I have rather complex feelings about this book. I'm not entirely certain why, perhaps I'll understand by the time I finish writing this review.

No, it wasn't because of the racism. In fact, I didn't really notice it much. Maybe that's because I've read "The Clansman" and compared to that, everything else seems mild. Also, I can read books in the context of the time they were written. If you don't have that ability, I'd suggest skipping this one. Kipling was quite the imperialist, so of course a book set in this time will make the Brits look good and their conquered people sometimes seem rather crude.

There is a lot to enjoy in this book, but the story itself isn't one of them. Nothing really happens. It lacks drama, suspense, and many other elements that usually drive a story forward.

At first, I didn't think I'd like it much because the main character, Kim, is such a brat that I wished someone would come and give him a good smack. But he grew on me. There is definite character development, and since that's the main point of a bildungsroman, that's a plus.

Other pluses are the prose, the imagery of the surroundings, and the potential to learn a lot about India and its culture. I understand that Kipling wrote this in a way that anyone living in that part of the world could follow it easily because of the slang, local events, customs, and religious matters. But anyone else would have trouble, and I was definitely one of them. If I started listing examples, I'd be typing all night, so I'll just say read it yourself to find out what I mean.

Luckily, the edition I had was full of footnotes that explained words and places as I read. Without those, this book would have lost a star or maybe two. I wouldn't have been able to follow it without an atlas and an Indian term dictionary. And it's important to note that they are footnotes, not endnotes (I hate endnotes and all the flipping back and forth). The footnotes also pointed out connections to other works or sources for phrases. I thought some of them were a stretch, but I'm not a "Fellow of the Royal Society of Literature" like the editor, so what do I know?

Some of the dialogue was also enjoyable. I loved it whenever a particular old woman was involved because she was kind of a bitch, but a cool one. I also liked the character of the Lama, always talking about who is and isn't getting merit along The Way. There is good character development for both of them too.

As I said, the prose is really good, and those of you who have read my other reviews know I like a good turn of phrase. I'll give one example from a scene that amused me. Someone hit the Lama. Apparently, that's a big no-no in Eastern culture. (In the west, we've been known to throw priests out of second and third story windows, and at some councils, it was the faction that was still alive at the end that decided what the religious practices of the day would be, so people getting upset at someone hitting a holy man in the East is unusual from our relatively barbaric perspective.)

Anyway, the Lama is hit and he "dropped to his knees, half-stunned; the coolies under their loads fled up the hill as fast as plainsmen run across the level. They had seen sacrilege unspeakable, and it behooved them to get away before the Gods and devils of the hills took vengeance." I'm not sure why, but I really liked that.

I recommend this book if you're into cultural, religious, and historical pieces, but I don't strongly suggest it to anyone. I enjoyed reading it, but as I said, the story lacked the things I care about. They just wander around looking for a river, and there are bits about the British secret service here and there. That's supposed to mean something literary (some kind of disparity about something or other), but I can't remember what it is and don't want to look it up again. I don't read books for the literary magic in the background; I like books for the stories. I will say that I'm glad I read "The Jungle Books" (especially the Mowgli stories) before I read this. If I had read "Kim" first, I might not have read the others, which were great.

Matters explored in "The Literary Detective" by John Sutherland:
How old is Kim?

Kim can be read on several levels.

It is an adventure novel, a coming-of-age story, and a tale of friendship between the young rascal and his master. Opposite characters who complement each other and seek their path, their destiny.

It is also a spy story. Kim enters the Great Game of the British Empire for the control of an India that leans towards independence. The protagonist, half European and half Indian, grows and learns.

Kipling writes from the dominant perspective of a white man, favorable to colonialism and at the same time in love with a beautiful, colorful, hard, unequal land. The novel describes a historical moment, in a specific place and time, and that we see through deliberate inclusions and exclusions. The author is not neutral.

The prose flows between dialogues, descriptions, and Buddhist knowledge. A classic of world literature that is a pleasure to read.

I can't believe I took so long to get around to reading this.

Actually, it's probably a good thing that I waited, since Kim is not an easy read.

Kipling's prose is truly gorgeous. It is often as dense as poetry, filled with vivid descriptions and rich language.

Every sentence seems to be carefully crafted, painting a detailed picture in the reader's mind.

What a great writer he is!

His ability to bring the characters and the setting to life is truly remarkable.

Reading Kim is like embarking on a journey through a foreign land, filled with adventure and mystery.

I am so glad that I finally decided to pick up this book and experience Kipling's genius for myself.

It has been a truly rewarding and unforgettable reading experience.

I grew up with the Guinness Book of World Records. It was filled with all sorts of奇特的 things like the long gnarled fingernails, the McGuire Twins on their motorcycles, and the most selling postcard ever. That postcard had a professorial type asking his ditzy student if she liked Kipling. “I don’t know” she answers in the punchline “I’ve never Kippled”.

As a kid, I didn't understand that joke either. But now, I have to admit that in a world where the movie Airplane doesn't exist, it's actually pretty great.

I wanted to read Kipling because of his influence. I specifically wanted to read Kim because it's largely regarded as the first spy novel.

However, having read it, I wouldn't necessarily classify it as a thriller.

I've noticed that since Kim is a child, the book is classified as a kid's book. I find this odd. Just because it's a classic, it's classified as such. But I can only imagine that books like this made me want to read less.

I thought my knowledge of India and its geography would be enough to enjoy the book.

But it wasn't. This book, whatever it is - a picaresque novel or a discussion of various philosophies - was simply not for me.

It wasn't necessarily that I found the title character Gary Stu-ish. In fact, I didn't find much interesting in him at all.

At various times, I sat the book down for months, thinking that the action might pick up down the road. But it never did. And the biggest sense I got at the end was one of relief. I suspect an audiobook might improve the experience somewhat, but even then, the promise of adventure within seems to be overstated.

1 star.

I'm truly sorry, but this was just abysmal. To be honest, I have no idea how I managed to force myself to read this, especially since it was for school.

The most absurd things occurred in this book! It begins quite ordinarily, and then suddenly, the main character, Kim, is obtaining food and money from every single person he encounters (seriously, not a single person said 'no' to him). And then, lo and behold! He meets the Queen while out for a walk. Oh, how perfectly normal that is. Later on in the novel, he's engaged in a shootout with Russian spies who punch the priest that's climbing a mountain with him. What on earth?? -_-

Throughout the entire reading experience, I just kept asking myself: what? I don't even have a clear understanding of what I just read, but one thing I know for sure is that I despised it - and I will never, ever re-read it.

I truly enjoyed this book to a much greater extent than I initially anticipated. During my school days, Kipling was often dismissed as merely a colonialist and a children's writer. However, this work is of a far grander nature.

Although Kim has at times been regarded as a boy's book, I simply cannot envision any 12-year-old reading it in the present day. It does possess elements of adventure and travel, yet the plot doesn't really amount to a great deal. The characters, on the other hand, are fascinating, especially Kim, the roguish and streetwise youngster. The subplot of The Great Game didn't really excite me.

The setting of a wide open India is truly wonderful. It is like a kaleidoscope filled with an array of colors, spices, smells, delicious foods, and people of all castes and religions. This aspect was crafted with great care and is surprisingly spectacular. What I didn't encounter was an excessive amount of racism considering the time and place. In fact, the English characters had quite notable flaws.

Overall, despite its flaws, this book offers a unique and engaging exploration of a bygone era and a diverse and vibrant India.

“There is no sin so great as ignorance. Remember this.”

― Rudyard Kipling, Kim







This is one of those novels that I read and immediately regretted not reading earlier when I was a boy. Fortunately, I was able to share the experience of reading this with my two kids (a 12-year-old boy and an 11-year-old girl). It was truly perfect. I went into it expecting a well-written, more or less Empire-centric, Colonial novel. However, it was far more than that. I understand the whole concept of Postcolonial Literature, but I'm not ready to confine Kim to this debate or even the Colonial designation. It is so much more. It is a bildungsroman, an adventure story, and a vivid portrayal of the entire India (North and South, mountains and plains, rich and poor, rivers and roads, believers and unbelievers).



At first, I was a bit worried that the specific details of the place and time might confuse my kids. But it was like driving through a country bazaar in a foreign country. They didn't understand every sign or shout, but they were completely captivated by the smells, the vistas, and the atmosphere of Kipling's last great masterpiece.

Kim is a child who lives in a vast and wonderful land, populated by people of every race and religion, with an ancient history behind it, full of deities and miracles.

He is an orphan and a half-breed: his father belonged to the race of the conquerors, younger populations who came from afar to invade and subjugate this wonderful land. He was a soldier, but then he fell in love with a native and stayed there.

She died in childbirth, and he ended up lower and lower, among drugs, gambling and liquors, until he died, leaving only some papers as an inheritance to his son.

The documents of his birth, which attested to his lineage; and some papers of his father, which if delivered to the right people would set the magic in motion.

Which right people? What magic?

Kim, guided by the War Star, had to wait for the arrival of a Red Bull, announced by two men, who would take care of him, transforming him into a true conqueror.

And while he waits for all this to happen, he also becomes the apprentice of a High Priest who came from afar, from the inaccessible Mountains of the Gods, for a sacred search: in fact, he is looking for the Sacred River capable of washing away every sin, and Kim is the guide sent to him by the deities to assist him.

The two will thus embark on this search, among thieves and noblewomen, priests and guards... until the arrival of the Red Bull and the fulfillment of Kim's destiny, set at the center of the Great Game that has always decided the fate of that wonderful land.

In short, Kim could very well be an excellent fantasy: nothing of what I have written is false.

But the wonderful land is India, Kim's father was Irish, the conquerors are the white sahibs, and the magic is nothing but the education of the rich and the sahibs.

The Priest is a Tibetan ascetic who came there in search of the River, and between him and Kim a wonderful relationship is established, of respect, friendship, love.

And Kim, from a small "Friend of the World" skilled in making friends with anyone, in spying and inventing lies, will become both the ascetic's and a young spy in the Great Game, a secret pawn of the government in the game of intrigues that decides the Indian fates.

A light and very pleasant coming-of-age novel, a candid protagonist for all that he is not naive, fascinating and that immediately attracts the reader's sympathy.

I was afraid of having taken a nearly unreadable brick, but I discovered a beautiful book that pleasantly surprised me.

I have a particular method of reading my textbooks. For instance, when it comes to a section like cardiac pathology, I count the number of pages and then divide that by the number of days I have to read them. I applied the same approach to reading 'Kim'. On finishing it, I was left with a sense of confusion and a feeling of 'bleurg'. I struggle to understand the precise reason why Kipling bothered to write this. It seems to be a jumble of semi- and sometimes completely offensive stereotypes, contrived plot points, and pointless meandering. Why Kim was educated or needed to be European, except perhaps to please the European audience, is never clearly shown as he never utilizes these attributes. With this in mind, could Kim be considered the world's first Gary Stu? He's good looking and everyone loves him without any apparent effort or merit on his part.

The story's flavor strongly reminded me of MM Kaye's 'The Far Pavilions'. Now, 'The Far Pavilions' is one of my all-time favorite books. It shares many elements with 'Kim': an abandoned European boy growing up as a street arab, learning about India from within before being taken out and re-educated according to his heritage. But Ash, the protagonist of 'The Far Pavilions', is everything Kim isn't, just as the book itself is superior to 'Kim'. 'The Far Pavilions' has danger, intrigue, and romance. In contrast, I never once felt that Kim or his companions were in any real danger. They should have been! I find it hard to believe that anyone could travel across India without money and be welcomed everywhere and fed like a king. This really undermines the internal validity of the story.

The intrigue in 'Kim' was flat as Kipling never made an effort to explain what the Great Game actually was. I can understand that it's about spying on behalf of the Raj and that the spies don't know all the details, but Kipling could have enlightened us, the readers. Moreover, I don't see why any native would be so eager to help the Raj. Some may have, but the idea that many or most wouldn't care to isn't even addressed, let alone explored. The insights into British colonial meddling left me disgusted. The government's actions, like changing the succession in certain regions and nominating new heirs to the throne, are quite concerning. On the other hand, American imperialists might like this validation as it implies that the inhabitants of a country don't know how to run it and need 'civilized' help. After all, they've been living there for thousands of years!

Also, in a book with a male, teenage protagonist and 383 pages, there isn't even a hint of sex. Come on! I gather that Kipling actually lived in India at one point, but you wouldn't know it from his descriptions. He even describes Irish people in a way that makes me wonder:

...but for all his training he was Irish enough to... [desire] the visible effect of action; so, instead of slinking away, he... wormed nearer the house

What does that even mean? That we're nosy or something? Okay, fine, but that's not a trait that can be generalized to an entire race. You can talk about customs, habits, religion, dress, and mannerisms, but not thoughts. No matter your ancestry, your thoughts and drives are unique and personal.

where a native would have lain down, Kim's white blood set him upon his feet

This is more of the same, even ignoring the racist connotations. Gosh, I bet even natives like to stand up sometimes!

Kim is also not a very likable character, despite the constant praise in the exposition. Mahbub, Hurree, and the lama spend a lot of time adoring him, but they never really listen to him. Here are some examples:

"I will beat thee in the morning. I do not love Hindus."

Because a little kid didn't speak to Kim when his master told him not to. That's really charming, isn't it?

Kim [spoke] jealously. He preferred to sway the lama by his own speech - not through the wiles of Hurree Babu.

This speaks for itself, I think. The lama is like a father to him, but Kim wants to manipulate him. Yay.

One does not own to possession of money in India

Yeah, I give up. Kipling seems to be writing about an imaginary land where you just have to dress up like a priest and the whole world will go out of its way to worship, house, and feed you so you can focus on not caring about earthly things like happiness, shelter, and hunger. Whatever.

I first came across Rudyard Kipling’s Kim in the form of a Classics Illustrated comic book when I was just ten years old. I vividly remember being completely baffled by it. The opening, where Kim encounters the old lama and decides to embark on a journey with him, was quite interesting. However, most of what followed seemed rather confused, and it was extremely difficult for me to follow the thread of the story.

Now, having finally read the actual novel, I have a newfound appreciation for just how impossible it was to condense this book into a comprehensible comic book. The novel is all about atmosphere and relationships, with only the vaguest hint of a plot to hold it all together.

Kipling crafted some truly memorable characters in this novel. The boy, Kim, the orphan of a poor Irish soldier, grows up like a native on the streets of India. Teshoo Lama, an old Tibetan holy man on a spiritual pilgrimage, is met by Kim, who then becomes his chela (disciple). Their relationship lies at the heart of the novel, and their quest to discover The River of the Arrow serves as the main plot device. Then there is Mahbub Ali, a Pashtun horse trader and spy who occasionally employs Kim. Teshoo Lama and Mahbub Ali stand in as spiritual and secular fathers to Kim.

Kipling effectively uses Kim to illustrate the vast variety and contradictions of Colonial India. Kim is a sahib (White) who grows up as a native. After being discovered by his father’s old regiment and recruited to train as a spy in The Great Game, he must navigate between his affection for the old lama and his spiritual path and his destiny as a sahib working for the British Raj.

While many parts of this book are fascinating and well-written, and many of the well-drawn characters are unforgettable, the story often gets lost in convoluted situations and long dialogues that tend to stall rather than advance the plot. At times, it can become almost as confusing as the greatly abridged Classics Illustrated comic that I originally read. It was worth reading, but it’s not likely to become anyone’s favorite.

This is my second encounter with this 1901 novel penned by Rudyard Kipling, widely regarded as his magnum opus. I had long desired to revisit it. The first time around, I was under a tight deadline for a write-up, and thus had to rush through the latter half in a frenzy. As a result, I didn't have the opportunity to fully appreciate or understand this dense Victorian novel as it deserved. This time, however, I took it at a leisurely pace of just a thousand words per day for six months, courtesy of the free "literary serialization through email" service DailyLit.com. This allowed me to develop a deep respect for it, an admiration bordering on awe at the complexity and moral ambiguity of Kipling's story.

It's ironic, really. Kipling is now almost exclusively known as "that racist who wrote 'White Man's Burden'." Make no mistake, that poem is unambiguously racist. Written for Queen Victoria's 60th anniversary of assuming the throne, it passionately argues for America to colonize the Philippines, asserting it's the duty of civilized white people to tame and educate the savage coloreds. Yet, it's fascinating to learn that Kipling was born and raised in India, spent most of his twenties there, and held complex beliefs about the interplay of religions during the Raj era.

Kim is a sprawling epic that combines a spy thriller with a religious examination. Told from the perspective of Kimball "Kim" O'Hara, the bastard child of an Irish soldier and a Raj nanny, who grows up as a wily orphan on the streets of Lahore. One day, while scamming, he befriends a Tibetan lama on a spiritual quest. Struck by something intangible, Kim decides to become the lama's assistant and guides him across the subcontinent.

The story is far more intricate than that. Kim has also unwittingly worked for an Afghan spy during his childhood, part of the British "Great Game" against Russia. When his Irish heritage is discovered, he's sent to a British school and then trained by mystical spymasters. By the time he's eighteen, he's like a James Bond figure. But what's remarkable is that Kim remains ambivalent about the British Empire and white people in general, still seeing himself as an Indian.

For a man with such a reputation in the 21st century, it's shocking to read Kim and see his sophisticated knowledge of Indian life. It doesn't excuse his racist beliefs, but it does make him a more complicated and interesting artist than the dismissive label he's been given. I can now confidently say that Kim is one of my favorite novels of all time. It comes highly recommended for those in the mood for something weighty and 1800s. Give it a chance; you might be surprised.

A great writer indeed! Kipling is truly remarkable with his amazing stories. I have an immense adoration for him. His works have a certain charm and depth that keeps me captivated.

Whenever I visit Shimla, it becomes an opportunity for me to try and follow his vision. I imagine the scenes and characters he might have described while being in that beautiful place. It's like stepping into the world he created through his words.

I walk along the streets, look at the buildings, and try to envision how they might have appeared to Kipling. The landscapes, the people, and the overall atmosphere of Shimla all seem to come alive in my mind as I try to understand his perspective.

Kipling's connection with Shimla is evident in his writings, and by trying to follow his vision, I feel a closer connection to both the place and the great writer himself. It's a wonderful experience that enriches my understanding and appreciation of his works.