Kim is an outstanding classic of youth literature. It is not only suitable for any child old enough to embark on the Harry Potter series but also has much to offer to please the adult reader.

Kim presents the concept to the young reader that one's language, culture, and religion are determined by birth. Failing to invest the time in learning the languages of the people one lives with or informing oneself about their religions is incorrect not only in practical aspects but also in spiritual terms.

Kipling, as an author, sometimes appears rather smug when he tells the reader that he comprehends the Hindu, Jain, and Muslim religions. On the other hand, he seems to have a very genuine admiration for Buddhist spirituality. He leaves his young reader pondering at the end of the book whether it would be better to follow Christ or seek the inner Buddha.

What Kim severely lacks is supporting material from the editor. The value of this book for the young reader would be significantly enhanced with notes and one or more introductory essays that clarify the chief religious concepts discussed by Kipling, as well as an explanation of what the "Great Game" is (i.e., the political challenges in what is now Pakistan and Afghanistan that Britain was contending with at the end of the 19th century and which serve as the backdrop for the events in "Kim").

This additional material would provide a more comprehensive understanding of the story and its context, enabling the reader to engage more deeply with the themes and ideas presented in the book.

Not my cup of Indian tea (masala)!!

Indian tea, especially the masala variety, is known for its rich and bold flavors. However, it just doesn't seem to be to my taste. The combination of spices like cardamom, cinnamon, and cloves, while perhaps delightful to many, leaves me feeling a bit overwhelmed.

Maybe it's because I'm more accustomed to the subtler flavors of other types of tea. Or perhaps it's the strong aroma of the masala that throws me off. Whatever the reason, every time I try a cup of Indian masala tea, I find myself disappointed.

Don't get me wrong, I appreciate the cultural significance and popularity of this beverage. It's just that when it comes to my personal tea preferences, Indian masala tea is simply not my cup of tea. I'll stick to my tried and true favorites and leave the masala tea to those who truly love it.

This is undoubtedly one of the classics. I had a great affection for certain aspects of it. The portrayal of some of the characters was truly remarkable, and it vividly evoked the tumultuous life in specific regions of India during that era. Composed right at the dawn of the 20th century, Kipling masterfully captures the journey of the extraordinary boy Kim as he comes of age. His shrewdness and intelligence are on full display, intertwined with his insatiable need for adventure and a sense of belonging. Told in an episodic manner, it has its moments of confusion and can be overly detailed at times. However, at other instances, it becomes extremely absorbing, drawing the reader in and keeping them hooked until the very end.

# Retovictorianspirits de la cuenta @victorianspiritsblog, premisa "Un libro ambientado en la India"

Published in 1901, "Kim" tells the adventures of a cunning orphan who grows up on the streets of Lahore (present-day Pakistan) during the height of the Colonial India period. At first glance, he may seem like just another Indian boy, but Kim is actually a Sahib by birth, the son of an Irish soldier. And to add to the mystery surrounding his person, there is a prophecy that has weighed on him since birth, predicting a great destiny marked by war. This destiny seems to arrive when he becomes the Chela (disciple) of a Lama who is seeking a mystical river that will lead him to eternal enlightenment. During their journey across India, Kim will come into contact with his Anglo-Saxon heritage and become a piece in the Great Game, the hidden rivalry between the British and Russian empires in their struggle for control of Central Asia and the Caucasus.

I rate it three stars, but in reality, for me, the score would be 2.7. What has characterized the reading of "Kim" for me is how dense it has felt at many moments, especially towards the end. And how terribly contradictory my first encounter with the prose of Nobel Prize winner Rudyard Kipling has been. There are many small things that I didn't entirely like, but there is one thing that I really liked (and it's not the only thing I liked, let's be clear) and that for me has been the most enjoyable aspect of this book.

Let me start with what I liked. I can't fault Kipling as a narrator. His prose is very vivid and engaging, with a great and undeniable charm. What really surprised me about this reading was his excellent narrative touch and how quickly one progresses through the book, which is often quite enjoyable. Before I knew it, I was halfway through the book, and most of the time when I picked it up, I would devour many pages without realizing it. The pace is quite leisurely, but not slow at all. Hence, it is a rather enjoyable read. But what I absolutely fell in love with in this book was the way the author introduces us to the world of India. Both in terms of the British control during the colonial era and in terms of its customs and way of life. Kipling manages to transport the reader to a fascinating and complex culture, making them feel as if they are there in that very moment, with the colors coming to life before their eyes and the smells filling their noses. India is a world that contains a thousand and one microcosms, each very different from the others, and Kipling captures this perfectly in a completely vivid way. It is wonderful to see the great variety of people with such diverse customs, religions, and ways of life that you can encounter in just one stretch of the road or in a train carriage. The whole book is a celebration of the beauty and diversity of India, with absolutely graphic descriptions of the places that Kipling must have known, which are very subtle and not at all heavy or tiring.

Of course, there is an issue that inevitably looms over the modern reader when reading the work of Rudyard Kipling. Does the author treat India with a lot of paternalism during the colonial period? Well, we can't deny it because it is so. It is a paternalism and condescension that in Kipling's time might have been seen as tolerable and even quite advanced, but which in the present day borders on racism. Yes, Kipling defended, without any hesitation, an India that was governed by the white race, which was morally and intellectually superior to the native population of the great country, since in the end this would have a positive impact on the well-being of the Indians themselves. However, he was so nice (note the irony) that he defended that those who held authority should know the place, its laws and traditions well, and respect them. The idea that the Indians might want to regain their independence and govern themselves never crossed his mind. I won't deny that this condescension sometimes put me in a bad mood, especially when I saw that the shrewdest and most intelligent characters in the novel were precisely the Western Sahibs, and that the Indians were seen through a prism of absolute racial indulgence that sometimes bordered on friendly mockery. And I also won't deny that it makes me a bit angry that this comes from a writer who was born and spent a good part of his life in India itself. Perhaps, naively of me, I expected a bit more self-criticism towards the British government. But this was only a small part of me. I already knew enough things beforehand to know what to expect from Kipling. And I don't know if it's because of that, but although I can be critical of the situation, I wasn't scandalized as much as I might have been by what I found. Whether we like it or not, "Kim" and its creator, Kipling, are products of a certain way of seeing and feeling, of an era when Great Britain was the world's greatest power. It is very easy, in the heat of the present, to view it with rejection and to clearly see the injustice of one country dominating another, and the undeniable cruelties and oppression that this entailed. But for Kipling, like many (most) of his contemporaries, it was as natural as breathing that the Indians were under the control and paternal care of the English, and that the English had the right to expand their territory wherever they considered opportune. So we can't expect anything more from this reading.

Perhaps the best place to see this is in the character of the protagonist, the young Kim. I won't deny that he is a character who, like it or not, ends up becoming likable to the reader because of how shrewd he is and the notable evolution he has throughout the story. His relationship with the Lama seemed very touching to me, and some of the moments they had together were the closest this novel came to moving me. But at the same time, there is something irritating about Kim. It is the fact that he always manages to land on his feet in any situation, that he always knows how to handle himself with great ease at all times, and that he is, so to speak, a kind of chosen one of destiny to carry out great deeds (remember that since he was born, there is a prophecy that destines him for this). All of this seemed very anticlimactic and not very believable to me, and it dehumanizes a character who, on the other hand, is not badly constructed. Like the fact that he manages to win the hearts of all those he meets, and that he ends up becoming, almost overnight and without really trying, a piece that is predicted to be essential for the so-called Great Game. All of this makes him a kind of representation of the white man, who has the duty to do great things for the rest of the world and who is, of course, more intelligent, ingenious, and skillful than any other race. And poor Kim is so manly that he has no interest in women at all. In fact, the fact that all the women are always after him is more of a nuisance than anything else for the poor boy (and all this time, as you can imagine, the female representation in the book is practically non-existent. There are only three prominent female characters, and they don't have much more weight in the plot than to help our protagonist). Fortunately, Kipling had the good sense to give him scenes in which he doubts himself, to establish a touching bond between him and his Lama, and to give him a few moments of weakness. Thanks to this, the character gains in realism and also in nuances.

But for me, the big drawback of this novel has been that it lacked a well-defined plot. Look, there is a plot, because there are two fronts open in it (Kim and the Lama's journey across India and Kim's participation in the Great Game). But throughout the reading, it seemed to me that the narration was nothing more than a mere succession of random events and encounters that seemed to arise randomly as Kim moved from one place to another. What this novel completely lacked for me was to see what its literary purpose was, to know what Kipling was looking for with it. I just can't find the meaning in everything that happened, apart from it being a clear coming-of-age story about the character who gave it its name. And that's why it left me quite cold. I also think that having a very different idea about it didn't help me. I expected to find more action and more espionage scenes, that the Great Game would have more weight in the plot. I don't mean that it is a secondary theme, far from it. It's just that it gave me the impression that everything related to the search for the mystical river and the Buddhist teachings were the real central engine of the whole novel. For me, the Great Game was just an excuse to give more life and interest to the whole novel.

On the other hand, I was very lucky to be able to handle the edition published by Penguin Classics. And I say lucky because the translation is very good and it is very easy and enjoyable to read. In addition, the text is accompanied by a very interesting prologue written by a renowned scholar of the colonial period, which is very interesting and extremely enlightening to read after finishing the novel. It helped me a great deal to better understand what I had read. But I have to say that what I valued most was that, fortunately, in the edition there were a large number of notes that explained different concepts of Indian culture in all its aspects that might seem strange or unknown to the modern reader. And I also say lucky because I imagine the reading without these notes as a journey through the desert without a single drop of water. If the work had not had these notes and had come without any explanation, I'm sure I would have given up reading after the first twenty pages. But at the same time, I had a huge problem with them: all the notes were at the end of the book. I swear that there is nothing I hate more than notes at the end of the book. I think it's the most cumbersome thing in the world. Having to constantly go back (practically on every page there was something new to look up at the end of the book) and search for the page where the relevant explanation was located, I think it made the reading feel denser and much slower for me.

In conclusion, "Kim" is an excellent snapshot of the Indian era during British colonial domination, a very fertile period for the literature and history of both nations. It is a work that, I'm afraid, has aged quite badly, but that doesn't make it any less interesting to read, as it manages to act as a kind of historical document. Even if only to see how the English saw the government over the Indians. In addition, it is a clear example that a book can be very well written, but if something goes wrong in its plot or its characters, it lacks something that really impacts the reader. So all this probably won't be of much use. As much as, as said before, it is a celebration of the beauty and diversity of that world that is so fascinating and varied, which is India, and which interests not a few people. I don't doubt that this won't be the last time I come face to face with Kipling, but I hope that the next time he manages to move me a bit more.

What I vividly recall and appreciate the most about Kim is Rudyard Kipling's masterful employment of humor. Through this, he effectively emphasizes his characters' acute awareness of themselves, their endured suffering, and the imbalance, unease, and ambivalence that pervade their social and political surroundings.

However, when it comes to the plot, my memory is rather hazy. In fact, I remember almost nothing about it.

This realization has led me to the conclusion that I should probably read Kim again. By doing so, I hope to not only refresh my understanding of the story but also gain a deeper appreciation for Kipling's literary techniques and the themes he explores.

Perhaps a second reading will allow me to see the plot in a new light and understand how it weaves together with the characters' self-awareness and the complex social and political context. It could be a rewarding experience that enriches my literary knowledge and enhances my enjoyment of this classic work.

I can understand precisely why this novel is regarded as a classic. However, having read The Jungle Books first and having a great fondness for it during my childhood, I couldn't help but think that Kim is just another Mowgli. He is exploring another jungle, yet without the same enchanting magic.

Perhaps, just perhaps, it is a matter of the wrong timing for reading. How did that Gigliola Cinquetti's song go - Non ho l'età... For I must truly admit that, despite the vivid and picturesque descriptions and some interesting characters, I often found myself bored with the entire story. Oh no, I'm growing old!

Kim is truly one of the best books I've ever had the pleasure of reading. It's a work that I'm certain will remain firmly etched in my memory for a very long time.

However, it's important to note that this book is not without its challenges. The colonial undertones are quite prominent, with the frequent use of derogatory terms like the n-word and references to "sneaky, inconstant orientals." As a 21st-century reader, it took some mental gymnastics to look beyond this casual racist language. But, much like with The Trembling of a Leaf, another colonial-era work, the effort was well worth it.

The greatest strength of the book lies in the character of Kim himself. Kimball O'Hara is one of the most endearing, believable, and captivating characters in all of literature. He's a street-smart urchin, full of cheek and chutzpah, yet still unmistakably a child with moments of boredom, fear, and loneliness. What's more, Kim is a complex character who evolves throughout the story. Kipling does an excellent job of portraying his progression from childhood to adulthood.

In addition to Kim, the book offers a wealth of other storytelling treats. It's a thrilling spy novel set in the "Great Game" for control of India in the late 19th century, complete with deception, disguise, and secret agents. It's also a fascinating exploration of the clash between different religions and cultures, with characters from various backgrounds interacting with each other in a believable and respectful way.

Finally, Kim stands out for its beautiful and clear portrayal of Buddhist ideals. It's a rare work of fiction that manages to convey the essence of Eastern religion in a way that is accessible and moving to Western readers.

Overall, Kim is a must-read book. It's a classic that offers something for everyone: adventure, romance, mystery, and a profound exploration of the human condition. I highly recommend it to anyone who loves great literature.

Kim by Rudyard Kipling Audible release narrated by Sam Dastor is an absolute gem.

It is not only filled with thrilling adventures that keep the listener on the edge of their seat but also has a deep spiritual undertone.

This classic book takes the audience on a journey through the eyes of Kim, a young orphan boy in India.

The narration by Sam Dastor adds an extra layer of depth and authenticity to the story.

Listening to this audiobook is a great experience as it is highly inspiring and provokes thoughts that make you reflect on life, identity, and the meaning of it all.

It is a must-listen for anyone who loves adventure, spirituality, or simply a well-told story.

Kipling's masterful writing combined with Dastor's excellent narration makes Kim a truly unforgettable audiobook.

This was a strange book for me.

I had eagerly anticipated reading it (perhaps to an excessive degree) because of its popularity among my friends and those whose reviews I follow. My perception and enjoyment of the book fluctuated several times during my reading, which took me a bit longer than usual as I interspersed it with one or two other books. At certain points, I wasn't overly fond of it.

Ultimately, I found myself enjoying it a great deal. However, a couple of times along the way, I simply found myself confused about the events unfolding, yet not sufficiently motivated to go back and reread specific sections. So, I just persevered through. Part of this confusion was due to the archaic language that occasionally crept in, and part of it was likely the storyline itself. Indeed, there was the dated racism present in the writing, but it must be remembered that 1901 was a different era and not the politically correct minefield that we navigate today.

There is no need for a plot outline as there are numerous others available, which are likely done better than I could manage, and the book summary does a reasonably good job anyway.

I did enjoy the characters, although I admit that I still don't fully understand a great deal about them based on the descriptions provided. The machinations of the Great Game were excellent, but for me, there weren't enough of them. Was it written with the intention of further stories in mind? (Well, if someone informs me that there are more stories, I will edit this to avoid looking foolish).

I rate this book four stars.

Please save yourself and don't read this book.

It is extremely pro-imperialist and is literally dripping in orientalism and the exotification of India and the peoples of India. The author seems to view India and its people through a distorted lens, presenting them in a way that is both inaccurate and offensive.

Moreover, throughout the entire book, practically nothing happens. It is painfully boring to read, lacking any real plot or engaging narrative. The pages seem to drag on, filled with dull descriptions and uninteresting anecdotes.

Save your time and energy and choose a different book to read. There are plenty of other works out there that offer a more accurate and respectful portrayal of India and its rich history and culture.

Kipling has an extensive knowledge about India, yet it appears to be merely on the surface. For instance, the lama in the book only presents the outward manifestations of a lama but lacks any in-depth knowledge of his own religion.

Kim's character is perhaps a powerful indictment against racism. The very first sentence of the book depicts him speaking an Indian language, having the skin shade of Indians, and even adhering to the religious faith of Indians, yet he claims to be a white Irish, highlighting the absurdity of his race. One might argue that Kipling is actually suggesting that the race defined by his parents is stronger than the influence of culture. However, Kim constantly shows a preference for native ways.

The Indian or, more accurately, South Asian characters are stereotypical, but one could excuse it on the grounds that it is a children's book and is done to evoke humor. Kipling is indeed portraying Indians in a rather favorable light. It is, I suppose, the racism ingrained within the language of his time that he cannot avoid and which irks me. For example, when he says that Indians squat in a way no one in the 'civilized' world does. This repetitive characterization of the west as 'civilized' in comparison to the orient is unforgivable. And since the narrator is Kipling himself rather than a character in the book, one cannot simply pretend that he did it to show the racism of others.

Although I have now finally finished it,

Kim was a cultural challenge for me. It was a challenge that I was unequal to on just one read. I am well aware that there is so much more within its pages that this uninitiated Westerner is unable to fully appreciate. And yet, even this introductory read was a beautiful baptism into deeper awarenesses about love, friendship, and beliefs.

Having attempted to read this thoughtful and thought-provoking novel several times, the breakthrough finally came with an audio version during my 3.5-hour trip to visit my daughter, son-in-law, and granddaughter. It was either to listen or to enjoy my own thoughts. Fortunately, I quickly fell under the spell of little Kim, known as ‘Friend to all the World’ by his closest friends. Listening made it easier to navigate past some of the confusing situations and conversations, which became clearer as the overall context unfolded.

However, it also became evident that while I was getting the gist of things by listening, I was also missing a great deal in that way, due to the many nuances in the conversations. So, I finished the novel at a slower pace by reading it, which allowed me to savor the richly textured dialogue, especially between Kim and his lama.

It was a deeply satisfying read for me, mostly from a spiritual perspective. I would rate it a full five stars. Hopefully, I will return to it again in the future.