Kim

By: Rudyard Kipling

Narrated by: Sam Dastor

Length: 11 hrs and 54 mins

Publisher's summary

Exclusively from Audible

Kipling's masterpiece Kim is his final and most famous work and one of the first and greatest espionage stories ever written. It explores the life of Kimball O'Hara, an Irish orphan who spends his childhood as a vagrant in Lahore. When he befriends an aged Tibetan lama his life is transformed as he is requested to accompany him on a mysterious quest to find the legendary River of the Arrow and achieve Enlightenment. The pilgrimage will take them across the vast continent, across rivers, and up the Himalayas.

While Kim wishes to take part in the imperialistic Great Game, learning espionage from the British secret service, he feels spiritually bound to the lama. Kim has a difficult choice to make: his companion or his country?

A rich and colourful depiction of India's exotic landscape and culture in the imperialistic world of the late 19th century, this audiobook celebrates their friendship and explores a young man's quest for identity.

Rudyard Kipling was an English journalist, short-story writer, poet, and novelist who was the first English language author to win the Nobel Prize in Literature. Some of his most memorable works include The Jungle Book and Just So Stories.

In 1998 Kim was ranked at Number 78 on the Modern Library's list of the 100 best English-language novels of the 20th century. In 2003 it was listed on the BBC's The Big Read poll of the UK's 'best-loved novel'.

Narrator Biography

A Cambridge graduate who trained at RADA under the direction of Sir Laurence Olivier, Sam Dastor has long featured on screen and stage. He is best known for The Life and Death of Peter Sellers (2004) and for twice portraying Gandhi in both Lord Mountbatten: The Last Viceroy (1986), and Jinnah (1998).Sam Dastor has starred in many West End productions with roles such as Ariel in The Tempest, and Orlando in As You Like It. His most recent work has included starring on stage at the Wolsey Theatre in A Midsummer Night’s Dream (2016). He has narrated a large catalogue of audiobooks including V.S. Naipaul’s A House for Mr Biswas.

Public Domain (P)2014 Audible, Inc.

Excellent, but....

Having heard rave reviews of this book, I was considering using this book to teach World History..... This is an excellent--absolutely wonderful--historical novel of India during the British period. The nuances of religious heterogeneity certainly are depicted.

HOWEVER, I doubt very few of my students would trudge through this. Unless you are truly a fan of the classics or are looking to improve your understanding of religious pluralism throughout the world, I would suggest you bypass this book.... but that is my own opinion.

In short, it's worth a read once. But not twice. And certainly not if you are an undergraduate with a million things on your plate.

Fantastic reader of a great novel

Sam Dastor is the perfect reader for this -- his careful and sensitive reading of so many different Indian voices is fantastic.

Perhaps one of the finest books ever written

What made the experience of listening to Kim the most enjoyable?

Sam Dastor's rendition

What did you like best about this story?

Sam Dastor's rendition

What does Sam Dastor bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?

Can't say because I haven't yet 'just read the book', but since you ask now there's a thought.

Did you have an extreme reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

Sheer enjoyment from beginning to end.

Any additional comments?

I first heard of Rudyard Kipling at prep school in 1959 from a classmate then living in Kipling's house. I saw the film 'Kim' with Dean Stockwell on TV, but never paid much attention. Since the advent of Kindle and now Audible.com I am rediscovering all those books I should have read when I was younger. At 64 I feel blessed to have listened to to this book before it was too late. Anyone who is interested in listening to books on or about India is strongly advised to do so by listening to Sam Dastor's rendition. It just doesn't get better than that.

Great title.

What a great title is it. I'll make sure to forward it to one of my friend to listen to it.

adventurous and spiritual

Kim by Rudyard Kipling Audible release narrated by Sam Dastor, is adventurous and also spiritual. This book is classic. Great listening as it is inspiring and gives thoughts to think about.

A boy becoming a man in a bygone era

As much story about a young boy whom the book is named after as a story about a llama, just as it is as much authentic at times as over the top at others. The narration could have done without overemphasizing the accents.
Entertaining on the whole.

better than reading the book

one of the few stories better heard than read. accents make the difference, immersive

Superb Voice work on all characters!

Would you listen to Kim again? Why?

I would listen to Kim again-I like the story and have read it several times - also the narrator is absolutely superb in capturing the accents and cadences of all characters.

What does Sam Dastor bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?

Perfect voicing of all characters.

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

Yes, but I haven't got that big a swath of time - so listening in chapters is just great.

Great Listen

Sam Dastor takes you on a great Indian adventure with this Rudyard Kipling classic. His vocalizations of the different characters are incredible. Kim, a young orphan in early British India travels the country with his mentor, a Tibetan lama. The book is essentially a narrative of their adventures while painting a colorful and informative picture of India prior to the full bloom of the British Raj.

Sam Dastor is a magician!

The story is wonderful but the performance by Sam Dastor is magical! His performance and the many voices and accents are amazing! I will be looking for more stories performed by him!