the characters on how there was not a hero -- not a constant juxtaposition of good and bad, of hope and disappointment, that is such a similar genre or phrase used in our modern stories. Eventually as the story waged on, it seemed that surely the scars created in the characters must be too deep, too unrecoverable for there to be a happy, Disney style ending. So at some point in reading this book I became very frustrated with the seeming desolateness of the emotional landscape, the lack of a knight in shining armor that I wanted to project myself in to the story.

In the end, however, I found that redemption was there. When Lila thought of Miriam as a young girl and I thought of the hopes and dreams of a young girl and how tragically shattered they were, this touched deep inside me and created a desire to be a father who nurtured and protected the sanctity of his child's dreams. Not dreams to be a princess, but dreams to be a mother themselves dreams to be free from fear and dreams to hope and a future. I closed the book resolute to make these dreams a reality for all daughters.

4 out of 5 stars Strong but disturbing.......2007-10-07

After The Kite Runner, I looked forward to Hosseini's next book. From a literary standpoint, A Thousand Splendid Suns certainly did not disappoint. He weaved personal stories into the social and historic framework of Afghanistan, and the result was wonderful. This is a very sad book, though. Also, while the character of Mariam was strong and endearing, I couldn't feel quite as strongly about Laila.

4 out of 5 stars Afghanistan history.......2007-10-07

A great story of Afghanistan's recent history and how Islam has affected this history. Eva-Christ
The Kite Runner
Average customer rating: 4.5 out of 5 stars
  • Review of The Kite Runner
  • good book
  • Plot device after plot device after plot device..
  • It Involves Afghanistan
  • Read with Caution
The Kite Runner
Khaled Hosseini
Manufacturer: Riverhead Trade
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

ContemporaryContemporary | General | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books
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Accessories:
  1. Rayovac Reading Light: Pillow Light (Colors May Vary) Rayovac Reading Light: Pillow Light (Colors May Vary)

ASIN: 1594480001
Release Date: 2004-04-27

Amazon.com

In his debut novel, The Kite Runner, Khaled Hosseini accomplishes what very few contemporary novelists are able to do. He manages to provide an educational and eye-opening account of a country's political turmoil--in this case, Afghanistan--while also developing characters whose heartbreaking struggles and emotional triumphs resonate with readers long after the last page has been turned over. And he does this on his first try.

The Kite Runner follows the story of Amir, the privileged son of a wealthy businessman in Kabul, and Hassan, the son of Amir's father's servant. As children in the relatively stable Afghanistan of the early 1970s, the boys are inseparable. They spend idyllic days running kites and telling stories of mystical places and powerful warriors until an unspeakable event changes the nature of their relationship forever, and eventually cements their bond in ways neither boy could have ever predicted. Even after Amir and his father flee to America, Amir remains haunted by his cowardly actions and disloyalty. In part, it is these demons and the sometimes impossible quest for forgiveness that bring him back to his war-torn native land after it comes under Taliban rule. ("...I wondered if that was how forgiveness budded, not with the fanfare of epiphany, but with pain gathering its things, packing up, and slipping away unannounced in the middle of the night.")

Some of the plot's turns and twists may be somewhat implausible, but Hosseini has created characters that seem so real that one almost forgets that The Kite Runner is a novel and not a memoir. At a time when Afghanistan has been thrust into the forefront of America's collective consciousness ("people sipping lattes at Starbucks were talking about the battle for Kunduz"), Hosseini offers an honest, sometimes tragic, sometimes funny, but always heartfelt view of a fascinating land. Perhaps the only true flaw in this extraordinary novel is that it ends all too soon. --Gisele Toueg

Book Description

The timely and critically acclaimed debut novel that's becoming a word-of-mouth phenomenon...

Download Description

"Taking us from Afghanistan in the final days of the monarchy to the present, The Kite Runner is the unforgettable, 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 nonetheless 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, member of a shunned ethnic minority. Their intertwined lives, and their fates, reflect the eventual tragedy of the world around them. When the Soviets invade and 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, betrayal, and the price of loyalty. It is about the bonds between fathers and sons, and the power of their lies. Written against a 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 with the devastation, Khaled Hosseini also gives us hope: through the novel's faith in the power of reading and storytelling, and in the possibilities he shows for redemption."

Customer Reviews:

3 out of 5 stars Review of The Kite Runner.......2007-10-10

The plot line of this novel is AMAZING however the author chooses at times to bludgeon us with language at the moments when he should pull back and let the horror of what he's describing speak for itself. Especially at the conclusion whichis the coincidence of all coincidences - I almost ended the book early as the writing fell apart and was so melodramatic. Howver the descriptions of daily life are vivid and sensitive and I recommend the book for this alone.

4 out of 5 stars good book.......2007-10-09

i had to read this book back when i was in high school and i was really surprised to find this book to be good. I personally really like this book and finished reading it in no time. I don't know what it is, but this is one book you will always get mixed reviews. It all depends on what kind of books you like,There were some parts of the story that were overrated or unnecessary.

2 out of 5 stars Plot device after plot device after plot device.. .......2007-10-08

The Kite Runner isn't "brilliant" nor it is a "work of genius" Rather, quite simply, The Kite Runner is good story about a boy named Amir and his "friend" Hassan. Oh, and Amir's father, Baba, too. Oh, and Afghanistan.

After hearing rave reviews about this book for years, I decided to pick up a copy to read while between classes. What I found was nothing more than a story that perhaps would have been better if it were told around a campfire or when your Afghani uncle comes over for a visit. The writing style I could let slide - hey we're all not Hemingway. What I could not let slide, however, were the ridiculous plot devices that the author employed (and the 5-star reviewers call "brilliant") to "move" the story along..

Soon after I began reading, it became painfully obvious to me that the author is well aware, I mean WELL AWARE of the plot device known as "Chekhov's Shotgun" (which basically states that if there is a shotgun hanging on the wall in one scene, it had better be used in a later scene).. It is an amateur move and the more I read, the more and more frustrated I became by this and the other unbelievable predictable "twists" that kept popping up. Eventually, I had to put the book down and walk away for a while because I knew what was going to happen - we all knew what was going to happen.


All in all, plot twist, prediit is a good story. But I don't believe it to be worthy of the critical acclaim that it received when first released. Perhaps there is a feeling of guilt because it is about a country we are not occupying that led to so many jumping on board the "brilliant" bandwagon.. The narrator is an unlikable wimp and it was completely ridiculous to think for a second that he would suddenly "man up" and face Assef (or even go to Kabul for that matter). I say this only because we as readers "knew" him from birth and all throughout his life nothing gave any indication that he would have it in him to do what he did. Ugh. I feel as though I need something to cleanse my reading palate.

5 out of 5 stars It Involves Afghanistan .......2007-10-08

I read many books and write many Amazon reviews, but there's not much I can add that the previous 2,042 other reviewers have not already said. I picked up `The Kite Runner' a year ago at a used book sale for the local library, but put it on my stack of TBR's (to-be-read). Frankly, the gushing acclaim and high-powered publicity put me off the book (e.g. the back jacket has plugs from Diane Sawyer and People magazine, not sources I rely on for book suggestions). A debut novel getting that much praise put me on guard.

News of the movie adaptation's imminent release finally got me to give it a go. I finished less than 24 hours later. Few books grab this reader by the collar and demand absorption. `The Kite Runner' did and I simply can't recommend it highly enough.

I will skimp on a summary of the book - to paraphrase Woody Allen after speed-reading War and Peace, it involves Afghanistan. While Hosseini does wonderfully create a sense of place (or rather two Afghanistans separated by 25 years and a millennial view), this tale involves much more. `The Kite Runner' is a powerful roller-coaster of human drama: love, joy, hate, cruelty, fear, betrayal, abandonment, commitment, loyalty, pride, shame, happiness, pain. Hosseini delivers several powerful gut punches (perhaps not all of them entirely fair or necessary) along the way.

Tom Wolfe has commented that many good young writers only ever write one really good book because that first effort is largely autobiographical and they can only tell that's story once. Reviews of Hosseini's second book A Thousand Splendid Suns suggest he is the real deal.



3 out of 5 stars Read with Caution.......2007-10-07

I agree with the vast majority of reviewers that this is an excellent novel - unique, well-written, and haunting. There is no reason for me to reiterate the praises. I am writing this review simply to warn people with delicate sensibilities like mine to be forewarned before buying this book: the "terrible incident" everyone refers to is the brutal rape of a young boy by a pack of sociopathic, privileged teens. Perhaps because I am the mother of a young boy, I found the scene totally gut-wrenching and utterly horrible. I couldn't finish the book. So, my point is simple: don't read the book if you might be upset by a graphic description of the rape of a young, sweet boy.
Cometas En El Cielo / The Kite Runner
Average customer rating: Not rated
    Cometas En El Cielo / The Kite Runner
    Khaled Hosseini
    Manufacturer: Salamandra
    ProductGroup: Book
    Binding: Paperback

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    ASIN: 8478888470
    Bookclub-In-A-Box Discusses the Novel the Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini (Bookclub-in-a-Box)
    Average customer rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    • great purchase!
    • At first glance
    Bookclub-In-A-Box Discusses the Novel the Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini (Bookclub-in-a-Box)
    Marilyn Herbert
    Manufacturer: Bookclub-In-A-Box
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    ASIN: 1897082282

    Product Description

    The Kite Runner has the distinction of being the first English-language fiction written about Afghanistan, by Hosseini, a former Afghan doctor who fled his native country in 1980 as it became immersed in civil war. Bookclub-in-a-Box offers insight into the world so movingly described by Hosseini in his first novel. The novel tells of relationship of two boys who are born, live and play side by side, Yet there is no equality in their connection. Hosseini takes his story through three decades which includes Communism and Soviet occupation, as well as the arrival of the Mujahideen and the reign of terror that followed. Bookclub-in-a-Box reviews the following topics: An examination of the complex relationship of Amir and Hassan, especially juxtaposed against the political and cultural backdrop of their times. Through the relationship of the two boys with each other and with others, the reader will reflect on how those personal and political realities can be intertwined. There will be references to the concepts of master and bully . The images of the kite and the kite-runner are appropriate symbols for Afghanistan and will be considered in that light. Readers will be inspired to seek out other metaphors in this rich novel. Afghanistan has been forever changed by its different masters, for example, the Russians, the Taliban. Bookclub-in-a-Box will encourage the reader to examine the devastation of Afghanistan, as portrayed in the lives of the novel s characters, and to see and understand the kind of human suffering that occurred behind the newspaper headlines. Every Bookclub-in-a-Box discussion guide includes complete coverage of themes, symbols, writing style, as well as interesting and little known background information on the novel and the author.

    Customer Reviews:

    5 out of 5 stars great purchase!.......2007-09-06

    I teach THE KITE RUNNER TO 11th graders and this was a helpful guide in teaching the novel!

    5 out of 5 stars At first glance.......2007-01-09

    I have only glanced at this product but it is well organized. I am an English major and it seems the author goes into great detail to analyze the book in an easy to understand manner. I am looking forward to using this discussion kit while I am reading the novel and at my family book club meeting.
    In Search of the Kite Runner (Popular Insights)
    Average customer rating: 2 out of 5 stars
    • Popular insights
    In Search of the Kite Runner (Popular Insights)
    Judi Slayden Hayes
    Manufacturer: Chalice Press
    ProductGroup: Book
    Binding: Paperback

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    ASIN: 082723029X

    Book Description

    In Search of the Kite Runner looks at the basic themes that make The Kite Runner (Riverhead Books, 2003) such a fascinating and thought-provoking story. Written from a Christian perspective, In Search of the Kite Runner begins with the rudiments of Islamic faith and the Islam of Afghanistan. Hayes brings to light the complexities of interpersonal and intrafamily relationships and examines the impact that power, guilt, and the quest for forgiveness and redemption can have on our lives

    Customer Reviews:

    2 out of 5 stars Popular insights.......2007-08-31

    Not really what I thought it would be, not really needed after reading The Kite Runner unless you're doing a bit of research.
    Cambridge Wizard Student Guide The Kite Runner (Cambridge Wizard English Student Guides)
    Average customer rating: Not rated
      Cambridge Wizard Student Guide The Kite Runner (Cambridge Wizard English Student Guides)
      Sue Sherman
      Manufacturer: Cambridge University Press
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      ASIN: 0521682347

      Book Description

      The Kite Runner, by Afghanistan-born, American Khaled Hosseini, confronts readers with sometimes difficult truths and deep moral issues of loyalty, kinship and faith. Amir and Hassan are inseparable childhood friends in Afghanistan, though Amir is the son of a rich man and Hassan is a lower caste servant. Amir betrays his friend with catastrophic results, but years later he finds a way to redeem his guilt. Written by an experienced teacher, this guide offers you background notes on the writer and the events in Afghanistan, as well as on the genre, structure and style of the text. You are given a storyboard synopsis of the novel, then taken through it chapter by chapter, with key quotes highlighted and teacher explanations to draw out the sub text. To extend your understanding and interpretation, this guide also includes comprehensive notes on characters, themes, advice on writing an exam answer, and two full length A+ essays on the text.
      KITE RUNNER
      Average customer rating: 4 out of 5 stars
      • cried to the very last page
      • Great story
      KITE RUNNER

      Manufacturer: Riverhead Books
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      2. Book of the Dead (Kay Scarpetta, No. 15) Book of the Dead (Kay Scarpetta, No. 15)
      3. The Seat of the Soul The Seat of the Soul
      4. Middlesex: A Novel (Oprah's Book Club) Middlesex: A Novel (Oprah's Book Club)
      5. Into the Wild Into the Wild

      ASIN: B000HJG5XU

      Customer Reviews:

      4 out of 5 stars cried to the very last page.......2007-09-20

      It is rare to find a book that touches ones heart and turns on the floodgates. And even rarer to find a book that holds ones attention so completely that one is compelled to finish it irregardless of how long it takes.

      I was not sure what to expect and all I was told was that it's a really good read, hard to put down. I saw my husband tear constantly when he turned the pages during those many evenings and he said that it's been a really long time since he had come across such a good book - and he reads a lot.

      So, for the first quarter, it took me a week to get through it - being tired and all, as I read only during bedtime. But past the first quarter, when the first of many tragedies happened, I cried, I could not put the book down, and I proceeded to finish the book that very night. I cried all the way to the last page.

      For a glimpse into another world ... For the tragedy that only mankind can inflict on one another ...

      If you have not read it, I highly recommend this book.


      4 out of 5 stars Great story.......2007-09-19

      This is the first book I read by Hosseini. I wasn't sure what to expect, but after reading the reviews of the hardcover, I decided to buy it. It was a great read, although certain parts of the book were disturbing. I looked forward to my reading time every day to see what would happen next. I liked that it was situated in Afghanistan - not a typical setting for most books - and that the author maintained a good portion of realism and current events in the story. I felt as if the characters were real. I highly recommend this book for something different to read.
      2 Books - 1) - The Devil in the White City: Murder, Magic, and Madness at the Fair that Changed America / 2) - Return to Greatness: How America Lost Its Sense of Purpose and What It Needs to Do to Recover It (Unboxed Set of Books)
      Average customer rating: Not rated
        2 Books - 1) - The Devil in the White City: Murder, Magic, and Madness at the Fair that Changed America / 2) - Return to Greatness: How America Lost Its Sense of Purpose and What It Needs to Do to Recover It (Unboxed Set of Books)
        Alan Wolfe , Erik Larson , Alan Wolf , and Eric Larson
        Manufacturer: various
        ProductGroup: Book
        Binding: Paperback
        ASIN: B000WHLKIC

        Product Description

        2 Books - 1) - The Devil in the White City: Murder, Magic, and Madness at the Fair that Changed America / 2) - Return to Greatness: How America Lost Its Sense of Purpose and What It Needs to Do to Recover It, in either Hard or Softcover, (See Seller Condition Comments), Shipped in one package to save on shipping costs.
        Cometas en el cielo/ The Kite Runner
        Average customer rating: 5 out of 5 stars
        • A Powerful Story of Atonement and Redemption
        Cometas en el cielo/ The Kite Runner
        Khaled Hosseini
        Manufacturer: Juventud
        ProductGroup: Book
        Binding: Paperback

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        ASIN: 849838088X

        Customer Reviews:

        5 out of 5 stars A Powerful Story of Atonement and Redemption.......2007-05-22

        The reviews of The Kite Runner when it came out made me think I wouldn't like the book so I deliberately passed on it until now. I recently had the opportunity to read Khaled Hosseini's stunning second novel, A Thousand Splendid Suns, and realized that I had made a mistake by skipping The Kite Runner.

        Amir grows up in a male-dominated kind of Eden in his wealthy father's beautiful home in Kabul. His doting father loves to give him presents. There are two servants Ali and his son, Hassan, who make life pleasant. Amir and Hassan also enjoy a close friendship whose foundation is Hassan's tremendous loyalty. But there are cracks in Eden. Amir knows that his father doesn't really approve of him: Amir is a coward while his Baba is as brave as a lion. Amir's mother died in childbirth so there's little nurturing except from Baba's friend and business partner, Rahim Khan. Ali's wife and Hassan's mother, Sanaubar, ran off with a clan of traveling singers and dancers a week after Hassan was born. Both boys shared a wet nurse which helped make them feel closer. Ali and Hassan are Shi'a Muslims and ethnic Hazaras, two qualities that make them be viewed as worthy of only being servants by the powerful Pashtuns. To further emphasize their differences, Ali is crippled and Hassan has a hare lip. Amir loves books, but uses his learning to humble Hassan.

        But Amir thinks things are going well when his father hints that he thinks Amir can win the annual kite fighting festival, something his father did as a boy. Perhaps if Amir can win, his father will approve of him. With the talented help of Hassan, the greatest kite runner (helpful in getting kites into the sky and running down those that have but cut off from their string), Amir has high hopes. The day goes well until the very end when Hassan finds himself in trouble: Amir turns his back on his friend out of cowardice. Branded by that shameful memory, the close bond between the boys is broken.

        The book then takes Amir and his father to the United States to escape the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan. Amir adjusts to the new country better than Baba who wants to keep to the old ways.

        Many years later, the tranquility of Amir's life is unexpectedly shaken when a dying Rahim Khan calls on Amir to visit him in Pakistan. What Rahim Khan has to say will forever change Amir's life. In that message comes an opportunity to atone and gain redemption.

        This story is very powerful. You'll find yourself filled with strong emotions as you imagine what it is like to be Amir, Hassan, Baba, and Ali. While the story is based on modern Afghanistan, the lessons are much more universal than that.

        The plot is beautifully woven in ways that will surprise and delight you. It's hard to imagine how a first-time novelist could have been so deft. But having read A Thousand Splendid Suns, it's clear that Mr. Hosseini has staggering amounts of talent.

        So if reviews have discouraged you from reading this book, forget the reviews. Read The Kite Runner anyway. You'll be glad you did.

        Highly recommended.
        Kite Runner
        Average customer rating: Not rated
          Kite Runner

          Manufacturer: Tandem Library
          ProductGroup: Book
          Binding: Unknown Binding
          ASIN: 1417640391

          Books:

          1. A Wrinkle in Time
          2. Absence from Felicity : The Story of Helen Schucman and Her Scribing of A Course in Miracles
          3. Al Capone Does My Shirts
          4. Algebra and Trigonometry (2nd Edition) (Beecher/Penna/Bittinger Series)
          5. All Night Long: How to Make Love to a Man Over 50
          6. Angels & Demons
          7. At First Sight
          8. At Home in the Muddy Water: A Guide to Finding Peace Within Everyday Chaos
          9. Biology, Sixth Edition
          10. Bob Books Set 1-Beginning Readers

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