When skimming through the book list and deciding what to read, I came across a couple books that I wanted to do my comparative assignment on. I contemplated choosing Memoirs of a Geisha, The Time Traveller's Wife, No Country For Old Men and The Kite Runner. I wanted a book that would be moving, compelling, and that I would have trouble putting down. That's when I made my decision to read The Kite Runner. It has a large appeal to me for a variety of reasons. Not only is it a world renowned fictional novel , but it also reveals the truths of friendship and life.
Since I have already seen the movie, I am aware of the major themes within the novel and I couldn't be more excited to start reading it. Last year in my 4U english class, we read A Thousand Splendid Suns, also by Khaled Hosseini. I fell in love with it right away and I'm sure The Kite Runner will be a great read for me as well. Khaled Hosseini does a great job connecting the reader to the characters. Throughout all of A Thousand Splendid Suns, I got so attached to Leila and Mariam and often felt the emotions that they felt. If they were going through a difficult time, I found myself upset for them. When they were happy, I was happy as well. I love feeling so close to the characters; it shows what a great author Hosseini is.
I also chose this novel because I loved the movie, and I'm glad I have a reason to go rent it again, or possibly buy it. It sounds ridiculous, but I like the movies that make me cry the most, and during this movie I definitely did. It's not only a tragic story, but I can also relate to Hassan being abandoned by Amir and I'm sure that contributed to the tears.
I also like the self reflecting aspect of this novel, and how the whole novel is almost a flashback.
"I looked up at those twin kites. I thought about Hassan. Thought about Baba. Ali. Kabul. I thought of the life I had lived until the winter of 1975 came along and changed everything. And made me what I am today." (Hosseini, 2)
This is the assignment that I'm looking forward to the most this year. I have very high expectations for this novel, and I'm sure it will meet every one of them.
Important Dates:
1st section: pages 1 to 131 by Friday, March 11th
2nd section: pages 132 to 254 by Friday, April 1st
3rd section: pages 255 to 391 by Friday, April 15th
Hosseini, Khaled. The Kite Runner. Anchor Canada Edition. Canada: Anchor Canada, 2003. Print.
Emily! I happened upon this through Regan's blog! You never actually sent me the URL!!!
ReplyDeleteGreat reasons for choosing the book. I am always very happy to hear that students enjoy "A Thousand Splendid Suns" so much and "The Kite Runner" has similar appeal.
ReplyDeleteI liked the movie quite a lot but the book ... oh the book is always so much better and the emotional appeal is so much deeper. Enjoy the journey, I can't wait to read about your experience.
so you read a thousand splendid suns, is reading the kite runner giving you any more insight into the mind of Khaled Hosseini?
ReplyDeletei am curious to now because i have yet to read a thousand splendid suns and i chose this book for the same reason you chose the kite runner.
i hope to share further ideas with you in the future.
Ya it's a great book. It's different because it's about two women instead of boys, and both of the women's stories are different. It flips back to one another and explains each of their lives seperately.
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