Hyderabad BOOK II – THE PARTITION TRILOGY – MANREET SODHI SOMESHWAR – Book Review

Hyderabad BOOK II – THE PARTITION TRILOGY – MANREET SODHI SOMESHWAR – Book Review

Title: Hyderabad BOOK II – THE PARTITION TRILOGY

Author: Manreet Sodhi Someshwar

Genre: Non Fiction

Publisher: HarperCollins India

Price: Rs 499

Link for purchase: https://amzn.eu/d/hSvTmCH

My Take:

Pros: 

This book describes the events leading up to the accession of Hyderabad, the efforts for which had begun even as India approached the date of independence. It was only after negotiating as much as possible that the Indian union finally decided to go for a direct military solution. This piece of History, which is very much a part of the efforts to create a unified India, has not been given the prominent place it deserves in the annals of unification of the princely states. Manreet Sodhi’s book does this very thing with plenty of elan and aplomb. 

One reads about the stellar role played by Sardar Vallabhai Patel and the clever way in which he outwits the rulers of Hyderabad. One cannot but hand it to the author for writing a book which inspires a certain pride in every Indian’s heart. The book has been written keeping the minutest of details in mind. Each and every twist and turn that occurs till the army is finally sent in is described so well that one can almost feel the action as it unfolds. The role played by Sardar Vallabhai Patel, Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru, Lord Mountbatten, the Nizam of Hyderabad, Lord Walter Monckton and several others are all described beautifully. 

The book is a political thriller which is written by following the events in two threads which intertwine with each other. One thread describes to the reader, the ground reality in Hyderabad where the blood flows copiously, thanks to Kasim Raazi and his followers the Razakkars. This thread also tells us about how the communists, the Congress and the right wing are all United against the Razakkars. There is also a romantic interlude between two youngsters which comes as a pleasant sub plot. The other thread deals with the political manipulations that take place in Delhi. The book reads like a fast paced thriller with plenty of action. It is really enthralling and highly entertaining from the first page to the last. 

Another thing I would like to mention is that the author has done a phenomenal amount of research to get all the facts correct. Kudos to her.

Cons: 

I don’t find too many negatives to point out. The sentences could have been a tad shorter in a few places. But that sounds like nitpicking and it might quite well be in some people’s opinion. Another thing I would like to mention is that I have read the author’s first book of this trilogy and I liked that book a tad better than this one. But all said and done this is a grade A book and I thoroughly enjoyed reading it. 

Conclusion: 

A big yay! After reading two of her books I have become an ardent admirer of the author’s writing. I definitely look forward to book 3 of this trilogy.

Rating: 

I go with 4.5/5 for Manreet Sodhi Someshwar’s book. I am cutting of half a point for the reasons mentioned above.

Rating Scale:

1 Poor

2 Fair

3 Good

4 Excellent

5 Outstanding

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