Kim

This is Kipling's best novel. The story is set in colonial India, in the years just before 1900. It takes place mostly in the Punjab. Kim is an Irish boy who has grown up in the streets and roads of India. He speaks Hindi and Urdu like a native. He also speaks English, but like a foreign language. He can take on the character of a Hindu boy or a Muslim boy just by changing his clothes.Kim discovers that some of the men that he admires are spies for the British government. He's attracted to that lifestyle. He also meets an old lama from Tibet who he admires for his tenacity and philosophy. He's torn between two directions. The rest of the story is about his struggle between these two directions. It's a compelling story and one that is easy to follow.

very good and interesting read

There is a lot going on here and the author doesn't dumb any of it down. A person must read between the lines. But this is a great story. A great read and even better to listen to.

But text from the original has been omitted even from the start of the first chapter and whilst it may be my lack of knowledge on the subject the illustrations seem to have little to do with the actual subject matter of the story.....It's by no means unreadable but I've ended up buying a different edition.

If you have never read this you have missed a wonderful experience. If you have, read it again to remind you what a great writer Kipling was