Return of a King
The Battle for Afghanistan
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Return of a King
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Narrated by:
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Sagar Arya
About this listen
Bloomsbury presents Return of a King by William Dalrymple, read by Sagar Arya.
SHORTLISTED FOR THE SAMUEL JOHNSON PRIZE 2013
'As taut and richly embroidered as a great novel . . . a masterpiece' Sunday Telegraph
'Dazzling' Sunday Times | 'Magnificent' Guardian | 'Sparkling' Daily Telegraph
A towering history of the first Afghan War by bestselling historian William Dalrymple.
In the spring of 1839, Britain invaded Afghanistan for the first time. Nearly 20,000 British and East India Company troops poured through the high mountain passes and re-established on the throne Shah Shuja ul-Mulk.
On the way in, the British faced little resistance. But after two years of occupation, the Afghan people rose in answer to the call for jihad and the country exploded into violent rebellion. The First Anglo-Afghan War ended in Britain's greatest military humiliation of the nineteenth century: an entire army of the then most powerful nation in the world ambushed in retreat and utterly routed by poorly equipped tribesmen.
Using a range of forgotten Afghan and Indian sources, William Dalrymple's masterful retelling of Britain's greatest imperial disaster is a powerful parable of colonial ambition and cultural collision, folly and hubris. Return of a King is history at its most urgent and important.
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What listeners say about Return of a King
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Overall4 out of 5 stars
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Performance4 out of 5 stars
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- Placeholder
- 22-08-22
An excellent read!
An excellent book! Worth a read. The author has based the work on lots of research and evidence. And he lays this down in a very readable an flowing style.
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Overall4 out of 5 stars
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- Clare D
- 05-04-24
Fascinating detailed history
I had not much idea about the history of Afghanistan - just vague ideas of counties trying to influence it. I hadn’t realised how bloody it was, and how shameful the involvement of certain countries. I learnt a lot!
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- Nikhil Ghodke
- 11-12-21
Thorough and still entertaining
The book goes into very detailed analysis of historical events based on actual recorded historcal correpondence... I found the parts about Ramjith Singh and Kohinoor to be adding even more depth to the story. recommended!
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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- droplet
- 19-08-23
Amazing, must listen!
Must read, it takes you there and stays with you once you finished reading it!
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- M W Gibbs
- 29-09-23
History repeats itself
This phrase ifs often challenged by academics but this wonderful book shows that in the case of Afghanistan it seems sadly true. What a pity that politicians in Britain and the USA had not read it before they ordered invasion.. So many lives could have been saved. Would the world today be a safer place? An excellent book and so well read.
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- David Main
- 25-04-24
excellent book
really good account of the war, I really enjoyed it a lot. another great book from dalrymple
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- Ed
- 12-04-24
Wow so much I didn’t know
Really well researched book about a period in history which probably isn’t well known certainly in the west. Seems there is a degree of history repeating itself
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- Omer
- 05-11-21
A window to the past which also serves as a mirror for the present
The way the book is written just draws the reader in and of course the narration is flawless with perfect representation of emotion and tones.
After reading the Anarchy this showed a stark contrast to the “successes” of the company in India compared to the humiliation in Afghanistan.
As they say “History repeats itself”.
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4 people found this helpful
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- suzanne morrison
- 06-01-24
What an amazing story- told from both sides due to incredible research.
A torrid episode in British history.
The research of diaries, letters and documents from London to Kabul and Moscow makes this more complete than was possible immediately after the war, and given the changed situation in Kabul, even now.
I knew the basic story beforehand, but this story of colonial madness was grimly gripping.
Told brilliantly by the warm voiced narrator- especially the way he pronounced the names and places it’s as if you were in Asia sitting around a camp fire with an elder of the village relaying the tale. Which as the author discovered- the Afghans still do.
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Overall4 out of 5 stars
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- A. J. Taylor
- 12-05-21
Excellent and Well Researched
For anyone interested in early 19th Century history, the history of the Great Game, history of Afghanistan or the British in India this is a must have. Well researched & an excellent story in which the author went to extreme lengths to understand the history & appreciate Afghani society & culture. I recommend this book.
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5 people found this helpful