I Shall Not Hear the Nightingale. [Hardcover]

Khushwant Singh (Author)

Editorial Reviews

Review

“Mr. Singh has breathed mordant life into the stock characters of Indian family life--the dominant father, the superstitious mother, the student son, the docile daughter-in-law--and they will never be quite the same again. ... This book is, indeed, a tragedy about the lack of communication between human beings.”–New York Herald Tribune

Product Details

• Hardcover: 243 pages
• Publisher: Greenwood Press Reprint (January 31, 1969)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0837106583
• ISBN-13: 978-0837106588
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #5,210,005 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

8 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A deeply intimate look at a sikh family in turmoil, October 25, 2000

By 

haru (Ypsilanti, MI) - See all my reviews

This review is from: I Shall Not Hear the Nightingale. (Hardcover)

Khushwant Singh's genius is in plain view. This is a story of a Sikh family in the days before India's independence. The father is a minor official, a loyal servant of the British. The son is a hot blooded young revolutionary, but emotionally still a child. I Shall Not Hear The Nightingale gives the reader a window into the world of this family caught up in changing times and the turmoil they endure. It is a unique look at the relationship of the British masters with those Indians who were loyal to them, at the unravelling of that relationship, and at the heartbreaking devastation it brought to the families of Punjab.

This book is a must read for those interested in Indian history, culture, and psyche. All Britishers, Indians and Pakistanis should read it, as should students of the social impact of decolonization.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Khushwant is the man, November 29, 2002

By 

"dmtsymphony" (west vancouver, b.c. Canada) - See all my reviews

This review is from: I Shall Not Hear the Nightingale. (Hardcover)

Like Train to Pakistan, this book explores a side of Indias history that was very very painful. It is a towering achievement in storytelling, and is a compulsively readable book. Khushwant Singh is a well known Delhi based journalist who views India with an unflinching eye, and populates his stories with utterly believable characters and situations.There is much tragedy, and much humour throughout the book. Do not be surprised if you shed a tear reading this one.