I'm going to try to start it soon, maybe this weekend.
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March 2022 book of the month club - The Kite Runner
- Thread starter rubysmama
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I have. I might try to finish it this weekend.
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Library says about 10 weeks (requested March 3), so guess I won't be getting it in time to join you guys.
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- #27
No, guess not. Though sometimes the wait times go faster than they say, but not *that* fast.
If you do read it, you can always come back and tell us what you thought of it. Just don't read this thread after March 21st, as we start the discussion on the 22nd, and there will likely be spoilers.
I do want to read it, if it ever does show up. They have the graphic novel available.
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I had the graphic novel on hold too, when I wasn't sure if the e-book would show up in time. It would probably tell the story fine, but would also spoil things, which might ruin the reading of the book.
Although, I *did* actually get spoiled on a couple things, and I'm still enjoying reading the book.
I did get the graphic novel accidentally thinking it was the book, but I believe Id rather wait for the book.
I'm halfway through The Kite Runner having started at the beginning of the month - I read just before bed alongside the other books I've read during the day.
I finished it today. I'll save my thoughts for discussion though. 
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- #33
I finished it a couple of days ago. Had to make notes or come discussion time my mind would be blank.
Sorry, I forgot to watch this thread but ....... I finished the book - 3 days ago. In spite of not wanting to read it at all (after reading A Thousand Splendid Suns) and deciding more than once that "This book is not for me - I can't bear to read any more").
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Time to post reviews and discuss what we thought of The Kite Runner. Since I've already written mine, I'll post first.
I finished this book a week ago, and wrote this review the next morning, while thoughts were still fresh in my mind.
My first thoughts, as I read this book, was how similar some parts of the story were to what is currently happening in Ukraine. It also reminded me of a biography I’d read, written by a refuge whose family had to flee Syria. So sad that history keeps repeating itself.
Back to The Kite Runner, when we were pondering making this a book club choice, I scanned some reviews and Q&A’s, and unfortunately read 2 very large spoilers – the rape of Hassan, and the revelation that Baba was the father of both boys. I’m sure knowing those details made a difference in how I perceived the book. I think I was actually glad I knew about the rape, so I was prepared for it. But would have liked to have seen if I would have suspected the boys were brothers or not, based on what I read. So curious to see if others figured it out, or not.
I found the first part of the book a strange read, as it’s not often the narrator is such an unlikable character. I know he was just a young boy, but Amir really wasn’t very nice. Once they escaped Afghanistan, and he got away from his past, it was easier to care about him and his life. And I really enjoyed the parts in San Francisco. Once he returned to Afghanistan, naturally things got dark again, and I was just so grateful that poor Sohrab didn’t die, and hope that eventually he had a happy life in the US.
The violent scenes in the book, though not overly excessive, were extremely disturbing. I had to skip the paragraphs near the beginning when he talked about killing the sheep. And skipped several pages during the part when he was at the arena. I just knew I didn’t want any of those descriptions stuck in my head.
Everything about the kite flying was fascinating to me. I had no idea that flying kites wasn’t just for fun, and that there were competitions to bring down an opponent’s kite, and that then kite runners would try to catch the cut kite. So that was all new to me.
This was obviously not a light read, but I am glad I read it. Because of the subject matter, it’s not an easy book to rate, however, due to how well it was written, I’d give it 3.5 out of 5 stars.
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I first read this book about 15 years ago, thoroughly enjoyed it and thought I remembered most of the story. What a surprise to find it was completely different than I remembered. I enjoyed it as much the second time around though.
As you say
rubysmama
, so sad that history repeats itself and we dont learn from previous mistakes.
I enjoyed reading about the kite running, coating the string with fine glass to cut the other kites and the prize of collecting the fallen kites, Hassan certainly had that down to a fine art. I also enjoyed the language, customs, not all savoury and found it amusing when Amir was surprised to find that John Wayne and Charles Bronson were not Iranian.
I loved the character of Hassan, his kindness, innocence and forgiving nature but found Amir had a nasty side to him and felt himself superior, all at a young age. It gave me insight into the different attitudes to class where money dictated how you are seen.
Amir was so desperate to earn the respect of his father, it was sad but I got to dislike him because of his lack of loyalty and cowardice. The more I read about the young Amir, the more I disliked him for the way he treated Hassan who's loyalty was unbreakable to the end.
Life in the US was completely different for Amir and Baba, the latter finding it hard to adjust. Enjoyed the description of asking for the hand of Soraya and the traditional ceremony.
The journey back to Kabul for Amir was a reality check for him. I found parts difficult to read, the sheer brutality and knowing they were not fictitious, a hard country with some hard unforgiving people.
What a sad start to life Sohrab had, losing both his parents, that terrible orphanage then having to live with the detestable Assif, a cruel man through and through. I'm so glad Amir decided to take him back to America and adopt him, he redeemed himself a little in my eyes. I would have liked the story to have ended on a more positive note, telling the readers that Sohrab settled, adjusted and was accepted into his new life with a family member and was happy. For me it ended with possibility not probability.
i give this book
As you say
rubysmama
, so sad that history repeats itself and we dont learn from previous mistakes.I enjoyed reading about the kite running, coating the string with fine glass to cut the other kites and the prize of collecting the fallen kites, Hassan certainly had that down to a fine art. I also enjoyed the language, customs, not all savoury and found it amusing when Amir was surprised to find that John Wayne and Charles Bronson were not Iranian.
I loved the character of Hassan, his kindness, innocence and forgiving nature but found Amir had a nasty side to him and felt himself superior, all at a young age. It gave me insight into the different attitudes to class where money dictated how you are seen.
Amir was so desperate to earn the respect of his father, it was sad but I got to dislike him because of his lack of loyalty and cowardice. The more I read about the young Amir, the more I disliked him for the way he treated Hassan who's loyalty was unbreakable to the end.
Life in the US was completely different for Amir and Baba, the latter finding it hard to adjust. Enjoyed the description of asking for the hand of Soraya and the traditional ceremony.
The journey back to Kabul for Amir was a reality check for him. I found parts difficult to read, the sheer brutality and knowing they were not fictitious, a hard country with some hard unforgiving people.
What a sad start to life Sohrab had, losing both his parents, that terrible orphanage then having to live with the detestable Assif, a cruel man through and through. I'm so glad Amir decided to take him back to America and adopt him, he redeemed himself a little in my eyes. I would have liked the story to have ended on a more positive note, telling the readers that Sohrab settled, adjusted and was accepted into his new life with a family member and was happy. For me it ended with possibility not probability.
i give this book
I am still not sure about this book at all. I found the behaviour of Amir so detestable that I almost gave up reading any further. But as in the case of "A Thousand Splendid Suns", this story was written along the lines of "How to write a best seller!" so effect is all important. If Amir had been describing his behaviour while still a child, he would probably have thought it fairly natural to mistreat servants, and people from a lower pecking order. Hassan was a willing victim. Unfortunately this attitude is still found everywhere in the world, even today. So, Amir's story is told as if he was completely out of context, the brutal "older brother" when in fact he was weak, unhappy and very insecure. Perhaps, Hassan sensed this side of him. But, for the sake of a good drama, Amir is detestable and the two are separated, thanks to the calculating Amir.
The next part of the story, is really good storytelling. Amir is growing up in San Francisco - no longer lord of the manor - buying secondhand stuff and selling at a flea market; father/son relationship developing; Amir meeting his charming wife and her family.
But, then things start to go hairwire and we're back to the "How to write a bestseller"-modus. Every 50 or so pages there's a new disaster, horror, disappointment and, let's not forget, the fight - good enough for any Dan Brown fantasy or James Bond film! If you like that sort of thing, it's a good book.
But, what I found most disconcerting, more so when the 2 books were first released, was the timescale. They were not historic novels. These things were happening in the present day. Women were being raped, men mutilated, thousands murdered, and many were fleeing for their lives to Pakistan and someone wrote a story - a piece of fiction to make money - a new horrfic action every 50 or so pages! It felt wrong. When I read "A Thousand Splendid Suns" one of my German colleagues in a European project was actually working in Kabul - trying to improve the energy supply. I lost touch with him - and can only hope he survived.
I guessed that something had been going on between Babi and Hassan's mother, when his own wife died. But although it occurred to me that he could have been Hassan's father, Hassan's appearance seemed to discount this theory.
The next part of the story, is really good storytelling. Amir is growing up in San Francisco - no longer lord of the manor - buying secondhand stuff and selling at a flea market; father/son relationship developing; Amir meeting his charming wife and her family.
But, then things start to go hairwire and we're back to the "How to write a bestseller"-modus. Every 50 or so pages there's a new disaster, horror, disappointment and, let's not forget, the fight - good enough for any Dan Brown fantasy or James Bond film! If you like that sort of thing, it's a good book.
But, what I found most disconcerting, more so when the 2 books were first released, was the timescale. They were not historic novels. These things were happening in the present day. Women were being raped, men mutilated, thousands murdered, and many were fleeing for their lives to Pakistan and someone wrote a story - a piece of fiction to make money - a new horrfic action every 50 or so pages! It felt wrong. When I read "A Thousand Splendid Suns" one of my German colleagues in a European project was actually working in Kabul - trying to improve the energy supply. I lost touch with him - and can only hope he survived.
I guessed that something had been going on between Babi and Hassan's mother, when his own wife died. But although it occurred to me that he could have been Hassan's father, Hassan's appearance seemed to discount this theory.
That was amusing - though, as a young child, not yet knowing anything about films and actors, I thought that all famous musicians, scientists and authors who I'd heard about were English (not even British, let alone German, Danish or American). Shame on me!
