The Kite Runner audiobook vs book: which should you choose?
A boyhood friendship in Kabul, and a betrayal that follows Amir all the way to California. It leans to audio, with Khaled Hosseini reading his own novel.
Content note: sources list sexual violence and war in Afghanistan among the novel’s themes. This page does not describe them.
Listen on Audible
Listen to The Kite Runner for Khaled Hosseini reading his own novel: Audible’s Seth Hartman says his narration “adds yet another layer of context to the story”. Amir tells the story in the first person, and Kirkus says the Afghan names and words “are pronounced correctly”, so they settle easily as you listen. Kirkus did find his voice “inexpert”, so read it if a polished performance matters most.
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The audiobook at a glance
| Recording | UK edition, our verdict | US edition |
|---|---|---|
| Narrator | Khaled Hosseini | Khaled Hosseini |
| Length | 12 hours 1 minute (12h 1m), unabridged | 12 hours 1 minute (12h 1m), unabridged |
| At 1.5x | about 8h 1m | about 8h 1m |
| At 2x | about 6h 1m | about 6h 1m |
| Audio publisher and date | Simon & Schuster Audio, 1 August 2003 | Simon & Schuster Audio, 1 August 2003 |
| Audiobook price | £14.37 on Audible UK | $20.24 on Audible US |
| Kindle price | £6.67 on Amazon UK | Not listed |
| Bloomsbury paperback, 368 pages, 2018 (UK) | Riverhead hardcover, 368 pages, 2003 (US) | |
| Listener rating | Performance 4.74 from 2,404 ratings | Performance 4.68 from 15,196 ratings |
The unabridged Simon & Schuster recording read by Khaled Hosseini is sold on both stores at the same length, so the UK listing is the one scored.
A 6h 17m abridged version, also read by Hosseini, is listed but not scored. A Spanish recording, Cometas en el cielo, is read by Raúl Rodríguez. No other English unabridged recording or dramatisation was found. Ratings and prices checked 6 November 2026. Prices change often. US Kindle prices are left out, as Amazon only shows them to US visitors.
Lengths checked 6 November 2026. Speed times are calculated.
The Kite Runner
Khaled Hosseini
- Genre
- Literary fiction
- First published
- June 2003
- Length
- 368 pages (UK paperback)
- On audio
- 12 hrs 1 min, Khaled Hosseini
- On screen
- Film, 2007
On this page
Why we reached this verdict
Every book on this site is checked against the same thirteen questions. They are based on research into what most people find easier to follow in each format, not on whether the book is any good.
Checked, not a factor here (9)
Amir’s first-person story read by one narrator (7), the author’s own reading (6) and the Afghan names (3) give listening 16 points, while the criticised narration (5) gives reading 5. That puts it at 72%, leaning to audio.
Every book gets the same thirteen checks, set in advance. Verdicts are never paid for or influenced by affiliate links. Last edited 6 November 2026, and rechecked every year as editions and narrators change. Read the checks in full · Is listening the same as reading? See what the research says.
The recording in detail
- Scored
- Khaled Hosseini, Simon & Schuster Audio, 2003, 12h 1m, unabridged
- Critic review
- Audible’s Seth Hartman: Hosseini’s narration “adds yet another layer of context to the story”
- Alternatives
- Abridged edition, Khaled Hosseini (6h 17m), not scored
- What you miss
- Nothing we found. No source mentions a map, glossary or special layout
What this book actually is
The Kite Runner is Khaled Hosseini’s first novel. Amir, a boy from a wealthy Kabul family, grows up alongside Hassan, the son of the family’s servant, and a betrayal between them follows Amir to California. Amir tells the story himself, across almost 40 years and two countries.
Marc Forster’s film, from a screenplay by David Benioff, came out in December 2007, and Matthew Spangler’s stage version played on Broadway in 2022. The story is set against Afghanistan’s wars.
The case for reading it
Kirkus’s audiobook review is the case against listening: “In his inexpert voice, the point of view seems insipid and saccharine.” If a polished delivery matters to you, the page lets Hosseini’s writing speak for itself.
Otherwise little favours print. The Washington Post Book World describes “hard, spare prose”, and the story runs in order with one narrator. Reading does let you set your own pace through scenes the same review called “raw and excruciating to read”.
The case for listening to it
Khaled Hosseini reads his own novel. Seth Hartman of Audible says his narration “adds yet another layer of context to the story”, and Amir’s first-person account of his childhood in Kabul and his later life in California comes to you in its author’s voice.
The book is full of Afghan names and Farsi words, and Kirkus says that in this recording they “are pronounced correctly”, so they are easy to settle into by ear. Listeners rate his performance 4.74 on Audible UK, and the unabridged audiobook runs 12 hours.
The audiobook in detail
Khaled Hosseini reads the unabridged Simon & Schuster Audio recording, released on Audible on 1 August 2003, in 12 hours 1 minute. The same recording is sold on Audible UK and US.
A separate abridged version, also read by Hosseini, runs 6 hours 17 minutes, so check the length before you buy. No PDF comes with either English listing.
Who should ignore this verdict
If you want to hear Amir’s story in its author’s voice, with the Afghan names said properly, listen. If Kirkus’s view of his delivery puts you off, the book is an easy read too, with spare prose and a story told in order.
Kindle
- 368 pages (UK paperback)
- Set your own pace through the hardest scenes
- About 6 hours to read (our estimate)
Related verdicts
A Thousand Splendid Suns
Hosseini’s second novel, also set in Afghanistan.
The Finest Hotel in Kabul
Another Kabul book that leans to audio.
Demon Copperhead
A first-person coming-of-age story, better on audio.
A Little Life
Literary fiction with similarly hard content.
Pachinko
Family, displacement and migration across decades.
All the Light We Cannot See
Another long-running book club favourite.
Start hereHow we decide
The thirteen questions behind every verdict on this site.
Questions people ask
Who narrates The Kite Runner audiobook?
Khaled Hosseini reads The Kite Runner audiobook himself.
How long is The Kite Runner audiobook?
The unabridged audiobook is 12 hours 1 minute, about 8 hours 1 minute at 1.5x speed and 6 hours 1 minute at 2x (calculated).
Is The Kite Runner audiobook abridged?
The main audiobook is unabridged. A separate 6 hours 17 minutes abridged version, also read by Hosseini, is on sale too as of November 2026, so check the length before buying.
How many pages is The Kite Runner?
The current UK Bloomsbury paperback (ISBN 9781526604743) has 368 pages according to Hive and Open Library.
Is there a film of The Kite Runner?
Yes. Marc Forster directed the film, released in December 2007, from a screenplay by David Benioff.
Is there a stage play of The Kite Runner?
Yes. Matthew Spangler’s stage adaptation, first staged in 2007, played on Broadway at the Helen Hayes Theater in 2022.
Who tells the story in The Kite Runner?
Amir tells the story in the first person, looking back on his childhood in Kabul and his later life in California.
Is A Thousand Splendid Suns a sequel to The Kite Runner?
No. A Thousand Splendid Suns is Hosseini’s separate second novel, also set in Afghanistan, and its audiobook is read by Atossa Leoni rather than Hosseini.
Is there a Spanish audiobook of The Kite Runner?
Yes. Cometas en el cielo is read by Raúl Rodríguez and runs 13 hours 33 minutes.
Should I read or listen to The Kite Runner?
Listen. Khaled Hosseini reads his own first-person novel and says the Afghan names and words correctly, and the spare prose and story told in order are easy to follow by ear. Kirkus found his voice “inexpert”, so read it if that would put you off.
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