Larry Collins (1) (1929–2005)

A magnificent account of the last stage of India's struggle for independence, the compulsions that made the British (mainly Mountbatten) and the Indian leaders agree to partition, and its bloody aftermath. The account of Gandhi's last days is deeply understanding and profoundly moving, showing how deeply the authors have penetrated into the mind of India and its philosophical and religious well-springs. It is also a unique work, based as it is on face-to-face interviews and conversations show more with so many of the last remaining witnesses of the era: Mountbatten, definitely, but also a host of retired administrators, associates of the main leaders, ordinary people, and most surprisingly, the remaining members of the Hindutva group that carried out the assassination of the Mahatma. A massive book of over 700 pages, one has to finally drive through it with determination in order to keep the thread and reach the end; but the story is such a captivating one, keeping its interest however many times one reads about it, and told with such depth of understanding and personal knowledge, that one is borne along by the narrative, even to the extent of reading all the Notes at the back (something which I have rarely managed with other such tomes). show less

This book is an old classic and I am surprised I had not read it until now. The book is racy and well-paced. You won't find much analysis of the historical events. However, what you get is a fast-paced but biased narration of the events of those fateful years.

The authors appear to be glamour-struck by Mountbatten. Most other books I have read do not portray him in a flattering light.

The sections and detailed narration of Mahatma Gandhi's assassination are good. I learned a few things when show more I read this part of the book.

Overall, I recommend this book but; it is not perfect. There are a few errors, I believe. show less

In 1947, the British empire, still devastated from its epic struggle against Hitler's Germany, began the unprecedented process of a global empire self-dismantling. The Indian subcontinent, and its partition into the modern nations of India and Pakistan, was the first and greatest jewel pried from the British crown; and its loss was not without equal measures heroism and villainy, tragedy and triumph.

Having read the authors's previous works "Is Paris Burning?" and "O Jerusalem," this was a show more natural pickup. The authors are skilled at teasing out the human element in great movements, and at painting the broad themes of history in small brushstrokes of personal recollections. "Freedom at Midnight" is no exception, even when the narrative thread (for me) got lost at times in the multiplying thicket of individual tales of savagery and horror from the Punjabi massacres. Even then, the oral histories collected and retained in this volume are invaluable artifacts of a unique time in human history, when both the brutality and the nobility of human nature found expression in a transition of power unrivaled in the annals of history. show less

Very interesting look at the very short period of time between the invasion of France by the Allies and the liberation of Paris. The initial plan was to bypass the city to end the war more quickly. Bold work by DeGaulle and resistance inside the city (both communists and Gaullists) altered that plan.

The book is a compilation of hundreds of stories chronologically put together to tell the big story and many of the small stories of triumph and heartbreak that make life so real. Great insight show more into a time that many have forgotten. show less