Rating: 
Summary: Seeking a Red Bull and the River of the Arrrow
Review: "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 ulitmately, the hills.
Comfortable in various dialects and delighting in disguses and
urban pranks, Kim little realizes that Fate is grooming him for the Great Game (secret service to Great Britian). Indeed Kipling frequently uses the horse metaphor, with the boy as "the colt." Ignorant of his true heritage and birthright, this merry and resouceful 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 philosopical wisdom and street smarts, for phsyical sustenance and moral enlightenment, the pair encounters many stangers 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 jounalistic 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. For young Mister O'Hara is being trained--not as a soldier--but as a chain man for the prestigious Ethnological Survey. Kipling blends narration with clever dialgoue, 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.
Rating: 
Summary: when east and west do meet
Review: Rudyard Kipling's reputation fell for awhile because many critics interpreted him as a mere apologist for empire. Recent criticism has reviewed his work in new light and has found his work, both stories and Kim, to be much more ambivalent about the relationship between ruler and ruled than traditional opinion held it to be. Traditional critics have often interpreted the ending of novel to portray Kim as having defintively chosen the English side of his English/Indian duality. Such interpretaion makes it seem Kipling himself thought that the English way was the better. Some of the postcolonial literary theorists , however, find no resolution of Kims character in the end of the novel but interpret the ending as just another indication of Kims ongoing ambivalence as he straddles two very distinct cultures. Perhaps only in the interior worlds of characters like Kim do the east and the west meet. Such a reading makes the experience of reading the book a much less resolved and so richer one. Also the stories are full of a similar ambivalence about English rule in India. Kipling often employs invented narrators who are used ironically to comment on the action of the stories being told. Some reviewers interpret the invented narrators views to be Kiplings own, a mistake which leads to simplified readings of the stories which are full of unresolved and contradictory elements. Kipling as shown by the careful readings of postcolonial critics was a much more complex character than he was traditionally thought to be and whose fiction refelects his own complex ambivalence toward the English presence in India.
Rating: 
Summary: Challenging but compelling
Review: I have to admit, I struggled for the first 4 or so chapters. I was about to give up, mostly because of the foreign vernacular and customs. But I hung in there and ended up becoming totally absorbed. The adventure and intrigue kept me turning the pages late into the night. The imagery was rich and exotic. Although the difficult reading often frustrated me, causing me to re-read sections because I worried I was missing something, the language also added to the richness of the story. One recommendation: if you don't "get" something right away, don't get too hung up on it because you will probably end up figuring it out. Keep going because it'll develop over time. It's a totally unique story with unique characters, made even more interesting by the history it is based on. In the end I was disappointed it was over. If you're willing to have a little patience, I would recommend it.
Rating:
Summary: A wonderfully told tale..........
Review: Rudyard Kiplings' "Kim" is so utterly enchanting it, in some ways, defies description. It is a tale of personal growth, filial love, and the joy of life set amidst the Indian sub-continent in the time of the British Raj. Kim O'Hara, an orphaned Sahib, cunning and street-wise, and of India in all but blood, embarks upon a journey with a Tibetan lama in search of spiritual cleansing. Kim matures under the lama's patient guidance and, in turn, gives his heart to his mentor. The two support each other unconditionally through the passages they both must make. In time, Kim's parentage and talents are "discovered" by the British and he is drafted and trained to be a participant within the Great Game; a political battle between Russia and Britain for control of Central Asia. Lama and student seek their disparate goals together as they traverse the plains of India, hike Himalayan foothills, and discourse along the way. I found myself completely rapt by the book and longing to return to it. The characters are splendidly wrought and the descriptions of India and its' people enthralling. Though previous reviews tell of difficult reading, I found it nothing of the sort. One must orient themselves to the vernacular employed, but this isn't in any way trying for those attuned to historical reading. Some previous knowledge of the Great Game and the British Raj would also be helpful. Be that as it may, with remarkable ease the reader is absorbed and transported by this tale to wander India, late 19th century, with Kim and his Tibetan holy man amidst the intrigue of colonial rivalry and the mysticism of Eastern belief. Rudyard Kiplings' "Kim" has rightfully earned a place among my favorite novels of all time. There is no higher praise by which I might recommend it.
Rating: 
Summary: This book gave me cramps in my brain.
Review: Please! I thought kipling was supposed to be a good author.. Until I read Kim. I cannot comprehend why anyone would enjoy or have any desire to read a piece of utter (...) like this. In the first chapter I got bored. In the second chapter my mind wandered. By the fifth chapter I was having convulsions. By the tenth chapter I was having a severe epileptic seisure and was experiencing demonic posession of some type.. Ok, well maybe it wasn't that bad, but this book is a disgrace to reputable literature. If books had odors this one would be a heap of fertilizer in the hot July sun. I've read some other Kipling books and they were decent, but this bag of cat droppings gave me mental cramps and contortions. I'm hemorraghing here! Help! Save me from this (...)...
Rating:
Summary: Thrilling Tale
Review: This wonderful adventure story gives a vivid view of 19th Century India under British rule. It is the thrilling tale of an orphaned boy who becomes a secret agent. The skillful craftsmanship and acute insight that characterizes Kipling's work are especially apparent in this classic novel.--Diana Dell, author, "A Saigon Party: And Other Vietnam War Short Stories."
Rating:
Summary: A captivating clasic of Indian Literature
Review: Kim is probably one of the best books ever written on India and certainly within the league of E.M.Forster and Paul Scott. This little treasure describes India with a love and power of observation that is absolutely captivating and charming at the same time. Kim is a rogue like Huck Finn and Oliver Twist. He is the man for all opportunities and is called the "Friend of all Mankind". He is neither Hindu nor Muslim, he is neither Buddhist nor Christian. Given his background as the orphan son of a Irish military man and a local girl he is a little bit of everything. In Kim Kipling personifies all the good of Inida while playing down the contrasts, in particular the religious one; he shows us what India would have been like in an ideal situation of mutual tolerance. Apart from these philosophical considerations, Kim is simply a very well written book. Every passage betrays Kiplings background as a poet and sometimes passages really need to be reread for their beauty. His observations are striking and one realises from time to time that it is not the writers imagination about a period long gone; he was actually part of that period. One thing Kim is not: a childrens book. Like Siddharta ,a child may be the main character, but the book is far to philosophical and aimed observing intricate human behaviour to be of much interest to children. I would even maintain that Kim should not be the first book to read about India. However, one of the best reads I had in a long time.
Rating:
Summary: Where is the plot?
Review: If you want to read a book where there is no plot, no action and no humor look no further than Kim. Too bad Kipling spent so many years writing this novel. Just So Stories and the Jungle Book are childhood favorites of mine, Kim just lacks that charming quality in this adult novel. Think Huck Finn meets Pip set in India with no where to go and nothing to do.
Rating:
Summary: A danger for children trying to get a taste for reading!
Review: Do not ever commend this book to a child, he'll hate reading!. The worst classic I've ever read. Whatever imagination there's in this book I see as artificial, I had the feeling through all the reading that the author was grinding on through the writing, toiling to imagine situations. Kipling probably had a good experience of India, so exotic to western eyes, and he probably thought "I have to write a novel about this fascinating country, I don't know how I'll manage but I'll invent something by hook or by crook" and so it came out so artificial. The book has besides all kind of simplistic morals: it's unimaginatively religious, moralizing on how "a good boy" must be, and to cap it all it makes a ferocious defense of the most moth-eaten messianic imperialism. Another demerit to the novel is that its characters behave in a way that seemed to me incoherent, the lama and Kim both take some decisions that don't fit them at all. In Spain we say "¡Un Peñazo!", i.e.: A bore!. I have to admit though that it gives you a good knowledge of some basic aspects of Buddhism. If this is supposed to be his best work, how much worse the others must be?
Rating:
Summary: entertaining book
Review: Kipling at its best. A joy to read. But some words and customs about India, may be too difficult for average U.S. reader. I beleive an Indian or a Briton can enjoy this book more. If you really want to understand India, without political correct filter , you will love this book.
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