- Joined
- Feb 11, 2005
- Messages
- 43,746
- Reaction score
- 8,652
- Location
- Los Angeles
- Website
- www.amazon.com
I truly enjoyed the book and thought it was generally well written and deserved to be on every bestseller list.
Is it a perfect book? No. The first half of the book is wonderful, full of nostalgia and sadness, angst and regrets. The mid-book, however, drags and the story goes no where -- it's also not very believable, and the characters somewhat stereotypical. The climax is rather melodramatic, and I find it borderline homophobic. But the ending. I found it very poignant, especially the last chapter.
It's a book that came out at the right time, at the right place. A novel about Afghanistan and an Afghan-American that came out in 2002. Can't get better timing than that.
Hosseini has a fluid, lyrical style. Sometimes his prose is a little flowery. But I really like his poetic use of the language. I do feel that the first half of his book is the best. The mid-book falters. Then it picks up nicely and becomes so riveting when the main character returns to Afghanistan to confront his past and demons. Then it drags again, until the author ends the book on a high note with a poignant last chapter.
His characters, especially Amir and Hassan, are wonderfully developed. The first person narrator, Amir, appears to be rather unlikable, but it is a story about redemption. However, Amir's voice is so affecting that I can't help but want to go along and see how he turns out. The settings, especially in Afghanistan, are exquisite. A good book should put you right in that environment and make you care about what happen to the people. Hassan breaks my heart. I would LOVE to have a Hassan in my life. There are certain parts of the story that put a lump in my throat.
Is the story manipulative? Probably. Did I feel the emotional punches the author threw at me? You bet.
(A movie is current in the making)
Is it a perfect book? No. The first half of the book is wonderful, full of nostalgia and sadness, angst and regrets. The mid-book, however, drags and the story goes no where -- it's also not very believable, and the characters somewhat stereotypical. The climax is rather melodramatic, and I find it borderline homophobic. But the ending. I found it very poignant, especially the last chapter.
It's a book that came out at the right time, at the right place. A novel about Afghanistan and an Afghan-American that came out in 2002. Can't get better timing than that.
Hosseini has a fluid, lyrical style. Sometimes his prose is a little flowery. But I really like his poetic use of the language. I do feel that the first half of his book is the best. The mid-book falters. Then it picks up nicely and becomes so riveting when the main character returns to Afghanistan to confront his past and demons. Then it drags again, until the author ends the book on a high note with a poignant last chapter.
His characters, especially Amir and Hassan, are wonderfully developed. The first person narrator, Amir, appears to be rather unlikable, but it is a story about redemption. However, Amir's voice is so affecting that I can't help but want to go along and see how he turns out. The settings, especially in Afghanistan, are exquisite. A good book should put you right in that environment and make you care about what happen to the people. Hassan breaks my heart. I would LOVE to have a Hassan in my life. There are certain parts of the story that put a lump in my throat.
Is the story manipulative? Probably. Did I feel the emotional punches the author threw at me? You bet.
(A movie is current in the making)