Kim by Rudyard Kipling - Reviews, Discussion, Bookclubs, Lists

May 04, 2013 Henry Avila rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Kim ,13,a British orphan, born in India.His widowed father,was in Queen Victoria's army,but he died a hopeless drunk.Kim's full name, Kimball O'Hara,the poorest of the poor,who lives mostly in the slum streets of Lahore,The Punjab(now part of Pakistan).Sometimes the boy lives with an old Indian woman addicted to opium.Naturally he prefers the outside.Begging for money,trying to stay alive and surviving day to day...Later meeting a strange Lama from faraway Tibet, while playing with his friends i...more Kim ,13,a British orphan, born in India.His widowed father,was in Queen Victoria's army,but he died a hopeless drunk.Kim's full name, Kimball O'Hara,the poorest of the poor,who lives mostly in the slum streets of Lahore,The Punjab(now part of Pakistan).Sometimes the boy lives with an old Indian woman addicted to opium.Naturally he prefers the outside.Begging for money,trying to stay alive and surviving day to day...Later meeting a strange Lama from faraway Tibet, while playing with his friends in front of a museum.The monk is seeking "The River of The Arrow".Legend has it that Buddha himself, shot an arrow in the sky and when it landed, a river appeared miraculously.Anyone who bathes in the water will have all his sins removed. And become pure again.The trouble,nobody knows where this stream is located.Kim decides to follow Teshoo Lama, the monk in the "Search", and become his disciple.In reality, wanting to have fun and exciting adventures.Kim is tired of the city.But first his friend the Afghan horse trader Mahbub Ali,who works for the British as a secret agent.Has a message for Kim to deliverer to Colonel Creighton,head of the British spy agency(and get well paid too).War will occur in the north,as it always does,instigated by the Russians.Travel by train they encounter a colorful group of people.All India goes in them.Kim begins to love the mad monk and the old man likewise.The father he needs,the son he lacks .By road they are not successful in finding the river.Tired the two encounter Kim's father's old regiment, by accident.The boy against his will, is detained and made to attend school.After three years the kid learns to read and write in English.Given six months to go with the monk and resume their quest.The lama had visited Buddhist shrines waiting for Kim.Many strange incidents happen on the road,even arriving near the Himalayas.Helped by a rich cantankerous but kindly woman,the Sahiba. As they go and see this unique land. Spies are everywhere here.But the real story of this book is about India. As Kim asks who is Kim? Buddhist, Catholic, Protestant,Jains,Sikh, Moslem,Hindu,British or Indian.That question can be answered very easily.Kim is now a man, who loves India....You will also ,if you read this novel.(less)

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Dec 03, 2008 Laurie rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Kim served as inspiration for my novel "The Game", the seventh entry in the Mary Russell series. Feel free to come and join in the discussion, even if you come across this after December has passed--the discussion will remain open indefinitely for new thoughts and comments. Click for more information about the Virtual Book Club

Oh, this is such a wonderful book. Coming-of-age tale and historical treatise; spy thriller and travel narrative; rousing adventure coupled with a sleek and subtle tale o...more Kim served as inspiration for my novel "The Game", the seventh entry in the Mary Russell series. Feel free to come and join in the discussion, even if you come across this after December has passed--the discussion will remain open indefinitely for new thoughts and comments. Click for more information about the Virtual Book Club

Oh, this is such a wonderful book. Coming-of-age tale and historical treatise; spy thriller and travel narrative; rousing adventure coupled with a sleek and subtle tale of the meeting of ancient traditions—and all of it told in a rotund and glorious English that would make Shakespeare feel right at home.
Read it aloud: "He sat, in defiance of municipal orders, astride the gun Zam-Zammah…" The short patter of a two-word phrase: when used to open a book it is a vigorous and active statement, not some paired monosyllable made feeble by surrounding text. The phrase, tucked apart by the comma, is followed by the perfect juxtaposition of defiance and municipal orders: the mind's eye is immediately shown a small brown urchin facing down the cumbersome, pale, foreign tools of white authority. Then comes the drawn-out adverb astride: a mere eight words into the story, and we receive our first intimation that this creature who sits will turn out to straddle much more than the barrel of a big gun. And then the personification of that gun, Zam-Zammah, a name that fills the mouth from teeth to soft palate.

Prose that swells the chest and engages the mind. And I'll bet the bastard didn't even fiddle endlessly with that line in order to get it right.

Rudyard Kipling breathed the air of India for his formative years. He was an Englishman, who never doubted the superiority of the British way of life, or of the British person. And yet, Kim is infused with the opposite, the native's good-humored willingness to go along with the Sahib because after all, the poor white man needs to think himself superior, and it doesn't hurt to permit him, does it?

Thus, Kipling's characters are both caricature and fully realized individuals: his Babu is every upstart Bengali who came up against the Raj and failed, although not quite utterly—and his Babu is a man with enough stout self-regard to play the role of an upstart Bengali who came up against the Raj and failed, because that role is a most useful disguise when dealing with men of the West, who see the world in two dimensions.

Kim is both easy to read and hard to digest. Kipling's world view was that of the English Imperialist, with Victoria on the throne and God in His place. I don't know that I would call Kim a "profoundly embarrassing" novel, but it does without a doubt open a rich vein of discussion on colonial responsibilities, just as Mark Twain's novels open up discussions on American racism.

Anyone interested in the background of the story, particularly the real life paradigms for Lurgan Sahib and Colonel Creighton, would do well to look at Peter Hopkirk's excellent Quest for Kim. It will have you eyeing the cost of travel to Simla…

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Jan 15, 2009 James rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: study-group, fiction, lincoln-park-group, edminster-group, read-and-reread, everymans-library, favorites

While it is one of the most beautiful tales of friendship I have ever read, Kim is much more. Rudyard Kipling created in Kim a novel in the mold of the classic heroic journey that has a pedigree reaching back to Gilgamesh and the Odyssey. With Kim, a young white boy, sahib, at it's center and his friend and mentor the Lama, we see the world of India in the nineteenth century as it is ruled by Great Britain. Kipling raises questions of identity (Who is Kim?), culture, spirituality and the nature...more

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May 27, 2012 Kim rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: audiobook

Even though I share the name of the hero of this novel, I've chosen not to read it until now. There's more than one reason for this. The main reason is that I'm not naturally drawn to picaresque novels or to espionage novels, even though I've read my fair share of books from both genres. I've also had an instinctively negative reaction to Kipling because of my not terribly well-informed view of him as an apologist for British imperialism.

However, in the last few days I've started reading the se...more
Even though I share the name of the hero of this novel, I've chosen not to read it until now. There's more than one reason for this. The main reason is that I'm not naturally drawn to picaresque novels or to espionage novels, even though I've read my fair share of books from both genres. I've also had an instinctively negative reaction to Kipling because of my not terribly well-informed view of him as an apologist for British imperialism.

However, in the last few days I've started reading the seventh book in Laurie R King's Mary Russell series, The Game, which features an older Kim, some thirty years after the events of this novel. While King's homage to Kipling's work made me download the audiobook narrated by Sam Dastor, it was Kipling's skill as a writer and storyteller which kept me totally engaged with the narrative. Kim is the story of Kimball O'Hara, the orphaned son of an Irish soldier and a poor Irish woman, who lives by his wits on the streets of Lahore, becomes the disciple of a Tibetan Lama looking for the river which will bring him enlightenment, falls into the hands of the British military, acquires an education, is trained as a spy and plays a part in the Great Game - the battle for supremacy between the British and Russian Empires in Central Asia.

Kim is a book which I could easily have disliked. The boy's own adventure elements, the lack of significant female characters, the refences to "Orientals" and "Asiatics" could all have irritated me and/or upset my politically correct sensibilities. It is true that I found the espionage plot rather less interesting than the rest of the plot. However, my lasting impression of the novel will not be those things. Rather, it will be the picture which Kipling paints of India under British rule in the late 19th century. Kipling deals with India in all of its bewildering diversity: the various religious communities, the cities and the rural areas, the plains and the mountains, the influence of the British on India and of India on the British. The other aspect of Kim which will remain with me is Kipling's treatment of the theme of identity. Kim has to find where he belongs in a land where social standing is determined by family, by caste and by religion. His questioning of his identity at various points in the novel is immensely moving. What I'll also take from Kim is the love for India and its people which Kipling clearly brought to the writing of the novel.

Sam Dastor's narration is amazing. He has a distinct voice for each character. Indeed, he subtly (and in relation to one character not so subtly) alters voices depending on whether the character is speaking English or Hindi or Urdu. I am persuaded that listening to the novel rather than reading it significantly increased by appreciation of the work. Listening to Kim has been a very enjoyable experience, up there in 4-1/2 star territory. (less)

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Sep 05, 2011 Benjamin Duffy rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: e-books

One of the best books I've ever read, and one that I'm sure will stick with me for a long, long time. Not to say it's a perfect book. For one, it's pretty colonial-feeling, what with its fondness for dropping the n-word on anyone browner than an Englishman, its blithe references to sneaky, inconstant "orientals," and so forth - so much so that it's distracting and jarring in a few places. As a 21st century reader, it took me some mental effort to get past that easy matter-of-fact racism, but muc...more One of the best books I've ever read, and one that I'm sure will stick with me for a long, long time. Not to say it's a perfect book. For one, it's pretty colonial-feeling, what with its fondness for dropping the n-word on anyone browner than an Englishman, its blithe references to sneaky, inconstant "orientals," and so forth - so much so that it's distracting and jarring in a few places. As a 21st century reader, it took me some mental effort to get past that easy matter-of-fact racism, but much the same as with The Trembling of a Leaf, another colonial-era work that niggers and chinks its way through the Eastern hemisphere, I was richly rewarded for that effort.

The greatest element of the book, the thing that propels the plot, illuminates the places, brings the other characters to life, and (most importantly) makes you care about any of it, is Kim himself. Kimball O'Hara must be one of most lovable, believable, absorbing characters in all of literature. Kipling's quintessential urchin is streetwise, smartassed, clever, courageous, with chutzpah to spare; yet unmistakably still a kid, capable of boredom, fear, and loneliness. He's also complex: for example, it's established early on in the story that Kim is not above cynically exploiting other people's religions and superstitions in order to secure himself room and board, or escape trouble, yet he frequently allows his own steps to be guided by prophecy and the supernatural. Most importantly, Kim is not static. I think one of the hardest feats for an author is to portray a child's progression to adulthood convincingly, and Kipling does an amazing job of it here.

For Kim's presence alone, this book would be well worth the read, but other storytelling treats are here for the taking, as well. For one, it's a fantastic spy thriller, set in the so-called "Great Game" played for control of India in the late 19th century. Deception, disguise, theft, secret agents, overarching plots whose true aims are hidden from those who are carrying them out - it's all here, like a slightly low-tech James Bond story.

Kim is also a fascinating depiction of a clash between religions and cultures. Without seeming to make a big deal out of it, Kim is a story of Hindus, Buddhists, Jainists, Sikhs, Muslims, and Christians rubbing shoulders with varying degrees of respect and tolerance. Characters frequently switch languages in mid-conversation, either to facilitate comprehension, underscore particular social or religious meanings, or exclude certain people. Credit here must be given to Kipling for doing a fantastic job at transliterating different accents and dialects. That's usually difficult for an author to pull off convincingly, but here it is flawlessly done. Particularly effective is when Kim and other characters switch from translated Hindi, fluent and full of thees and thous, to transliterated English that comes out like "Oah, I am verr-ee sorr-ee, Sahib," and can't help but be read with the author's intended diction and cadence.

Finally, of all the works of fiction I've read, this may be the one that portrays Buddhist ideals with the greatest clarity and beauty. For all its (frequently breathtaking) racism, the book is earnest and sensitive in its depiction of Westerners finding enlightenment through Eastern religion. In this regard, I think it even surpasses The Razor's Edge and may be rivaled only by Richard Herley's The Drowning.

I think I will feel the urge to reread this book soon, and I encourage you to read it if you haven't done so already. It's a story about friendship, loyalty, courage, and finding redemption, even when that word means different things to different people. It's smart, funny, and touching. A total classic.(less)

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Feb 08, 2008 Steven rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: 1001

As referenced in previous reviews, some of the best novels that I have read are about a particular place. While I would not necessarily place this one within the pantheon, it is clearly the seminal work concerning life in turn of the century India. I was amazed with the rich and vivid descriptions of the setting and found myself intrigued enough in the plot to want to keep picking it up over and over.

The story concerns the life of Kim(ball) O’Hara, the orphaned son of a Irish soldier who was sta...more

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Jun 02, 2010 Margaret rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: british-literature, authors-kl

I decided that before reading Laurie R. King's The Game again, I should read Rudyard Kipling's Kim, as King calls The Game "a humble and profoundly felt homage" to Kim. Besides, I'd never read it, and it's one of those classics I felt I should get around to someday.

Kimball O'Hara is the orphaned son of an Irish soldier who was stationed in India; when his father died, Kim was raised by a half-caste woman and learned to live on the streets of Lahore. The story begins when Kim meets a Tibetan lam...more

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Jan 30, 2011 Brian rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Kim, or Kimball O’ Hara, is a British boy who has grown up on the streets of Lahore at the height of British rule in India. He lives like a native Indian, speaks Hindi fluently and knows the city like the back of his hand. Immensely street-wise, he makes a living by carrying messages for all kinds of people including an Afghan horse-dealer called Mahbub Ali who is himself involved in espionage on behalf of the British government. Kim’s ability to be part of more than one community makes him a pe...more

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Apr 23, 2008 dead letter office rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

underneath kipling's unrepentant colonialism is a gifted storyteller and a great writer and a sympathetic observer. this is a much-better-than-you-think-it-would-be story of idiosyncratic characters who find themselves players in the Great Game, where the british empire battled the russian empire for control over central asia. it's also an interesting colonialist's-eye view of a part of the world that kipling clearly loved.

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Mar 30, 2007 Colleen rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Yes, Kamili, I too will forever associate this book with you and Paris. In fact the first thing that comes to mind when I think of this book is the moment we decided that we were not going to read the book or write the paper. We were on a train to the South of France and the air smelled like lavender. Maybe it was something about France, but I have never been so calm about turning in a paper a week late since.

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May 12, 2008 Brenda rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: favorites

Kim and Jonny Quest cartoons formed my idea of what I wanted to be when I grew up.

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Sep 02, 2008 Chris and Yuri rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Recommended to Chris and Yuri by: Edward Said

"This is a great and terrible world. I never knew there were so many men alive in it."

This is one of those books at the center of the academic street fight known as postcolonial studies. On one hand, Rudyard Kipling was a great (and Nobel Prize-winning) writer; on the other hand, he was an unabashed cheerleader of British and American imperialism. I wanted to read Kim, in fact, because Edward Said had so much to say about it (both good and bad) in Culture and Imperialism.

Politics aside, though,...more

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Jun 14, 2012 Bob Hartley rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I didn't expect Kipling to have a story about India, although I bought this from a book fair where it was next to similar Kiplings with swastikas and elephants and stuff on the covers (also apparently he was born in Bombay). This one's a blue hardback, first edition, with worn pages and a message from Auntie Doris on the first page.

It was written at the transitional period between impenetrable Victorian vocabulary and 21st century slightly posh-sounding British writing, so along with the odd Ind...more

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Jun 05, 2007 Beth added it · review of another edition

I have tried to read this book in the past and failed. It is one of those. You know what I'm talking about.

I love the Jungle Books and some other Kipling short stories that I have read, so I am determined to get into this book. we shall see.

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I finished it. Finally. I have to admit, it was not well footnoted. It is all about very subtle interaction with all these different peoples of India, and if you don't know much about that( which is probably 99% of the world) it is h...more

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May 10, 2013 Andrea Blythe rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: fiction, fic-literary-mainstream

3 1/2 stars

Kim is an orphaned Irish boy, who has grown up under the care of an Indian woman. He's lived in the streets all his life, running amok just as the other Indian boys do, with little knowledge or care that he is white. When he meets a holy man, a lama on a quest to achieve enlightenment by bathing in a certain river, he is fascinated and decides to become the lama's apprentice. Together, as they walk the roads of India and meet many people, Kim also gets himself wrapped up in British es...more 3 1/2 stars

Kim is an orphaned Irish boy, who has grown up under the care of an Indian woman. He's lived in the streets all his life, running amok just as the other Indian boys do, with little knowledge or care that he is white. When he meets a holy man, a lama on a quest to achieve enlightenment by bathing in a certain river, he is fascinated and decides to become the lama's apprentice. Together, as they walk the roads of India and meet many people, Kim also gets himself wrapped up in British espionage.

This was a fun little romp that very much reminded me of the many adventures of Tom Sawyer and Huckleberry Finn, except on the roads of India instead of the riverside of the South.

I don't know nearly enough about the intricate nature of India's many cultures to know where Kipling got it right and where he screwed it. Since Kipling grew up in India himself, it makes sense that he drew on his own experiences while writing. I'm sure there's a certain amount of Orientalizing and stereotyping going on, but not how much.

In his favor though, Kipling seems to present most of the characters in multiple layers and to treat much of the events as entirely normal, while most Westerners would consider them strange. In some cases, he also flips to show how Indians and the lama are perceived through the white man's lens. For example, the lama, who is seen as a holy man to all the native peoples around him, is seen as just another dirty beggar to the white men.

However, the fact remains that the British are clearly the good guys and colonialism is presented as, if not a good thing, then at least not a problem. Also, whenever "magic" came into play within the story, I kind of cringed a bit as it seemed to be the greatest indication of stereotyping the "mysterious and magical East".

There are also some spiritual aspects to the book, as presented through the lama and his peaceful quest. He teaches Kim about the wheel of life and how everyone is tied to the wheel, how the body is illusion and he wishes to escape from illusion. This is mixed with the assemblage of Hindu and Muslim people and customs they meet along the road, all of which is very interesting (though again, I can't properly judge how much is accurate).

On the whole, I enjoyed it quite a bit from an adventure story standpoint with some reservations in regards to other aspects.
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Apr 13, 2013 Vibina Venugopal rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

The east and west beautifully blends in Kipling's novel Kim..The novel opens up with Kim an Irish decent orphaned boy in his early teens in the street of Lahore brought up by opium keeper contemplating...He is famously known as Friend of all world..He happens to meet Tibetian Lama who has come in search of a mystic river supposedly source of enlightening. Kim joins him as his chela or servant he also carries a confidential file to Colonel Creighton to a place called Umballa..After handing over t...more The east and west beautifully blends in Kipling's novel Kim..The novel opens up with Kim an Irish decent orphaned boy in his early teens in the street of Lahore brought up by opium keeper contemplating...He is famously known as Friend of all world..He happens to meet Tibetian Lama who has come in search of a mystic river supposedly source of enlightening. Kim joins him as his chela or servant he also carries a confidential file to Colonel Creighton to a place called Umballa..After handing over the file Kim overhears about a possible war,pretending to be a prophet he predicts an upcoming war.By his pleasing manners and charm he makes good connections who in turn help them both by means of shelter and food. Every problem Kim tackles with his wit and humor solving issues and making friends at the end of it..Be it the farmer or the widow who he meets later in the journey..
They set on the grand trunk road. during this travel he is enthralled by various people from different culture and places and is completely spell bound by their acquaintance..By further turn of events Kim is detained much to the dismay of Kim in the Irish regiment where his father served as a color sergeant while Lama set on the journey on his own upon his quest of mystic river...Kim receives a letter from the Lama informing him that he would be sponsored for his education at the St.Xavier, a catholic school meant for white..Kim is very unhappy about it and he wishes to get back to Mahbub Ali but when Ali too seconds Lama's offer he has no option but to join the school..Kim finds no energy at the school but eagerly awaits his summer vacation, choosing to assist Ali who is a spy..Kim soon proves to be an asset to this kind of job with his way to get to anything around him..He is taken under the wings of Lurgan sahin , and he also continues his education at the school, but he finds much deeper connection to this kind of job..Once disguised as a monk he is struck by his first identity crisis of who he really is!!Will he get over it?? Would he ever get another chance to meet The Lama?? What would happen to Kim read on to find out...

The novel is an action packed feat that doesn't sprints its way but moves slowly and steadily..Kim's encounters with the Babu and everyone he comes across is a real treat to read on...I expected more skeptic tone on India and the people, but it seemed like Kipling really loved India and its culture which made it good to read , though it had the racist tone,still overall done well..The book starts as a travelogue which turns in to a spy thriller half way that again turns into a spiritual search of one's existence and transformation..The book also brings the essence of 19th century India under the British Raj through the crowded streets , market places, catholic schools and military regiments..The descriptions are brilliant that makes you want read more..Though this book is in the genre of children's literature I don't know how far the targeted audience can come to appreciate the theme in the first go...Have fun reading..(less)

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Apr 04, 2013 Gale rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: british-classics, children-s-classics

SEEKING A RED BULL AND THE RIVER OF THE ARROW

"Who is Kim?" is the rhetorical question posed several times in this novel of India under the Raj (Queen Victoria, latter 19th Century). Born of British parents but raised as an orphan by natives, this unique boy is a Eurasian sprite, a gamin not only of the streets but also the plains and ultimately, the hills. Comfortable in various dialects and delighting in disguises and urban pranks, Kim little realizes that Fate is grooming him for the Great Ga...more SEEKING A RED BULL AND THE RIVER OF THE ARROW

"Who is Kim?" is the rhetorical question posed several times in this novel of India under the Raj (Queen Victoria, latter 19th Century). Born of British parents but raised as an orphan by natives, this unique boy is a Eurasian sprite, a gamin not only of the streets but also the plains and ultimately, the hills. Comfortable in various dialects and delighting in disguises and urban pranks, Kim little realizes that Fate is grooming him for the Great Game (secret service to Great Britain). Indeed Kipling frequently uses the horse metaphor, with the boy as "the colt." Ignorant of his true heritage and birthright, this merry and resourceful hustler attaches himself to an aged holy man--a seeker of the Way. As the tale progresses, there develops a curious but deep bond between the Tibetan Red Hat and his quick-witted CHELA (servant.)

This unlikely duo sets out across the Hind, each following his own, private Quest: for Kim it's a red bull on a green field which will make his fortune; for the Lama it's a special river which will grant him ultimate peace. Mutually dependent for philosophical wisdom and street smarts, for physical sustenance and moral enlightenment, the pair encounters many strangers and surprising allies on their journey, discreetly underscored by Her Majesty's desire to learn the disposition of certain Rajahs and devious foreigners. No one can be trusted in this land of passion and self-gratification, but there is a legitimate need for an accurate Survey of the subcontinent.

Rudyard Kipling's background and journalistic experiences in India--"the Jewel in the Crown"--provide vivid inspiration and exhaustive detail for this tapestry of a multi-cultured nation in political bondage. He endows his young protagonist (aged 12-16) with many endearing qualities, but never permits him to forget that he was a Sahib--with a duty to the Great Game of international and internal espionage. Kim forms several unique friendships as he tramps the Grand Trunk, the dusty plains even into the high Hills. To be sure he acquires a formal, Sahib's education, but it is on the road as a willing wayfarer that he accumulates diverse skills in native arts.

Whethere he wants this destinyor not young Mister Kim O'Hara is
being trained--not as a soldier--but as a chain man for the prestigious Ethnological Survey. Kipling blends narration with clever dialogue, action with introspective reflection, as old man and boy seek their individual paths in life. Kim represents the best of both (or multiple) worlds--enthusiastically dedicated to her Majesty's illustrious service. A children's classic to be enjoyed by all ages.

(April 4, 2012. I welcome dialogue with teachers.)
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Mar 26, 2013 Lily rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Recommended to Lily by: The Victorians Board

Shelves: kindle

First, read the reviews of Benjamin Duffy and Laurie King below. Both give Kim 5 star ratings, both reviews are excellent. Little need for me to repeat, and they add information I knew not.

Second, I don't add very many five star books to my collection. So, why did this one pass the threshold? Maybe I am weak after spending so many weeks on Dante's Commedia. Maybe it was the surprising contrast with Charlotte Brontë's Shirley or even Gaskell's North and South, each recent or current reads -- wit...more

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Jan 14, 2013 Elizabeth Campbell rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I got a lot out of Kim.
I have been trying to read this since junior high school.

The story is so dense with local time/place culture: social/religious status relationships and innuendos; jargon concerning clothing, caste, slurs, ... there were words and references to things I didn't know existed. I couldn't have gotten through the book without the notes.

There’s a lot of controversy about whether or not Kipling had an imperialist agenda, was he or was he not derogatory towards women, etc. I didn...more

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Dec 29, 2012 Phillip Ozdemir rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

"It is but foolishness to search for truth with an instrument as limited as the intellect..." Swami Vishnudevananda, The Complete Illustrated Book of Yoga

Kim may initially be deciphered by the intellect, but its impact will be felt much deeper in the soul almost immediately thereafter in much the way a revelation is. Kim is much more than a book. It is an initiation document into higher realms of spiritual consciousness which cannot be experienced by the intellect. It serves to open chakras of w...more

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Dec 07, 2012 Garth rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: adventure, exceptional-book, drama, fiction, undefinable

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. Kim (Kimball O'Hara)is the orphaned son of an Irish soldier and a poor white mother who have both died in poverty. Living a vagabond existence in India under British rule in the late 19th century, Kim earns his living by begging and running small errands on the streets of Lahore. He occasionally works for Mahbub Ali, a Pashtun horse trader who is one of the native operatives of the British secret service. Kim is so immersed in the local culture, few realise he is a white child, though he carries...more Kim (Kimball O'Hara)is the orphaned son of an Irish soldier and a poor white mother who have both died in poverty. Living a vagabond existence in India under British rule in the late 19th century, Kim earns his living by begging and running small errands on the streets of Lahore. He occasionally works for Mahbub Ali, a Pashtun horse trader who is one of the native operatives of the British secret service. Kim is so immersed in the local culture, few realise he is a white child, though he carries a packet of documents from his father entrusted to him by an Indian woman who cared for him.

Kim befriends an aged Tibetan Lama who is on a quest to free himself from the Wheel of Things by finding the legendary 'River of the Arrow'. Kim becomes his chela, or disciple, and accompanies him on his journey. On the way, Kim incidentally learns about parts of the Great Game and is recruited by Mahbub Ali to carry a message to the head of British intelligence in Umballa. Kim's trip with the lama along the Grand Trunk Road is the first great adventure in the novel.

By chance, Kim's father's regimental chaplain identifies Kim by his Masonic certificate, which he wears around his neck, and Kim is forcibly separated from the lama. The lama insists that Kim should comply with the chaplain's plan because he believes it is in Kim's best interests, and the boy is sent to a top English school in Lucknow. The lama funds Kim's education. Throughout his years at school, Kim remains in contact with the holy man he has come to love. Kim also retains contact with his secret service connections and is trained in espionage (to be a surveyor) while on vacation from school by Lurgan Sahib, at his jewellery shop in Simla. As part of his training, Kim looks at a tray full of mixed objects and notes which have been added or taken away, a pastime still called Kim's Game, also called the Jewel Game.

After three years of schooling, Kim is given a government appointment so that he can begin his role in the Great Game. Before this appointment begins however, he is granted time to take a much-deserved break. Kim rejoins the lama and at the behest of Kim's superior, Hurree Chunder Mookherjee, they make a trip to the Himalayas. Here the espionage and spiritual threads of the story collide, with the lama unwittingly falling into conflict with Russian intelligence agents. Kim obtains maps, papers, and other important items from the Russians working to undermine British control of the region. Mookherjee befriends the Russians under cover, acting as a guide and ensures that they do not recover the lost items. Kim, aided by some porters and villagers, helps to rescue the lama.

The lama realizes that he has gone astray. His search for the 'River of the Arrow' should be taking place in the plains, not in the mountains, and he orders the porters to take them back. Here Kim and the lama are nursed back to health after their arduous journey. Kim delivers the Russian documents to Hurree, and a concerned Mahbub Ali comes to check on Kim. The lama finds his river and achieves Enlightenment. The reader is left to decide whether Kim will henceforth follow the prideful road of the Great Game, the spiritual way of Tibetan Buddhism, or a combination of the two. Kim himself has this to say: "I am not a Sahib. I am thy chela."
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Sep 16, 2012 Deirdre rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

This is a book I read many years ago and enjoyed, and I think being a teenager helped my enjoyment. Re-reading as an adult, and with more knowledge of the world changes my view a bit, though a lot of the issues I had were more to do with the era of the book rather than the actual story itself.

Yes there are very few female characters of note. Yes it's a time when the British Raj were in charge in India and one of their major issues was the possible incursion of Russia or France (or Russia and Fra...more

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Aug 08, 2012 Melissa rated it 1 of 5 stars · review of another edition

You know those books that you know from the very first page, you’re going to love it… this wasn’t that. You know those other books that start out slow and it takes you awhile, but soon you find yourself hooked? Nope, this was not one of those either.

In fact, I made it through the entire book without every really feeling invested in any way, shape or form. I persevered only because I started it a few months ago and gave it up, then restarted it, convinced I’d get through it. It’s one of Kipling’...more

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Jul 29, 2012 Tamhack rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

This was a book of espionage, mystery, and the differences of people. It was good to read about the culture of India. Kipling is good at painting a picture of India during the late 1800s and early 1900s. At first it was hard to understand what was happening with all the native vernacular-thank goodness my copy had an index of words. It did show the attitude of the white (Shahib)/Bristish toward the natives and the natives towards the Shahibs.

I like the advice that the Lama gives to Kim-- when h...more

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Jul 11, 2012 James rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: literature

I tried to read Kim a while back and didn’t get very far. For some reason (perhaps I was just distracted) I couldn’t get into it. The first quarter of the book requires patience. Kipling employs a very direct, pared down sort of narration that can be a bit jarring at first. Novelty is thrown at you very casually and often in high quantities. The full richness of 19th Century India is spread out and unfolded in this narrative in a colossal effort of description. I have no idea how Kipling managed...more I tried to read Kim a while back and didn’t get very far. For some reason (perhaps I was just distracted) I couldn’t get into it. The first quarter of the book requires patience. Kipling employs a very direct, pared down sort of narration that can be a bit jarring at first. Novelty is thrown at you very casually and often in high quantities. The full richness of 19th Century India is spread out and unfolded in this narrative in a colossal effort of description. I have no idea how Kipling managed to learn and amass so much information, even if he did live in India for a good part of his life. It’s just staggering.

Nevertheless, the narrative is sometimes hard to follow; much of the story involves dialogue, and often people just appear and they say important things but because you can’t immediately place them in the context you miss the importance. I doubt you can read this book once and really absorb its contents. In fact, I definitely don’t feel as though I absorbed nearly enough to write a good review, but I’m going ahead anyway, if only to share how much the story moved me.

Basically, in rough outline, the story centers around a quest: first there’s Kim, the eponymous main character; he’s an Irish orphan living on the streets in India; he’s brilliant but has had no formal education; everything he knows he’s picked up from the street, and one wonders whether he is not better off as a consequence. At the beginning of the story he meets a Lama who is searching for a river that he believes will wash away his sins and finally set him free of the wheel of life. Kim also believes his destiny is wrapped up in a dream he’s had of a Red bull on a green field. The lama and Kim join together, with Kim becoming his chela, or disciple, and setting out with the Lama to find his fabled river. And so the story starts off, and soon Kim, because of his craftiness and intelligence, is enlisted into the clandestine ring of espionage propping up British rule(known aptly as the Great Game) by a local horse dealer; this gets him in contact with British officials who send him to school so he can be trained to be a surveyor. Halfway through the book we see how Kim, who has become quite close to the Lama, is torn between his drive to be immersed in the business of espionage, a job he seems made for, and his role as chela. It is a really touching story, one that opens upon so many human dimensions, both spiritual and social.

At the heart of the whole thing is the story of a friendship, and it’s a story like no other I’ve read. The relationship between Kim and the Lama is unbelievably moving; they both care about each other so much, and while Kim, who never quite sees the world the way the Lama does, recognizes the Lama’s spiritual nobility and understands the power of being guided by a higher cause, he is still very much compelled by his earthly needs and ambition. The Lama seems to represent a mental world that most of us feel is barred to us; we see the Lama as Kim does but never get close enough to understand his world. Kim also plays the moral valet occasionally (and humorously) when the Lama forgets his worldly existence and simply stands on principle, or gives out charms to appease people that are annoying him. The relationship between the two is both uplifting and edifying, something that displays the redemptive power of companionship and mutual respect.

And surrounding this friendship and great quest is a thriving, magnificent world filled with tremendous spiritual and cultural depth. The India that Kipling depicts is so rich and layered, and full of colorful, interesting individuals, that sometimes it feels fantastical and surreal. So much is going on and one needs the adaptive pliancy of a Kim to understand it all and to minister to all of its various threads of existence.

I really can’t say much more. I’m sure an academic could go on and on about all the socio-political elements implicit in the story. But for me, the friendship between Kim and the Lama, and the existential quest for identity and freedom they undertake, proved the most meaningful.
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Mar 07, 2012 Smcleish rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Originally published on my blog here in June 1998.

Kipling's famous novel of British India, which made his name in the late nineteenth century, is still worth reading today. Kipling is rather out of favour today with the academic world; his work is routinely accused of racism. It's perhaps rather unfair to suggest this of Kipling; he was hardly as bad as many of the people of his own time, and Kim suggests considerable respect for many aspects of Indian culture.

Whatever else Kipling's book may be...more

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Feb 10, 2012 Ensiform rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: fiction, india

Kim, orphaned son of an Irish sergeant in the Indian Army, is brought up as an Indian street urchin. Fluent in Hindi and Pushtu, he is quick-witted and street-wise. When he becomes attached to a Tibetan lama searching for the River of Buddha’s Arrow, his life becomes intertwined with the Great Game --- England’s espionage network that safeguards British India.

This is a terrific novel: witty, suspenseful, rich in descriptions of forgotten or disappearing people and customs, and above all as compl...more

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Jan 24, 2012 Jerome rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: read-college

What a journey of a novel, another one of my all time top books. It is an entry from one of my favorite periods: Imperialist England, specifically Imperialist English rule of India. Perhaps I owe it to Orwell's Shooting An Elephant for getting me involved in this topic, but I often imagine being an Imperial Officer in India, with the frightful adventures coupled with multiple misunderstandings. Searching for the right path.

The story of Kim encapsulates the time period, providing perspective of a...more

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Jan 15, 2012 Mitch rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: literary-fiction

Well- I'm glad I finally read this since I've heard about it so many years, but I frankly liked the Jungle Books much better.

One weakness is Kipling's extensive use of Indian place-names, Hindu terminology and phrases that require regular recourse to a footnoted appendix. Yes, these things add color but also require breaking out of the story to discover it- too often.

Secondly, while Kim is an interesting character, he is a liar on a colossal scale. This is dressed up in deviousness and supposedl...more

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Oct 23, 2011 Maria Chiara rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

The novel Kim by Rudyard Kipling take place in India, under the British Empire. Kim, the protagonist, is a boy of Irish descent who is orphaned and grows up independently in the streets of India, taken care of by a “half-caste” woman, a keeper of an opium den. He grows up as a native person. He acquires the ability to seamlessly blend into the many ethnic and religious groups of the Indian subcontinent. Kim is known to his acquaintances as Friend of All the World. Kim meets a Tibetan lama a Budd...more

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