The Kite Runner (#1)

Pages: 1-100

One thought: Let me just say "Wow."

Starting off pretty lighthearted with the air of easy childhood, the voice of Amir immediately hits you as a striking feature. Told from an older Amir's perspective looking back, the tone is decidedly more mature, but it doesn't fail at all in conveying any of the emotions of his child self. Running to a hill after school to eat pomegranates, carve names in the tree, and reading stories to his illiterate servant/friend. It's the matter-of-fact way that it's presented that makes you take a double-take. The culture of Amir's Afghan world is wildly foreign, but Amir's voice makes you feel like you have lived there with him for your whole life even as you click through Google search results on qurma and the like.

Amir's character is a very human one. Set against his foil character morally exemplary servant/friend Hassan, many of Amir's own shortcomings come to light. Taking advantage of others because he can, failing to save his friend because of his own cowardice, and feeling guilt, deep, wrenching, devastating guilt. We've all had at least one of these experiences before, and Amir's experiences and decisions remind us of ourselves. He's the poster boy for spoiled, ungrateful kids, but we get to see his other sides too, when he's vulnerable and vying for affection from his father. He's a well rounded character whose very being seems to be jumping out of the pages to commune with you.

There are many scenes that are really powerful. In a particular scene Amir, suffering from guilt of leaving Hassan when Hassan really needed him, deliberately throws a pomegranate at Hassan and yells at the ever loyal Hassan to hit him back. Amir wants Hassan to show that he's capable of hurting people too, and Amir wants Hassan to punish him for being a coward, even when Hassan does not know why. But, Hassan just stands there and takes it, and when Amir is done, he does what Amir asks, he hits Amir back by smashing a pomegranate on his own forehead, "red dripping down his face like blood"(93). You can feel the anguish that Amir is going through, and Hassan's uncanny way of making every one of his actions meaningful really adds a strong note to the scene.

The Kite Runner really makes you feel. You go through not only Amir's emotions but also Hassan's through their turbulent relationship. It really is amazing.

My rating of the book so far: 10/10

The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini (Begin!)

The Kite Runner
by Khaled Hosseini

First Thoughts: I have to admit, I have high expectations for this book. Everybody I know, really quite literally, everybody has been raving about this book. I have picked this picked this book up before, but I had other novels of my usual Fantasy/Sci-Fi stock waiting readily in my pile aslo. So, what did I do? Exactly what you think. I put it down after reading the first paragraph. Now, my reading choices really aren't strictly limited to Fantasy/Sci-Fi, but I really don't read books like The Kite Runner that often. Let's see how it goes!

Summer Reading #2 Fire Bringer by David Clement-Davies

Fire Bringer
by David Clement-Davies

Rannoch is born to a time when the herd is being subjected to a tyrannical rule, where the new Lord of the Herd will do anything to stay in power, even if that means killing anyone in his path. So, when Rannoch comes into the world with an oak-leaf shaped fawn-mark upon his brow, his foster mother fears for him. The mark is spoken of in an ancient prophecy, and the one who bears it will be a king. His foster mother knows that the Lord of the Herd would attempt to rid this new threat to his rule.

So, begins Rannoch’s journeys. As he grows up roaming between different places, trying to find where he can be safe, Rannoch encounters many tests of character and morals. He comes face-to-face with true evils like ignorance and prejudice. The prophecy unfolds, and Rannoch must live up to his destiny, or the Herla (deer) will fall into darkness.

Although the form the characters take—deer—may seem unlikely for such a tale, the author does an outstanding job keeping them deer-like while at the same time easy for the reader to connect to, much the same as with human characters. The many characters have a depth of character that make them seem very real, and Rannoch, the main character is as believable as he is unique.

The author’s writing style is a pleasure to read, as it is reminiscent of epic stories and ancient legends. An air of mysteriousness hangs around the plot even though what is going on is never really a problem to understand. What was really intriguing, though, was how the novel seemed to be reflecting upon our own world. Aspects of human nature, such as fanatic group mentality and power-hungriness are explored, and the ills of our own world unfold in this excellent tale.

Summer Reading #1 Fire by Kristin Cashore

Fire

by Kristin Cashore

For Fire, reading minds and controlling them is as regular as breathing comes to others. Her name comes from her flame-colored hair that is a result of her being a “monster,” the term for animals normal in all but color in the kingdom known as the Dells. Fire lives in a time where civil war is imminent and the king struggles to stay on the throne. As those loyal to the king race to attempt to stop war in its tracks before it strikes, Fire’s potential to help attracts the royal family’s attention...but Fire has problems of her own.

Fire’s extraordinary beauty and status as a monster make her stand out and many people either hate or love her too much. Between trying to divert attacks on her person and fending off overzealous men, Fire has to decide whether or not she should use her mental powers in the service of the royal family. Her father was also a monster and used his powers for his own pleasure, often hurting others. Fire’s strong feelings against harming others with her power leaves her torn in deciding whether she should use her abilities for interrogation as her duty to her country. Fire desperately tries to distance herself from any connection she might have to her father, which causes her to be in quite the moral quandary in making decisions. Her quest to find her own identity is subtle and goes hand-in-hand with her facing up to the truth of her past and eventual reconciliation with it.

Throughout the novel, the author weaves in snippets of Fire’s past, gradually revealing the truth about her father and his importance in the Dell’s history as well as Fire’s own. It symbolizes Fire’s own journey in discovering who she really is and to really embrace her identity, growing into true adulthood. True to the saying that “actions speak louder than words,” the author does a wonderful job of allowing Fire’s interactions with supporting characters to develop Fire’s character steadily throughout the book until it’s really hard to think of her as anything but a real, living person.

Of course, Fire, like any other novel, contains romance. Fire’s love life is an exceptionally turbulent one. A childhood friend desperately wants her hand in marriage, but Fire declines every time, wishing their relationship to stay as very good friends. However, Fire meets Prince Brigan, and everything about their interactions show that they’re incredibly incompatible. But, Kristin Cashore’s way with subtlety allows a very believable romance to develop between them. It’s this kind of careful, deliberate development in the whole work that allows Fire to be an exceptional read, full of intricate plot elements and conflicts, strong characters, and just a wonderful writing style.

With regards to it being the prequel of Graceling and the second novel Kristin Cashore has written, Fire is an incredible book. It surpasses Graceling, which is quite astonishing, as Graceling is quite the read as well. Kristin Cashore has really outdone herself with Fire, and anyone, not even fantasy fans, should really appreciate this extraordinary novel.

Hi!

Hi! This is my Independent Reading blog for English class. :)