#8 in Literary fiction
The Kite Runner
- 371
- Pages
- about 7 h
- Reading time
- NYT bestseller · 0 weeks on the list
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Our view
This novel is as cruel as it is lovely, and it does not let its reader off lightly. The story is one of friendship, betrayal and atonement in an Afghanistan in upheaval, with the hold fathers have over their sons at its core. It is tense as well as sad, so choose your moment. For those who want a novel that truly hurts, this is a reliable choice.
Worth knowing Khaled Hosseini, a physician in California, wrote his first novel in the early mornings before work, and it came out in 2003. It follows Amir from 1970s Kabul through the Soviet invasion and Taliban rule to his life in the United States. Readers should know that a scene of sexual violence against a child is central to the plot. Marc Forster filmed it in 2007.
The view of the BookRank editors, written from readers’ ratings and comments. It does not affect the score or the book’s place in a ranking.
About the book
"Caught in the tragic sweep of history, The Kite Runner transports readers to Afghanistan at a tense and crucial moment of change and destruction. A powerful story of friendship, it is also about the power of reading, the price of betrayal, and the possibility of redemption; and an exploration of the power of fathers over sons—their love, their sacrifices, their lies. Since its publication in 2003 Kite Runner has become a beloved, one-of-a-kind classic of contemporary literature, touching millions of readers, and launching the career of one of America's most treasured writers."-- Provided by Amazon
Where the score comes from
The sources average 8.3 across 2,436 ratings. With that many, the reader vote carries 94% of the weight and the score stays at 8.3 — the Literary fiction average of 8.1 barely moves it.
| Source | Average | Ratings | Weight |
|---|---|---|---|
| Open Library | 8.2 | 140 | 6% |
| Hardcover | 8.3 | 2.3K | 94% |
Frequently asked
How long is The Kite Runner?
It has 371 pages — shorter than 67% of the ranked books in Literary fiction.
In this book
Themes this book shares with others — each leads to the best books on it.
If you liked this
Same shelf — Literary fiction — with scores between 7.8 and 8.7, closest to this book.
