Saturday 12 September 2015

What I am loving about Kim so far

It's like the Jungle Books. I love how Rudyard Kipling portrays India. It's all in how he describes it, you can feel the weight of the air and smell all the different smells that combine in the atmosphere. It kind of makes me want to go and visit, but during the time that Kim was set.

There are some things in the book that make me sad. I know that the characters are not real and that I shouldn't spend too much time worrying about them, but I still do. It makes me sad because the Tibetan lama is desperate to find the river that he is looking for, and he wants to live a good life. But I get the feeling that he isn't going to find the river and that he will be disappointed.

I worry less about Kim. I sense that he will adapt to whatever events the book throws at him. I just hope it turns out well, because sometimes characters like him don't meet a happy end, and so although I don't worry as much I still worry.

Maybe I should have titled this post, things that Kim makes me worry about.

Friday 4 September 2015

Are you who you say you are?

Having been well and truly pulled into the tension and drama of A Murder is Announced by Agatha Christie, I am trying to work out who might not be all that they seem.

A comment that is made in the novel is that before the war (WW1) villages were full of people who all new each other and newcomers had to prove who they were. But now villages are made up of people who have come from all over the country and there is very little that can be done to prove that you are not who you say you are. So an easy time to steal an identity.

Looking forward to working out who is lying about their identity.

Wednesday 2 September 2015

India at the Time of the Raj

Four chapters in and I am enjoying getting to know a wide range of characters.

Kipling is brilliant at letting you see the emotions and motivations of his characters. Kim and the Tibetan lama have begun their journey. Kim to deliver a secret message about a horse to a British officer and the Tibetan lama to find a river that will help in his spiritual journey. The idea of war and the British rule in India is, as you would expect from a novel set at this time, a major theme so far. Kim talks about previous conflicts and potential conflicts in the future with those he meets on his journey. He gets a lot of different responses and opinions, some that are more obscure than others, but Kim gets to meet some colourful characters.

Looking forward to seeing what will happen next.