Author:Rudyard Kipling

Kipling's epic rendition of the imperial experience in India is also his greatest long work. Two men - Kim, a boy growing into early manhood, and the lama, an old ascetic priest - are fired by a quest. Kim is white, although born in India. While he wants to play the Great Game of imperialism, he is also spiritually bound to the lama and he tries to reconcile these opposing strands. A celebration of their friendship in an often hostile environment, Kim captures the opulence of India's exotic landscape, overlaid by the uneasy presence of the British Raj.
Contains an introduction by Harish Trivedi placing the novel in its literary and social context. Also includes notes, chronology, further reading, a General Preface by the series editor Jan Montefiore and Edward Said's famous introduction from the previous Penguin Classics edition as an appendix.
Unbearably thrilling and romantic...full of Verne's gentle humour
—— Daily MailAmong the deep-sea volcanoes, shoals of swirling fish, giant squid and sharks, Captain Nemo steers the Nautilus. Nemo is the renegade scientist par excellence, a man madly inventive in his quest for revenge
—— Sunday TelegraphA tale of terror, suspense and wonder
—— GuardianFabulous...the pace is sharp and the story as dramatic and engaging as ever
—— Daily ExpressVerne's imagination has given us some of the greatest adventure stories of all time
—— Daily MailOne of the books I have read and re-read with unfailing pleasure and interest is Jules Verne's 'Twenty Thousand Leagues Under The Sea.... Verne's novel entranced me. I was in love with Captain Nemo, the brooding cultured misanthrope of the deeps, who combined the romantic qualities of Heathcliff and Byron with the ruthlessness of Macbeth
—— Margaret Drabble , IndependentEngrossing - compassionate and tense.
—— New York TimesThe book is a fantastically entertaining and witty read, following the lives of three young women, Caroline, Gregg, and April working on the New York publishing scene as they search for love while trying to succeed in the metropolis ... the book's portrait of young women at a vibrant stage in their life, their excitement, fun, struggles and friendships in the city, is accurate and timeless. A fabulous summer novel best consumed poolside with a cigarette and martini
—— Lucy Greene , City A.M.There is an old-fashioned feeling to this readable and well-written novel
—— IndependentBoyne's twinning of the subjects of homosexuality and conscientious objection is inspired
—— MetroBoyne skillfully draws a thread through from sexual to moral to social shame... he tells a good story
—— Irish IndependentA really enjoyable, if rather sad, read, full of historical and human interest
—— Irish Sunday IndependentFelix Quinn, the narrator of the book...explains it beautifully - and this is a very good novel... Feeling unsafe makes him feel alive. And loss, of course, is the wellspring of good storytelling
—— Evening StandardThe Act of Love is an ambitious and at times extremely uncomfortable novel
—— The TelegraphIt is an almost frighteningly brilliant achievement. Why did the Booker judges not recognise it?
—— The GuardianThis is a very good novel
—— ScotsmanJacobson's 10th novel is a moving, thought-provoking and darkly witty story of desire and love
—— Irish Times






