Freedom at Midnight, Larry Collins
Freedom at Midnight, Larry Collins
15 Rating(s)
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Freedom at Midnight

Author: Larry Collins, Dominique Lapierre

Narrator: Frederick Davidson

Unabridged: 22 hr 34 min

Format: Digital Audiobook Download

Published: 05/01/1993

Synopsis

This is the story of the eclipse of the British Raj and the birth of an independent India and Pakistan. The fabled India of the maharajas, with their palaces and harems, their gold-caparisoned elephants and their glittering private armies—the India of Kipling’s legendary army, with its young British officers commanding troops of a dozen races, religions, and castes—the India of tiger hunts and pigsticking, of sadhus and holy men—the India that was the heart and soul of an empire—underwent a violent transformation into the new India of Gandhi and Nehru, precursor of the Third World. At the center of this drama are Nehru, Jinnah, Mountbatten and, of course, Gandhi, the gentle prophet of revolution, who stirred the masses of the most populous area on earth without raising his voice.

About Larry Collins

Larry Collins (1929–2005) was born and raised in West Hartford, Connecticut, and was a graduate of Yale University. He was for more than ten years a foreign correspondent in North Africa, the Middle East, and Europe, first for UPI and then for Newsweek, for which he was Paris bureau chief.

About Dominique Lapierre

Dominique Lapierre was for many years senior reporter and editor for Paris Match. He is the author of several earlier books published in France, some of them based on his knowledge of the United States, where he attended Lafayette College and where his father served with the French diplomatic service.

About Frederick Davidson

Frederick Davidson (1932–2005), also known as David Case, was one of the most prolific readers in the audiobook industry, recording more than eight hundred audiobooks in his lifetime, including over two hundred for Blackstone Audio. Born in London, he trained at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art and performed for many years in radio plays for the British Broadcasting Company before coming to America in 1976. He received AudioFile’s Golden Voice Award and numerous Earphones Awards and was nominated for a Grammy for his readings.

Reviews

Goodreads review by Mukesh on December 03, 2012

Very rarely comes a defining moment that changes history to the extent of being un-recognizable and very rarely comes a book that changes your life, perceptions and everything that you presumed to be true once and for all. Independence of India was the defining moment in modern India and this book b......more

Goodreads review by Jibran on July 26, 2015

The saga of the Indian subcontinent’s independence from Britain and the creation of the states of India and Pakistan told through a collection of interrelated stories about major events and important figures that influenced the independence movement A case of interesting history writing that doesn’t......more

Goodreads review by Moomtaza on October 30, 2012

This is a terribly difficult book to rate. One the one hand, it will give the reader a profound sense of the tragedy of Indian partition upon independence in 1947. Ten million people were displaced in the border crossings that followed the creation of India and Pakistan. The loss of life is epic and......more

Goodreads review by Piyush on January 16, 2025

History's most grandiose accomplishments have the most banal of origins Freedom at midnight gives a comprehensive account of the last year of the crown rule in India and the rigid dichotomy between the 2 major religions viz. Hindu and Muslim ( written as 'Moslem' in the book) who not only molested an......more

Goodreads review by Aishah on April 24, 2012

The best book ever written on the birth of Pakistan as a nation. If you watch the movie Gandhi, and read this book, you have pretty much got the history of the time covered and a good understanding of the politics of the time. Millions of people died when Hindus marched from the north and Muslims ma......more

Quotes

“There is no single passage in this profoundly researched book that one could actually fault. Having been there most of the time in question, I can vouch for the accuracy of its general mood. It is a work of scholarship, of investigation, research and of significance.” James Cameron, New York Times

“The song of India…illuminated like scenes in a pageant.” Time

“Thrilling…staggers the imagination.” Daily Mail (London)

“Magnificently enlightening and exciting.” National Observer

“The dialogue is convincing, the story is emotionally moving and it contains some of the best descriptions of battle I've read.” Time Out

“The text is crisply narrated by Frederick Davidson, whose British accent seems the appropriate voice for this splendid history.” Library Journal

“Davidson sounds like a whole cast of characters himself.”  Kliatt

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