"A moving portrait of modern Afghanistan." --Entertainment Weekly

"This powerful first novel ... tells a story of fierce cruelty and fierce yet redeeming love. Both transform the life of Amir, Khaled Hosseini's privileged young narrator, who comes of age during the last peaceful days of the monarchy, just before his country's revolution and its invasion by Russian forces. But political events, even as dramatic as the ones that are present in The Kite Runner, are only a part of this story. In The Kite Runner, Hhaled Hosseini gives us a vivid and engaging story that reminds us how long his people have been struggling to triumph over the forces of violence--forces that continue to threaten them even today." --The New York Times Book Review

"A powerful book ... no frills, no nonsense, just hard, spare prose ... an intimate account of family and friendship, betrayal and salvation that requires no atlas or translation to engage and enlighten us. Parts of The Kite Runner are raw and excruciating to read, yet the book in its entirety is lovingly written." -- The Washington Post Book World