INDIAN SUMMER The Secret History of the End of an Empire

Von Tunzelmann provides an affectionate—rather than steamy—account of the extraordinary Anglo-Indian love triangle that was intertwined with the dissolution of the British Empire and the birth of India and Pakistan. Nationalist leader Jawaharlal Nehru’s romance with Edwina Mountbatten, wife of the last viceroy of India, Lord Louis “Dickie” Mountbatten, does credit to all three of them. Muhammad Ali Jinnah, the father of Pakistan, seems a spoilsport to worry that the love story might affect the prospects of his newly created nation. Nicola Barber’s narration is warm and intelligible, despite her entirely appropriate posh British vowels. Barber does an excellent job of pronouncing the names and titles of the various Indian places, princes, and pundits. F.C. © AudioFile 2012, Portland, Maine [Published: MARCH 2012]