Kim ("Read Along" S.) (Adventure Classics, #7) (Cambridge Library Collection - Fiction and Poetry)

by Rudyard Kipling

'No summary can do this marvellous, rich and unforgettable novel anything like justice' Philip Pullman

Kim is an orphan who earns his living begging on the streets of Lahore. One day he befriends an aged Tibetan Lama who, although content to live simply in India, is a rich and powerful abbot in his own country. When the Lama recruits Kim as a disciple and then funds his education at an English public school an adventure begins that will take the unlikely pair to the Himalayas on a thrilling journey of espionage and enlightenment.

'The greatest of all Kipling's books' E. M. Forster

• ISBN10: 1409058514
• ISBN13: 9781409058519
• Publish Date: 30 September 2010 (first published 20 June 1901)
• Publish Status: Active
• Publish Country: GB
• Publisher: Vintage Publishing
• Imprint: Vintage Digital
• Format: eBook (EPUB)
• Pages: 320
• Language: English

Reviews

[Ace]

Meh. Probably would have enjoyed it more if I didn't struggle so much to understand what was happening in it!

[wyvernfriend]

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 France) from Afghanistan. But still this story of an Irish orphan being trained to do work for the powers that be as part of the Great Game played by people in order to manage the country. His ability to be different people helps the situation immensely.

I must say that as a kid I enjoyed the adventure but now I enjoyed the details and having just read the Skull Mantra the difference in acceptance of Tibetan monks and the casual way in which the imperial system is accepted as being for the "betterment" of the "natives" is an interesting look into the past.