Rating: 
Summary: A classic Raj era tale
Review: A classic Raj era tale
Rating: 
Summary: Stunningly Overrated
Review: Am I missing something here? Apparently. I found Kipling's writing extremely stilted and archaic, in a bad way (not in a say, Shakespeare way). The characters were one-dimensional, and the plot was heaped with deus-ex-machinas. I had to struggle to get through every page, and force myself to read a designated amount each night in order to finish it (it took me almost a week, and it's not a long book). The writing is filled with colloquialisms and foreign expressions, and I had to constantly flip to the Endnotes to decipher the code, which was extremely inconvenient. I did learn something about India and its history, and I can't wait to read a better novel on the subject.
Rating: 
Summary: If you're capable of thinking try this out.
Review: I first read this book-or tied to-when I was 10. Having already read "Nicholas Nickleby" and enjoyed it I hadn't expected "Kim" to be too hard. Halfway through the book I had to give up in disgust- it was too deep for me. Later on I came to love the book.It flung me into colonial India with all its native intrigue and wonder. We follow the journeys of an eleven year old boy,Kim or "Friend of all the World", a white brought up among the natives. We watch him travel around India with an old lama who becomes something like a fatherto KIm. The book is jam-packed with characters that will dazle you but that are still believable. People complain of the jargon Kipling uses; to me it was an added beauty, it made the atmosphere more tangible. Another thing I loved was the habit Kipling has of inserting verses before some chapters.At first you might not understand the relevance of the verse but the time you've finished the chapter you'll get it. This is a book that deserves to be respected, but also to be actally thought about, too.You have to have a certain amount of patience. Once you get over that, this book will enthrall you.
Rating:
Summary: A Great Book
Review: I loved the imagery in Kim. The vivid representation of live in India under the British, although idealized, creates a reading experience that surpasses most of Kiplings writing. The way in which he represented the clash of cultures and religions was well done although skewed by Kiplings own beliefs. Through these clashes Kim takes an image of its own, both beautiful as well as insightful.
Rating:
Summary: better than you're giving it credit for
Review: if you've taken remedial english classes all through school (or the parts of which you finished, at least), then you shouldnt be surprised when you're confused by words longer than 6 letters or those which havent been used for a couple hundred years or so. The plot's only boring if you don't pay attention, and hey- don't get mad 'cause kim went to school in the middle of the book- it's supposed to be somewhat like kiplings life ( read the short story Baa Baa Black sheep, you'll see ). it's not about a little british boy overcoming India either. there's nothing british about kim but his blood, and if you can't see past that, you're more racist than you accuse kipling of being. I loved the book. I found the plot adventurous, the protagonist easily likeable, and the vernacular not too confusing- for what it was (and I read it in my junior year of public high school). I also thought the characters weren't just stereotypes. (by the way, you shouldn't presume to know more about a culture you've never experienced than a writer who had spent his life immersed in it.) in short, if you have any sense of adventure, you'll be in love with this book. if, however, your eyes rarely leave the confines of this computer screen, the entire book may be a wholly foreign and confusing thing to you.
Rating:
Summary: a mild but quite thorough story of initiation:
Review: Kim is honestly a fun book. This is not to say that there aren't lapses, tedious mirings that swirl around the overall ebullient excitment, but these stem more from an excess of the author's wordplay than from anything else. The story is on the surface rather quaint: Orphaned British tyke grows up alone in India, has the internal wits and capacity to learn basic survival skills and has the ambition and sense of humor to make something of a name for himself. From there he meets a 'holy man'--not one in the traditional sense of Western (or even Eastern) literature, but here is more of a true seeker, someone not pulled down by the conventions of organized religiousosity, but one moreso looking for a one-on-one understanding of God. There is a great deal of subtle and transmogrified mythologizing--the traditional fables bowled over by reality, the high, idealistic hopes often stunted in birth by more rational and everyday life concerns. Kim, street-smart and wise before his time, is fascinated by the holy man's honesty and feels some compelling need to accompany the man on his random journies.Kim is the story of two journies, certainly the holy man's as well as Kim's own, the reckoning with cultural identity and the east/west clash in a time of subterfuge and war. It is really a quite powerful story, dulled down at times by the author's seemingly ceaseless wonder, but for a tale marketed as being about a white European lost in the maze of turn-of-the-century India, there is a great deal that is very contemporary and an enormous amount of action and even betrayal. Give it a go and read it to your kids. There are many valuable life lessons Kipling makes an attempt to teach and many wrong paths he explains to us all about taking.
Rating:
Summary: a mild but quite thorough story of initiation:
Review: Kim is honestly a fun book. This is not to say that there aren't lapses, tedious mirings that swirl around the overall ebullient excitment, but these stem more from an excess of the author's wordplay than from anything else. The story is on the surface rather quaint: Orphaned British tyke grows up alone in India, has the internal wits and capacity to learn basic survival skills and has the ambition and sense of humor to make something of a name for himself. From there he meets a 'holy man'--not one in the traditional sense of Western (or even Eastern) literature, but here is more of a true seeker, someone not pulled down by the conventions of organized religiousosity, but one moreso looking for a one-on-one understanding of God. There is a great deal of subtle and transmogrified mythologizing--the traditional fables bowled over by reality, the high, idealistic hopes often stunted in birth by more rational and everyday life concerns. Kim, street-smart and wise before his time, is fascinated by the holy man's honesty and feels some compelling need to accompany the man on his random journies. Kim is the story of two journies, certainly the holy man's as well as Kim's own, the reckoning with cultural identity and the east/west clash in a time of subterfuge and war. It is really a quite powerful story, dulled down at times by the author's seemingly ceaseless wonder, but for a tale marketed as being about a white European lost in the maze of turn-of-the-century India, there is a great deal that is very contemporary and an enormous amount of action and even betrayal. Give it a go and read it to your kids. There are many valuable life lessons Kipling makes an attempt to teach and many wrong paths he explains to us all about taking.
Rating: 
Summary: Chapter 1 has 99 footnotes!
Review: Maybe this is the way things were done a hundred years ago, but today, this book wouldn't get past the first reviewer. (Nor should it.) Read it for historical purposes, to see how bad novels used to be.
Otherwise, I recommend Laurie R. King's "The Game", instead -- or anything by her, for that matter. "The Game" follows Sherlock Holmes and wife Mary Russell in search of Kim, 30 years later.
Rating:
Summary: Kim- A friend To All The World
Review: Other reviewers are correct when they complain that this book is extremely difficult to read; it is however brilliant. You need a map of India and some knowledge of the Indian caste system to truly understand it. I had the map but admit that Kipling's use of slang when referring to certain characters was maddenning. The odd assortment of charcters are great but Kim is the star of the show. Kim, an orphaned son of Anglo parents, is raised on the streets of Lahore where he befriends an old Tibetan Lama. Kim accompanies the Lama on his serach for a mystical river. Along the way they come across the regiment in which Kim's Father served. Kim is adopted by the regiments two chaplains who turn Kim over to Colonel Creighton who runs a sophisticated spy system. Kim is sent to an English speaking Catholic school.The allure of the road to Kim is too enticing and during school holidays Kim goes on adventures with the likes of his friend the part time Afgahn horse trader and part time spy for the British. Kim completes his education both in the school and on the road and he becomes an important member of the spy system. Kim seems to benefit from the experience of everyone he touches and in turn evereyone Kim encounters seem to be better off by the experience. His relationship with the lama is truly special and transforms Kim from street urchin into a compassionate young man whose strength keeps the Lama alive as they travel the Himalayas. Kim is a truly delightful book if you are up to the challenge.
Rating:
Summary: Splendid
Review: Rudyard Kipling has become somewhat of a controversial figure in today's politically correct and overwrought world. His notions of the White Man's Burden and the civilizing mission of England (and America) are well-known and often cited as evidence of a racist mindset and disposition. To be sure, like all people, Kipling was not perfect and held his fair share of prejudice. KIM, however, serves to bring out the basic humanity in Kipling's character. It is certainly one of his best works, if not the best. Kipling's great knowledge and love of India and its people shine through every page as do his way with words, his story-telling ability, and his cerebral depth. It is no wonder that KIM is the much-admired and favourite book of countless literary and political figures, both Indian and otherwise.
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