---
product_id: 7340705
title: "Indian Summer: The Secret History of the End of an Empire"
price: "VT9688"
currency: VUV
in_stock: true
reviews_count: 8
url: https://www.desertcart.vu/products/7340705-indian-summer-the-secret-history-of-the-end-of-empire
store_origin: VU
region: Vanuatu
---

# Indian Summer: The Secret History of the End of an Empire

**Price:** VT9688
**Availability:** ✅ In Stock

## Quick Answers

- **What is this?** Indian Summer: The Secret History of the End of an Empire
- **How much does it cost?** VT9688 with free shipping
- **Is it available?** Yes, in stock and ready to ship
- **Where can I buy it?** [www.desertcart.vu](https://www.desertcart.vu/products/7340705-indian-summer-the-secret-history-of-the-end-of-empire)

## Best For

- Customers looking for quality international products

## Why This Product

- Free international shipping included
- Worldwide delivery with tracking
- 15-day hassle-free returns

## Description

Review: Portraits of a time and a place and the people involved in the 1947 partition of India and Pakistan - Subtitled, "The Secret History of the End of an Empire" by an Oxford trained historian, this non-fiction book was a slow read for me. It is only 380 pages long but it is so fact filled that I found I couldn't read it for more than a few minutes at a time because I wanted to absorb it all. There certainly is a lot to absorb too because I knew little about the history of India. From a short description of the once-powerful Mogul empire and the colonization of the British, most of the book is about the events leading up to and surrounding the 1947 withdrawal of the British and the partition of India and Pakistan. The strength of the book, however, lies in its portraits of the people most involved with these events and their colorful personalities. It's a behind-the-scenes look at history and the people who were in the drivers' seats at the time. Central to the story is "Dickie" Mountbatten, India's last viceroy, and his wife Edwina. They are brought to life with all their complexities and frailties and by the end of the book I felt I knew them both completely. No doubt that they loved India and were saddened to watch its upheaval which caused millions to lose their lives in horrible ways and other millions to be displaced. Much of their experiences though, read like a gossip column. They were a colorful pair and their marriage was unique in that it allowed Edwina to have a long list of romantic encounters, especially one with the Indian Prime Minister Jawahari al Nehru. We also get to met Mohamed Ali Jinneh, who became the leader of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan and Mohandas Gandhi, the holy man whose own family life was a lot less than perfect. We also get to meet some other players in the highly dramatic narrative of what was going on at the time such as the mothers, wives, sisters and children of all the key players. I found all of this absolutely fascinating. Every time I picked up the book I learned a little more, gained more insight and grew in my understanding of a world I had previously known little about. From now on I will look upon India with a new freshness of insight and appreciation for a time and a place and a history that had previously been little known to me. This is a book to read slowly in order to absorb it all. I do definitely recommend it. It is very worthwhile.
Review: English and Indian royalty, politics and personalities, delightfully and cleverly explained - A most interesting history of the withdrawal of England from India and the tragedies that followed with the partition of Pakistan - East and West. Intelligently written in a very readable style, it brings out some of the quirks of English royalty and politics, as well as the key Indian personalities.

## Technical Specifications

| Specification | Value |
|---------------|-------|
| Best Sellers Rank | #1,053,113 in Books ( See Top 100 in Books ) #62 in Pakistan History #153 in India History #1,635 in Political Leader Biographies |
| Customer Reviews | 4.3 out of 5 stars 1,669 Reviews |

## Images

![Indian Summer: The Secret History of the End of an Empire - Image 1](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/91wwbmtf1IL.jpg)

## Customer Reviews

### ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Portraits of a time and a place and the people involved in the 1947 partition of India and Pakistan
*by L***C on April 16, 2010*

Subtitled, "The Secret History of the End of an Empire" by an Oxford trained historian, this non-fiction book was a slow read for me. It is only 380 pages long but it is so fact filled that I found I couldn't read it for more than a few minutes at a time because I wanted to absorb it all. There certainly is a lot to absorb too because I knew little about the history of India. From a short description of the once-powerful Mogul empire and the colonization of the British, most of the book is about the events leading up to and surrounding the 1947 withdrawal of the British and the partition of India and Pakistan. The strength of the book, however, lies in its portraits of the people most involved with these events and their colorful personalities. It's a behind-the-scenes look at history and the people who were in the drivers' seats at the time. Central to the story is "Dickie" Mountbatten, India's last viceroy, and his wife Edwina. They are brought to life with all their complexities and frailties and by the end of the book I felt I knew them both completely. No doubt that they loved India and were saddened to watch its upheaval which caused millions to lose their lives in horrible ways and other millions to be displaced. Much of their experiences though, read like a gossip column. They were a colorful pair and their marriage was unique in that it allowed Edwina to have a long list of romantic encounters, especially one with the Indian Prime Minister Jawahari al Nehru. We also get to met Mohamed Ali Jinneh, who became the leader of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan and Mohandas Gandhi, the holy man whose own family life was a lot less than perfect. We also get to meet some other players in the highly dramatic narrative of what was going on at the time such as the mothers, wives, sisters and children of all the key players. I found all of this absolutely fascinating. Every time I picked up the book I learned a little more, gained more insight and grew in my understanding of a world I had previously known little about. From now on I will look upon India with a new freshness of insight and appreciation for a time and a place and a history that had previously been little known to me. This is a book to read slowly in order to absorb it all. I do definitely recommend it. It is very worthwhile.

### ⭐⭐⭐⭐ English and Indian royalty, politics and personalities, delightfully and cleverly explained
*by G***D on May 15, 2016*

A most interesting history of the withdrawal of England from India and the tragedies that followed with the partition of Pakistan - East and West. Intelligently written in a very readable style, it brings out some of the quirks of English royalty and politics, as well as the key Indian personalities.

### ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Inevitability, Passion and Haste
*by I***R on September 6, 2007*

It was clear that Britain could not afford empire. The Jewel had to go. Unfortunately, what held it in place was Britain. And Britain didn't have that much of a clue as to how/where to split it up. Thus, diffidence dictated that it be done as close to ethnic/religious lines as possible, and the state of the British economy, as hastily as possible. Indeed they could have borrowed words from Louis XV ".... apres mois, le deluge." Let the natives sort out their mess. No one more diffident to see it through than Lord Mountbatten. But, did it have to be so bloody messy? It seems that Mountbatten's personal haste brought about all that criminal waste. But who knows the extent to which it would have been less so a year later. This is history from the top down, which probably is at it should be given the events it chronicles. It focuses squarely on the Mountbattens, the Nehrus, Gandhi and Jinnah. The British Parliament may have decided, but these people pulled the triggers that gave us India, a precariously and maladroitly drawn Pakistan (which later begat Bangladesh), and a festering Kashmir (of course, part of India today, but remember the Sikhs?)which to this day hovers perilously between two atomic powers. This is a most valuable and amusing book about a critical juncture in the history of the modern world, or perhaps one should say, the dissolution of the Old. Alex von Tunzelmann (an attractive young woman, not a Teuton scribe) has navigated treacherous historical waters with clarity, restraint, and even humor. Her text is a delight to read, even when a light touch is called upon, it is never glib but one born from deeply informed judgment. Particularly warm and engaging is the view of Edwina Mountbatten, for me a somewhat melancholy figure. There was just so much she couldn't do. She was quite a lady; learning about her is worth the price of admission. Highly recommended.

## Frequently Bought Together

- Indian Summer: The Secret History of the End of an Empire
- Midnight's Furies: The Deadly Legacy of India's Partition
- The Anarchy

---

## Why Shop on Desertcart?

- 🛒 **Trusted by 1.3+ Million Shoppers** — Serving international shoppers since 2016
- 🌍 **Shop Globally** — Access 737+ million products across 21 categories
- 💰 **No Hidden Fees** — All customs, duties, and taxes included in the price
- 🔄 **15-Day Free Returns** — Hassle-free returns (30 days for PRO members)
- 🔒 **Secure Payments** — Trusted payment options with buyer protection
- ⭐ **TrustPilot Rated 4.5/5** — Based on 8,000+ happy customer reviews

**Shop now:** [https://www.desertcart.vu/products/7340705-indian-summer-the-secret-history-of-the-end-of-empire](https://www.desertcart.vu/products/7340705-indian-summer-the-secret-history-of-the-end-of-empire)

---

*Product available on Desertcart Vanuatu*
*Store origin: VU*
*Last updated: 2026-02-28*