The protagonist of this novel - like the author - is an English boy raised as a native of India. Kipling tells this story with the thoughtful prose he's loved for, weaving a rich tapestry of the Indian cities and countryside the boy encounters on his travels. In the end, KIM (Airmont Publishing Co., .50) is more than a story about a boy and adventure; it is a dynamic achievement in East-West relations.

Unfortunately the writing style and old vernacular detracted from the enjoyment of the story. I just couldn't get comfortable with this style, and as a result lost much of the value of insight into India at the turn of the last century. A pity.

Read in private when time allows

The old standbys are always the best.

A great book by a great writer. I first read it 70 years ago and I think I enjoyed it just as much this time around. A classic coming of age story in the most exotic setting possible, Slum Dog Millionaire with a lot more class. I hope someday they will try again to make another movie following the book as closely as possible.

Kipling only wrote three novels, of which "Captains Courageous" is the most popular and "Kim" is the most acclaimed, earning a coveted spot on the Modern Library's best novels of the 20th century (# 78 with a bullet!). Kipling is problematic for the modern reader and even those who haven't read him probably know the despicable and oft quoted "White Man's Burden." To be fair, he was expressing a common sentiment, shared by no less than President T. Roosevelt. Yet there is more than a whiff of imperialism and the fading glory of the English empire around his books that the American reader may find hard to take. "Kim" is good and he works hard to understand and appreciate the India setting (Kipling was born there), as well as the "Great Game," but it's an old fashioned book that doesn't really deserve its spot on the best novels list. Made into a film with Errol Flynn. Fun fact: When Kipling married, Henry James gave away the bride. Apocryphal story: At the reception, James was overheard mumbling "White man's burden? Try inventing the 20th century novel jerk."

One of my favourite childhood reads. I wanted to be Kim