Contrary to the name ...the book deals very little with history and even less with any secrets. having said that it is well written and flows easily. It does well not pass judgement or blame on the varied personalities, but focuses on the personality quirks of each individual. The book should not be treated as a peice of historical work but as historical fiction , much like Alexander Dumas's Three Musketeers". All in all its a fun and easy read on a lazy summer afternoon...with a cup of tea of course.

Overall it is a pretty good book. It provides an insight into the decades leading upto the Indian and Pakistani Independence and into the personalities who were involved in the independence movement.
For an Indian it provides a different point of view than the ones provided by text books in schools.

A fascinating tale of exactly what happened, politically, socially and economically, during the summer India gained her independence from Britain, focused on the lives (and loves) of Dickie and Edwina Mountbatten, Nehru, Gandhi, and Jinnah. Readable, although detaile, the author could have delved more deeply into the complex personalities of the leading characters.

I enjoyed this book a lot. The writing style is excellent and the story is fascinating. I've read a few books about the amazing story of Indian independence. This one is focused on the personalities involved, particularly Dickie and Edwina Mountbatten and Nehru. As a book about people and personalities, it is more approachable than some of the history books; some of it is downright gossipy, although never in a lowbrow way. So it's very pleasurable and easy to read. Enjoy!

i found this book very interesting in providing readers with the insights of the transfer of power from the british to the indian government and prior to the transfer of power, the author was able to bring us to the time of the maharajas before the europeans came. there's certainly no innocent party with what happened in india at that time and what resulted today.