Fazle Chowdhury

I like how the book started, with a brief history of Bengal. Fazle Chouwdhury did us all a favor by starting with this introduction, which proved the importance of the state.
After that, the book became difficult to read. Fazle Chowdhury's narrative was confusing as he jumped from one point to another without creating a proper link.
Most of us know the ravages of the British Empire and its effect on India. While the book contains many useful bits of information, I question some of his historical statements. Read the book with more than a pinch of salt at places.
On the whole, a book with a confusing narrative.… (más)

Set in London at the beginning of World War I, this novel follows Firoze Hazari, a young man from South Asia. After getting his degree from Oxford, he is supposed to return home, marry a nice girl chosen by his parents, settle down and join the family business. Instead, Firoze stays in England, and gets a job in London's financial sector. That doesn't last long, and, after losing his job, Firoze's only option seems to be to join the British military. He finds himself in Europe, right in the middle of the war.

This is a really good historical novel. It works as a novel, and the author has certainly done his historical research. It almost, but not quite, reaches the level of 5 stars.… (más)