Kim

Location & Checkout Length	Call Number	Checkout Length	Item Status
Malletts Adult A/V 4-week checkout	Adult BOCD / Fiction / General / Kipling, Rudyard	4-week checkout	Due 05-18-2024

Compact discs.
Unabridged.
"Includes Companion eBook"--Container.
"Sound Library"--Container.
Narrated by Sam Dastor.
Kim is the story of a sharp-witted boy who learns about life on the streets of Lahore in India. His friends from all walks of life call him "Friend of All the World." He meets and adopts a gentle old man from Tibet. The holy man takes the boy to be a chela--disciple--sent from heaven. But the authorities discover Kim, give him a Sahib's education, and at 16 years of age, enlist him into the Great Game--the dangerous world of British espionage, at which he excels.
PDF requires Adobe Reader.

COMMUNITY REVIEWS

best BOCD version of Kim at the AADL submitted by camelsamba on July 4, 2016, 11:07pm I started reading (listening to) this because Kim was mentioned in _Mrs. Pollifax and the Golden Triangle_ and I wanted a diversion from that series. The story of Kim was not what I was expecting - there's much more of Kim's interactions with his Lama than a focus on "the great game" (intrigue and spying). Also quite a lot about identity ("I am Kim. I am Kim. I am Kim"), friendship, and culture.

I initially listened to a different book on CD and that narrator did not change cadence or accent for the various characters, which sometimes made it hard to follow. By way of contrast, the reader for this version (Sam Dastor) was great! He actually leaves space between words - the other guy was rushing through as though in a race to finish. I was fascinated to notice that the readers had 2 different pronunciations in the very first paragraph! I wonder which was more authentic or accurate? Extra half star in my rating goes for the reader.

Listening to the story was valuable for me, but I might have benefitted from seeing names of people and places; it helps me keep them straight. (Example: the horse trader Mahbub Ali - I thought it was Mahkbubali or maybe Mark Bubali for at least 75% of the book, until my brain clicked on the Muslim / Ali connection.) After listening I think I need to read this in print to get a richer sense of the subtexts. Ideally, I'd read it with a map of the Indian subcontinent nearby. I wonder if there's an x-ray enabled Kindle version that also analyzes characters, cultural references, and religious symbolism for me? There must be so much that I missed. Would be better to read first then listen, or the other way around?