Freedom at Midnight (Paperback)

by Larry Collins (Author), Dominique Lapierre (Author)

Editorial Reviews

Review
'Magnificently enlightening and exciting.' -- National Observer, Washington

'The song of India...illuminated like scenes in a pageant.' -- Time Magazine, New York

'Thrilling...staggers the imagination.' -- Daily Mail --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Product Description
Fifty years ago, seconds after midnight on 14-15 August 1947, the Union Jack, emblazoned with the Star of India, began its final journey down the flagstaff of Viceroy's House, New Delhi. One fifth of humanity claimed their independence from the greatest empire history has ever seen. But 400 million people were to find that the price of freedom was partition and war, riot and murder.

In this new edition of their superb reconstruction of events at the time, Collins and Lapierre recount the eclipse of the fabled British Raj and examine the roles enacted by, among others, Mahatma Gandhi, Lord Mountbatten, Nehru and Jinnah in its violent transformation into the new India and Pakistan.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 576 pages
• Publisher: HarperCollins Publishers Ltd; 2nd edition (1997)
• ISBN-10: 0006388515
• ISBN-13: 978-0006388517
• Product Dimensions: 7.6 x 2.5 x 1.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 4.3 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars See all reviews (56 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #167,083 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

64 of 64 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars At the stroke of midnight ... when the world sleeps,, March 11, 2001

By	Jasleen Matharu - See all my reviews

This review is from: Freedom at Midnight (Paperback)

Larry Collins and Dominique Lapierre have managed to capture one of the most important years (1947) of world history in their book. Freedom at Midnight is possibly one of the most outrageously enthralling works of writing based on real events that I have ever read.

This book is an account of the year 1947 in context to the freedom of India from the British Raj. It opens on New Year's Day, 1947, London and takes the reader on a journey of significant events that lead to the independence of India. On the way, the reader is introduced to many brilliant characters who shaped up the history in that part of the world and have since left their mark that is still evident. The decisions made by these people defined the future of millions of people.

Freedom at Midnight is an intimate account of the reasoning of these historical figures that lead to the independence and division of India. Why did Prime Minister Clement Atlee who took office dedicated to break the Empire apart choose Louis Mountbatten, a member of the royal family to be the last viceroy of India? Why was he the man to administer India's freedom operation?

This book is one of the most intimate accounts of the most venerated figures in the world's history, Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi aka Mahatma Gandhi. His approach, position, attitude towards the British Raj, the Indian Congress, the political and social blueprint that he dreamed of the Independent India. And vice-versa. As the book flows like an epic, it gives detailed account of final days of Gandhi and who, why and how of the assassination of this revered leader. The reader is also introduced to Jawaharlal Nehru, Sardar Patel and Mohammad Ali Jinnah.

What happened to the Maharajas, the palaces, the tigers, the jewels and the harems? What lead to the demise of fantastic royalty in India? The authors have devoted a whole chapter to recounting the opulence enjoyed by the Maharajas and their magnificent indulgences.

How was the line drawn that divided the nation? Who initiated the idea and why was the idea initiated? Collins and Lapierre show poignant picture of the greatest migration in history. The religious division left an estimated 250,000-500,000 people dead.

One of the unsolved matter since than that still afflicts both nations (India and Pakistan) and have since lead to three wars, Kashmir, is devoted a whole chapter. The valley that was once described as "heaven on earth" by the last Mogul Emperor of India today is contradicting the emperor's statement in every way possible. This book discloses the history behind the conflict.

One of the most appealing qualities in the writing of the authors was their effort into giving some personal accounts into the lives of the common people. I recommend this book to anyone who is a student of world history and precisely history of India. This book takes the reader through the year that lead to the birth of three nations, India, Pakistan and Bangladesh.

15 of 15 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A must read for every Indian or anyone interested in India., September 14, 1999

By	[e-mail] (Bombay, India) - See all my reviews

History has never been so intriguing. Being an Indian I read the book from an Indian standpoint and for me it was an incredible experience. Having grown up in India I have been exposed to a lot of material about Independence but none have aroused such thought as "Freedom at Midnight". A masterfully written, superbly researched and above all a very human account of what happenned in that period of Indian History. Mountbatten comes across as the hero of India and though Gandhi is shown to be more human than saint his actions were definitely that of a Mahatma. This book gave me a better understanding of my own country. A must read for every Indian or anyone who is interested in India.

12 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Outstanding storytelling, May 7, 2005

By	Rishabh Jhunjhunwala (Seattle, WA, USA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

Freedom At Midnight is one of my favorite books of all time. The way it tells the story of the last few crucial pre-indepence years of the Indian struggle is admirable - it provides huge amounts of information, different viewpoints, and popular notions at the time all without making the whole affair a dry history lesson. It's gripping as any bestselling novel.

Some of the flaws of the book include an overt tendency to canonize Gandhi, to mention startling facts in a kind of look-this-is-so-exotic way without much exploration into their causes, and other simplistic approaches. For a book that otherwise provides fascinating insights into Gandhi, there needed to be much more information about and analysis of the lesser known aspects of his life - like his experiments with celibacy, and his occasional violation of vows. The British are portrayed too tamely and sympathetically and their atrocities (like Kalapani) are not recorded. The canvass of the book is too large to do justice to many events.

The authors freely crowd the commentary with their own takes on the issues, which makes the telling all the more interesting. Gandhi, much more than most other characters in the novel, is intimately presented to the reader, so much so that the book becomes a tearjerker when describing Gandhi's plight. And, to be honest, the simplistic startling facts do tend to be fascinating.

The storytelling ability of the authors is the highlight of the work. At many points, the book becomes impossible to put back down, much to the detriment of other engagements (the book took up 3 or 4 precious hours on the eve of the most important exam of my life).

A fascinating, commendable work.