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Oct 04, 2014lukasevansherman rated this title 3 out of 5 stars
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."