So I may be unfair in saying this, but Kim by Rudyard Kipling is far from a sleeper pick... unless you mean you want to be snoring. I know I've said previously that I'm a picky reader, but I gave Kim more than a fair chance. I actually read the whole thing. What did I get out of it? All but the Red Badge of Courage. (That's another book for another day.)
What do I remember about the book? I remember Kim being some sort of go-between servant who does a bit of traveling by foot (if I'm actually remembering correctly). The book seemed to be set in colonial India, which has plenty of potential for richness in texture and interest for the reader, but I don't remember getting any such satisfaction out of the book. I'm sure I was just simply 'missing something.' Then again, sometimes readers and critics like to hype books for being 'so deep' when the author was actually unfocused and meandering without a real point, except for a point for the 'readers to discover.' In reality, this means the author forgot his/her original intent (if there was any!) and the author needed a cop-out phrase. Which brings me back to Kim.
A friend recently bought this book at a used book sale and I told him afterward that had I known he was going to buy the book, I would have told him to save his 30 cents- unless he was planning to use it as fire-starter.
I originally bought the book at Barnes and Noble because I respect the idea of reading classics. This is mainly due to my previous belief that being well-versed in classic literature was the key to nirvana. Which is probably why I made the mistake of reading Siddhartha by Hermann Hesse as well. Consider yourself cautioned... unless you're looking for material to bore you to tears or to bore you to sleep.
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