THE KITE RUNNER

Over five years on the New York Times bestseller list, and published in 55 different languages.

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.

A Thousand Splendid Suns is a breathtaking story set against the volatile events of Afghanistan’s last thirty years—from the Soviet invasion to the reign of the Taliban to the post-Taliban rebuilding—that puts the violence, fear, hope, and faith of this country in intimate, human terms. It is a tale of two generations of characters brought jarringly together by the tragic sweep of war, where personal lives—the struggle to survive, raise a family, find happiness—are inextricable from the history playing out around them.

Propelled by the same storytelling instinct that made The Kite Runner a beloved classic, A Thousand Splendid Suns is at once a remarkable chronicle of three decades of Afghan history and a deeply moving account of family and friendship. It is a striking, heart-wrenching novel of an unforgiving time, an unlikely friendship, and an indestructible love—a stunning accomplishment

Reader Reviews

Haider Ali

(5/5)

Apr 20, 2024

Khaled such a beautiful description of Afg nd u can realise how tough country tht is specially for women. In splendid suns he narrates story of laliaa and maryam such a terrific style of writing

Ágnes Geréb

Can anybody offer me something similar? I mean Middle Eastern and its surrounding countries war/conflict related literature. I have heard about some but I would like to hear personal suggestions.And about the books, I am speachless. It has been a long time since I read a book that brought so many emotions out of me.

Jess the Shelf-Declared Bibliophile

Check out my reviews for each book listed on their individual pages.

Joy

A Thousand Splendid Suns was such an eye opener about women and how they are treated in Afghanistan. I would encourage all women to read this for a better understanding of women in other countries. So sad how a lie and war can change lives.

Karen

(4/5)

The Kite Runner's 384 pages turned quickly. It's a father-son story, as oppposed to A Thousand Splendid Suns' 384 pages which provide a voice of hope for the women of Afhganistan. Both of these protagonists suffer, suffer, suffer. A Thousand Splendid Suns provides a much darker tale.

Kate

(3/5)

I had mixed feelings about The Kite Runner. It tells the story of two best friends, and the aftermath of a horrible incident with one. While the book is very well written and provides some insight into the history of Afghanistan, the main character inspires no sympathy, and is a very training reading. A Thousand Splendid Suns on the other hand is one of the best books I have read. It is about two women whose lives are forever binded when they are forced to marry a brutish man. From the beginning...

The_faodail.tale

THE THOUSAND SPLENDID SUNS! Best book ever read! :) The letter at end of the story will make one weep. "Fate"- It's a thing no one can change.Real love- It's a thing no one can take away from you.Life and fate cannot be changed. It's the way you see life to be changed. Once you realize this, all happiness and all your dreams will shower upon you vanishing the hardships. kudos to the author! Great book!

Prabhjot Kaur

These are both powerful reads. Both these books chronicle different characters through peaceful Afghanistan to war torn country. I have read and re-read these books few times. These reads are as heart-wrenching to read the second or the third time as they are the first time. Khaled Hosseini is an amazing author. His writing is profound as well as simple at the same time. 5 amazing stars

Elaine

I read the hard-backed version I borrowed from the library. Though painful to absorb its stories of cruelty to ordinary people from oppressive regimes, I appreciated the personal story of guilt and the search for forgiveness. Also insightful, is the view of the Afghan immigrant in northern California.

Monika Rashid

After reading this book I actually started understanding and respecting my mother , or may be my grandmother more and more! I must say that the author could see through the heart of these women very honestly! His women are so real, the society is so very much true... A very much worth read.

Helen

I read these books some time ago, around the time first published and loved them. I think I'd like to read A Thousand Setting Suns again. The lives of Muslim women are so compelling, so miserably different than American women that I find I want to know more.

Marcy

I loved both books with all my heart! Both reads are quite psychological from the point of view of several characters within each story.

Betty Strohecker

Continuing in the vein of The Kite Runner, A Thousand Splendid Suns relays another of what must be many horrifying stories of the struggle to survive in Afghanistan after the monarchy. It tells in detail about the Soviet takeover and then that of the Taliban, as everyday people try to live in the violence and destruction that surround them. Amidst degradation and suffering, there is a triumph of the human spirit, as two women from different generations bond to support and care for each other. Un...

Koushiki Bhattacharjee

THE THOUSAND SPLENDID SUNS BYKHALED HOSSEINI “Like a compass needle that points north, a man's accusing finger always finds a woman. Always." ~The Thousand Splendid Suns I do cry while reading sad books and watching any emotional scene in a movie but this time I cried hard. I wonder how the authors write, do they cry? Khaled Hosseini- Khaled Hosseini is an Afghan-American novelist, physician, activist, humanitarian and UNHCR goodwill ambassador. After graduating from college, he worked as a doct...

Sanchalika Das

A devastating masterful and painfully honest story of life crippled by an act of childhood and cowardice and cruelty. It speaks the harrowing truth about the power of evil, personal and political, and intoxicates, like a high-flying kite, with the power of hope.The kite runner is based in a war torn Afghanistan. Story of two friends, Hassan and Amir, Hassan the devoted, loyal, honest one and Amir the one rooted in unsure grounds, with a conflicted soul.The book makes you see Afghanistan as more

Mohit

The kite runner, a masterpiece by Khaled Hosseini.it is written in such a way that you'll feel like sitting in a theater and different scene are running in front of your eyes. Writing skill was really adorable. This book took you to the ground reality. Several times it's a breathtaking. After all **LIFE GOES ON**

Lisa Billingham

Wow. Such an emotional, heartbreaking read. This book really made me grateful for everything and everyone I have in my life. I was gobsmacked by the situations the characters faced in this novel during the war in Afghanistan. Even though it was heartbreaking it was such a gripping book to read. Thank you Khaled Hosseini.

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The Kite Runner & A Thousand Splendid Suns

The Kite Runner & A Thousand Splendid Suns

The Kite Runner & A Thousand Splendid Suns

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Reader Reviews