Author:Alex Dingwall-Main
What happens when you relocate to the perfect house, in the perfect village in Provence, and nearly ten years later the shine has gone? Garden designer Alex Dingwall-Main is facing lavender fatigue, strife at home, neighbourly warfare and non-paying business clients. He is on the verge of packing his bags and starting all over again, back in England.
Until one Spring day he is offered an opportunity by a wealthy and very grateful client; a treasure hunt for 12 bottles of exquisite French wine. It would be a journey through the country's finest vineyards, chateaux and villages. With a hangover and an uncertain heart, Alex decides to give it one more try and sets off in search of the France he fell in love with so many years ago. The people, the gardens and the wine that he encounters make for an adventurous and beautiful summer, and life-changing decisions are reached...
Well worth knocking back this summer
—— A Place in the Sun's everything France MagazineChatterji writes with infectious relish ... It's refreshing to read a history of modern India, Pakistan and Bangladesh that rises above the usual national and chronological divisions, and that ends on a surprisingly upbeat note
—— Dominic Sandbrook, Sunday TimesSupremely readable ... Chatterji's scholarship and enthusiasm shine through. This account of South Asia surprises, moves and illuminates
—— Rana Mitter, Financial TimesDefinitive new 20th-century thematic history of the Indian subcontinent
—— Financial TimesOriginal and revealing ... this is a book which both scholars and the wider public can dip into, enjoy and learn from
—— Literary ReviewA cheerful history of the subcontinent, by turns erudite, eclectic, analytical, gossipy and prolix
—— History TodayA truly magnificent book about the history, politics and culture of 20th century South Asia ... A must read
—— Mihir Bose, author of The Nine WavesThe story of South Asia told with verve, wit, and brilliance. This is a book that invents a genre: navigating effortlessly between the archives, conversations, memoir, newspapers, swooping out to make magisterial observations and zooming in to unearth nuggets of gossip. It is like riding a rollercoaster with a mesmerizing guide who can touch down on any part of South Asia that she chooses, before taking off again
—— Anuradha Roy, author of All The Lives We Never LivedA wonderful book concentrating for once on what the peoples of different South Asian countries have in common. That's something South Asians and all the rest of us should now concentrate on
—— Sir Mark TullyThis book is a pleasure to read. I love its sheer bulk; its heft seems like a symbol of the inexhaustible richness of the modern history of what are now the countries of India, Pakistan, and Bangladesh. One of South Asia's very best historians, Chatterji weaves engaging vignettes of her own experiences into a masterful account anchored in a chronological narrative and illuminated by four brilliantly chosen thematic focuses
—— Professor Barbara D. Metcalf, co-author of A Concise History of Modern IndiaDisplaying narrative sweep and analytical depth, Shadows at Noon is an incredible achievement by a historian writing at her best
—— Professor Rudrangshu MukherjeeThis is history as it should be written, but rarely is. Chatterji maps the journey of South Asia from the high noon of empire to today, and in so doing a rich tapestry unfolds that is unlikely to be equalled for some time
—— Professor Mahesh RangarajanHistory at its best; blending compelling evidence with deep insight, this is an invitation to enter worlds within worlds in the company of a master storyteller. ... [South Asia], as never before, is alive to me
—— Dr Simon LongstaffA brilliant, magisterial, and wonderfully nuanced work that makes a huge contribution to our understanding of the last century ... Every line holds some gem, triggers some memory, or gives new insight. This work sparkles
—— Professor Robert FrykenbergOne of the best books I've read in years. Chatterji's magnum opus
—— Professor Prasannan ParthasarathiA charismatic, dazzling piece of work that has the feel of a future classic. Shadows at Noon is remarkably rich and full of life, packed with insights conveyed through beautifully moving storytelling. A unique and vital book, it is at once incredibly informative, profound and very readable - a genuine page-turner
—— Dr Edward AndersonBoth erudite and intimate, Chatterji narrates how South Asia in the twentieth century produced democracy and authoritarianism, inclusion and violent exclusion, all at the same time, explaining our present as well as giving us an account of the past
—— Professor Durba GhoshA tour de force of contemporary history of the Indian subcontinent. Its masterly analysis of the big picture - nationalisms, citizenship and the State - sets the stage for its innovative focus on ordinary people and their lives. A brilliant, wonderful read
—— Professor Deepak NayyarThis book's promise to deliver a 'people-centred history' of South Asia over the twentieth century is no small task. Chatterji's epic work meanders across this huge terrain, taking a series of imaginative angles such as the histories of the household, music, film and food, as well as many others. Combining scholarly rigour with a spontaneous tone and autobiographical style, this is a courageous and captivating work
—— Professor Justin JonesA historical epic in prose - masterly, original, provocative - and, yes, compellingly readable
—— India Today[A] bold, innovative and personal work rallies against standard narratives of ‘inherent’ differences between India, Pakistan and Bangladesh and reveals the many things its people have in common
—— Asian Art Newspaper, *Books of the Year*This extraordinary book exposes how various sides in the Petain debate have manipulated the historical record in a desperate attempt to make the past palatable.
—— Gerard DeGroot , The Times, Books of the YearJulian Jackson’s France on Trial grapples with the life and (mis)deeds of Philippe Pétain—the French general who led the Vichy regime during the Second World War—and the country’s dark feelings of hatred and guilt after the war.
—— Prospect Books of the YearSuperb, totally fascinating and compelling, Katja Hoyer's first full history of East Germany's rise and fall is a work of revelatory original research - and a gripping read with a brilliant cast of characters. Essential reading
—— Simon Sebag MontefioreA beyond-brilliant new picture of the rise and fall of the East German state. Katja Hoyer gives us not only pin-sharp historical analysis, but an up-close and personal view of both key characters and ordinary citizens whose lives charted some of the darkest hours of the Cold War. If you thought you knew the history of East Germany, think again. An utterly riveting read
—— Julie EtchinghamA fantastic, sparkling book, filled with insights not only about East Germany but about the Cold War, Europe and the forging of the 20th and 21st centuries
—— Peter FrankopanThe joke has it that the duty of the last East German to escape from the country was to turn off the lights. In Beyond the Wall Katja Hoyer turns the light back on and gives us the best kind of history: frank, vivid, nuanced and filled with interesting people
—— Ivan KrastevA refreshing and eye-opening book on a country that is routinely reduced to cartoonish cliché. Beyond the Wall is a tribute to the ordinary East Germans who built themselves a society that - for a time - worked for them, a society carved out of a state founded in the horrors of Nazism and Stalinism
—— Owen HatherleyA colourful and often revelatory re-appraisal of one of modern history's most fascinating political curiosities. Katja Hoyer skilfully weaves diverse political and private lives together, from the communist elite to ordinary East Germans
—— Frederick TaylorKatja Hoyer is becoming the authoritative voice in the English speaking world for all things German. Thanks to her, German history has the prominence in the Anglosphere it certainly deserves.
—— Dan SnowKatja Hoyer brilliantly shows that the history of East Germany was a significant chapter of German history, not just a footnote to it or a copy of the Soviet Union. To understand Germany today we have to grapple with the history and legacy of its all but dismissed East
—— Serhii PlokhyKatja Hoyer's return to discover what happened to her homeland - the old East Germany - is an excellent counterpoint to Stasiland by Anna Funder
—— Iain Macgregor