The Kite Runner

Hosseini's ability to reach the core of experiences of love and loss places him in the company of such fine chroniclers of the new America as Chang-rae Lee. The Kite Runner is a first novel of unusual generosity, honesty and compassion. * Guardian *
A devastating, masterful and painfully honest story ... It is a novel of great hidden intricacy and wisdom, like a timeless Eastern tale. It speaks the most harrowing truth about the power of evil * Daily Telegraph *
The shattering first novel by Khaled Hosseini ... a rich and soul-searching narrative ... a sharp, unforgettable taste of the trauma and tumult experienced by Afghanis as their country buckled * Observer *
But the play is a phenomenally powerful piece of theatre which for many people will portray Afghanistan in a totally new light * British Theatre Guide on Matthew Spangler's adaptation of 'The Kite Runner' *
An accomplished adaptation by Matthew Spangler ... This show, a European premiere, stands shoulder to shoulder with the best work in the regions and judging by the thronging auditorium ... [they have] a hit on [their] hands that deserves to travel the country beyond its scheduled stops of Brighton and Liverpool * Daily Telegraph on Matthew Spangler's adaptation of "The Kite Runner" *
Matthew Spangler’s dramatisation, worked on with Hosseini’s help and blessing, rightly seizes on the potent personal story at the heart of the novel: the tale of two boys, Amir and his father’s servant Hassan, brought up as near brothers in the same house. The staging traces their story simply and vivaciously * Financial Times on Matthew Spangler's adaptation of "The Kite Runner" *
An enthralling tale beautifully told, at once topical and emotionally resonant * Daily Telegraph on Matthew Spangler's adaptation of "The Kite Runner" *
Matthew Spangler's script . . . preserves Hosseini's sensitive portrait of a friendship marred by tribalism and betrayal. * Evening Standard on Matthew Spangler's adaptation of "The Kite Runner" *
Khaled Hosseini's 2003 novel [has] been transformed into a seriously good piece of storytelling theatre that takes flight just as the onstage kites do . . . This stage adaptation . . . is that rare and magnificent thing: a real sleeper hit . . . it feels in the tradition of War horse and could well be the best page-to-stage show since then . . . it has a similar integrity that speaks of a real commitment by its creative team to telling this story with an unforced economy that is also full of emotional weight. Matthew Spangler's adaptation offers a gripping portrait of two young lives that become inextricably linked. * Stage on Matthew Spangler's adaptation of "The Kite Runner" *
The touching story of the novel is carried on stage by the turbulent ups and downs, echoing the ducking and diving of a fighting kite that will come up winning. * Independent on Matthew Spangler's adaptation of "The Kite Runner" *
Adaptor Matthew Spangler has admirably condensed Hosseini's epic novel . . . there is no sense of constriction . . . Spangler skilfully balances the scenes in Asia with those of the Afghan refugees seeking to maintain their dignity and culture in the West. * Sunday Express on Matthew Spangler's adaptation of "The Kite Runner" *