Indian Summer

The Secret History of the End of an Empire

Alex von Tunzelmann

Picador

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At the stroke of midnight on August 15, 1947, the British Empire withdrew from India, inviting in all the exhilaration and turmoil of a newly free society. In this vivid, atmospheric popular history, Alex von Tunzelmann chronicles these times through the most prominent figures: Dickie Mountbatten, Britain’s dashing, inept last viceroy; Dickie's savvy, glamorous wife, Edwina, who found the love of her life in Jawaharlal Nehru, India's new prime minister; Muslim leader Muhammad Ali Jinnah, and Mohandas Gandhi. Tunzelman's thrilling chronicle "removes the veil from the colorful personalities and events behind Inida's independence and partition with Pakistan" (The Washington Post).

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Chapter One

In Their Gratitude Our Best Reward

In the beginning, there were two nations. One was a vast, mighty and magnificent empire, brilliantly organized and culturally unified, which dominated a massive swath of the earth. The other was an undeveloped, semifeudal realm, driven by religious factionalism and barely able to feed its illiterate, diseased and stinking masses. The first nation was India. The second was England.

The year was 1577, and the Mogul emperors were in the process of uniting India.

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Reviews

Praise for Indian Summer

"A brilliantly vivid page-turner that captures the backstage dramas raging on the eve of India's independence."--Tina Brown

"Irreistible . . . A fascinating book that may well change how we look on the benighted world in which we live today."--Los Angeles Times

"[A] captivating group portrait, pulling forth the most telling details of each figure's inner life. . . . To have turned an era of such significance and continuing relevance into a page-turner, to both entertain and educate, is an an admirable accomplishment."--San Francisco Chronicle
 
"A fascinating behind-the-scenes account of the breakup of British rule in India."--NPR's Fresh Air

"[Von Tunzelmann] keeps us riveted. . . . [She] has a fine knack for teasing out the play of personality in momentous events."--Houston Chronicle

"Von Tunzelman is witty, erudite, and thoughtful about her subject. . . . An oppinionated and sardonic writer, [she] is perfectly willing to take on both saints and heroes."--The Christian Science Monitor

"Scintillating . . . compelling narrative history, combining dramatic sweep with dishy detail."--Publishers Weekly (starred review)

"This is history as multiple, interconnected biography. . . . Indian Summer achieves something both simpler and rarer, placing the behavior and feelings of a few key players at the center of a tumultuous moment in history."--The New York Times Book Review

"Stirring . . . brisk . . . absorbingly readable."--Fortune

 

 

Reviews from Goodreads

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Su  rated it  
Jan 8, 2012
Wow, this book is a real eye-opener. Gives tons of insight into the long-standing, seemingly never-to-end, India-Pakistan conflict, the whys and wherefores of India's sometimes-affinity and sometimes-disparagement of English/American wishes and values. The English rule over India ended just a few ...more
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Chrissie  rated it  
Oct 19, 2011
Concerning spoilers: this is a history book. I DO talk about India's history. If you consider that a spoiler, read no more. For me, reading the facts several times only helps to cement them into my head.

I loved this book from beginning to end. If you want a fiction that is light, do not ...more
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Bala  rated it  
Sep 19, 2011
A surprisingly well written book that chronicles the lives of a few players who were instrumental in the independence of India and Pakistan.

It seems as if the material for the book was mainly derived from the tons of letter written by Lord and Lady Mountbatten and Jawaharlal Nehru. As suc ...more
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About the Author

Alex von Tunzelmann

Alex von Tunzelmann was educated at Oxford and lives in London. Indian Summer is her first book.

Alex Von Tunzelmann

Alex Von Tunzelmann

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Available Formats and Book Details

Indian Summer
The Secret History of the End of an Empire
Alex von Tunzelmann

Trade Paperback

Trade Paperback
Picador
September 2008
Trade Paperback
ISBN: 9780312428112
ISBN10: 0312428111
5 1/2 x 8 1/4 inches, 496 pages, Includes four black-and-white maps and sixteen pages black-and-white photographs
$18.00
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Hardcover

Learn more about this edition
Hardcover
Henry Holt and Co.
August 2007
Hardcover
ISBN: 9780805080735
ISBN10: 0805080732
6 1/8 x 9 1/4 inches, 416 pages, 1 8-pg. b&w insert
$30.00
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