A detailed history of the transfer of power from the former British Empire to the new Indian and Pakistani states, the buildup to it, the players involved and their respective roles, and the immediate aftermath, with brief notes as to what the future held.

For someone with near enough zero knowledge on the subject before reading the book I found it absolutely fascinating. Extremely well written, detailed, concise, calling upon obviously many interviews, references, cross-references and a vivid viewpoint, the pair get across their points with a clear interest and level of devotion to the subject matter rarely found in histories.
For me at least, it brought the situation alive and aroused an interest I didn’t think I was going to find in the subject, as well as beginning to detail the complexities involved in the removal of the British as the ‘supreme power’ in the area.

Definitely I will re-read this at some point, probably after I have sought out more books on the subject, most urgently at the moment in my mind is finding and reading books / biographies on the Mountbattens, Churchill, Nehru, Jinnah and, of course, Gandhi, amongst others.
Thinking about it, it could be a while until I get around to reading it again…