The Kite Runner cover art

The Kite Runner

 Preview
Try Premium Plus free
1 credit a month to buy any audiobook in our entire collection.
Access to thousands of additional audiobooks and Originals from the Plus Catalogue.
Member-only deals & discounts.
Auto-renews at $16.45/mo after 30 days. Cancel anytime.

The Kite Runner

By: Khaled Hosseini
Narrated by: Khaled Hosseini
Try Premium Plus free

$16.45 per month after 30 days. Cancel anytime.

Buy Now for $26.99

Buy Now for $26.99

About this listen

 Taking us from Afghanistan in the final days of its monarchy to the present, The Kite Runner is the unforgettable and 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 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 - a shunned ethnic minority. Their intertwined lives, and their fates, reflect the eventual tragedy of the world around them. When 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.

The Kite Runner is a novel about friendship and betrayal, and about the price of loyalty. It is about the bonds between fathers and sons, and the power of fathers over sons - their love, their sacrifices, and their lies. Written against a backdrop of history that has not been told in fiction before, The Kite Runner describes the rich culture and beauty of a land in the process of being destroyed. But through the devastation, Khaled Hosseini offers hope for redemption.

©2003 Khaled Hosseini (P)2003 Simon & Schuster Inc. All Rights Reserved. AUDIOWORKS. is an imprint of Simon & Schuster Audio Division. Simon & Schuster Inc. Fiction Genre Fiction Historical Fiction Islamic Heritage Literary Fiction Political War & Military Tear-jerking Heartfelt Inspiring Scary Thought-Provoking Friendship Middle East

Critic Reviews

  • Alex Award Winner, 2004

"A beautiful novel...ranks among the best-written and most provocative stories of the year." (The Denver Post)
"Powerful first novel...tells a story of fierce cruelty and fierce yet redeeming love." (The New York Times)
All stars
Most relevant  
An exceptional and moving tale. One that stays with you long after you've read it. A real gem.

Author does a very fine job of narrating also.

Excellent

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
This book will take you on a rollercoaster of emotions while providing an insight into the life of a young Afghani child. Amazingly written with a back drop to a world truly undiscovered in the Western World. It will make you laugh and cry in and instant

An Amazing Story

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
This was such a beautifully written book. So emotional. I cried a lot and enjoyed it so much.

Incredible

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
After listening to this it has gone on my must read list when recommending books.
When I heard the audio sample I wasn't sure if I was going to connect with the authors voice, but it couldn't of been read by anyone better. Completely ties everything together perfectly.
Some really hard themes in the book but the story is brilliant and I felt enriched after finishing it.

A must read

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
This is a gripping and harrowing insight into the plight of growing and living in Afghanistan at the end of the 20th century.

Fantastic story

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
What a story! I have not been so moved by a novel for a long, long time. An extraordinary insight into a culture and life that is so far from anything I have ever known or experienced. Beautifully written and authentically narrated.

Profound, emotional, poignant.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
So many emotional heart pulls. Sometimes l had to stop the audio and collect my thoughts

So gripping and emotional

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
Learn alot about history and Afghanistan before what we see today . Tragic and beautiful. Hard to put down. Wish he wrote more books!

Such an Amazing book

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
I absolutely loved this book. It made me cry as I get to think of my country where I live a far now. It is beautifully written.

Beautiful and sad

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
the best book I've listened to (read) in YEARS!! I was captivated throughout the whole book. So emotional and heart-warming. I did not want this book to end.

you won't regret reading this

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
See more reviews
In the spirit of reconciliation, Audible acknowledges the Traditional Custodians of country throughout Australia and their connections to land, sea and community. We pay our respect to their elders past and present and extend that respect to all Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples today.