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In Spite of the Gods: The Strange Rise of Modern India
 
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In Spite of the Gods: The Strange Rise of Modern India (Hardcover)

by Edward Luce (Author)
3.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (10 customer reviews)

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Product details

  • Hardcover: 400 pages
  • Publisher: Little, Brown (24 Aug 2006)
  • Language English
  • ISBN-10: 0316729817
  • ISBN-13: 978-0316729819
  • Product Dimensions: 23.6 x 15.6 x 3.8 cm
  • Average Customer Review: 3.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (10 customer reviews)
  • Amazon.co.uk Sales Rank: 217,141 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Review

'IN SPITE OF THE GODS is without question the best book yet written on New India: witty, clear and accessible yet minutely researched and confidently authoritative. Edward Luce has proved himself an affectionate and unusually perceptive observer of the Indian scene' William Dalrymple


Professor Amartya Sen, winner of the Nobel Prize in Economics

'Not only fun to read, it is also a deeply insightful account of contemporary India . . . A fine introduction'
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18 of 21 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars An excellent overview of contemporary India, 29 Sep 2006
Edward Luce's style is clear and concise, producing a readable and informative book based on his personal experience of living in India and working as a journalist for the FT. He offers his insight into how modern India has evolved out of the policies of Gandhi and Nehru; its relationship to the rest of the world and its uneasy connection with Pakistan.

He describes how British rule introduced a bureaucracy which has developed into one with considerable power within the country; frequently to the disadvantage of the poorest in society who are unable to benefit from government interventions aimed at supporting them as funds are invariably diverted into the pockets of the burra sahibs.

He gives an illuminating account of the rise of the BJP and its influence on the Hindu-Muslim relationship. All is not quite as it seems, however, and he also describes the inter relationship of various Muslim groups and the complicated political manoeuvring between the parties that this produces.

Whether you agree with everything he writes, it is a great insight into how India is developing into a super power along with China, which will alter the balance of world power in the 21st century. If you have an interest in India and its status in today's world, this is an excellent book to invest time with.

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8 of 9 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars Only Scrapes the Surface, 4 April 2007
Edward Luce has written a very readable uptodate account. He has done his research and sometimes produces some interesting analysis, although he sometimes goes alarmingly far back in history to make some points. However I get the feeling he spent too much time interviewing the political and business elites, and did not really see the rise of the middle class in the towns. Hence he does not understand the true India and what makes it ticks. He makes the point that its not `the economy, stupid' that matters in India, but the politics. Actually, its not `the politics, stupid' it is the society, and he has little insight into this.
Luce makes some interesting comparisons with China and has an illuminating chapter on foreign affairs but his shopping-list of recommendations on how to put India on the right track domestically are simply laughable, and even downright arrogant, displaying a complete disregard for how the electorate might perceive any of his recommendations, eg. increasing the price of electricity and water. The now defunct and discredited Enron went bellyup in India under just such a delusion, and he, as a Financial Times journalist should know this.


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8 of 10 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars A little basic, 9 April 2007
This is a readable work by somebody who's comfortable of competently discussing both economics and sociology at a fairly knowledgeable level, though for old hand with India there's nothing much new or original here. For someone however who knows little about modern India one could do worse than choose this book as a starting point. It discusses a wide range of issues from globalisation to religious and communal violence and the author records his conversations with some of the key players. All in all a good read but perhaps a little basic, serves more as an introduction rather than a text where great insight is to be gotten.
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Most Recent Customer Reviews

4.0 out of 5 stars in spite of the gods
A very informative book about modern India,also helpful in understanding new Indian literature ie Slumdog Millionare,White Tiger,The God of small things. Read more
Published 8 months ago by Robin Burrows

4.0 out of 5 stars In spite of the Detail
Whatever your views on his perspective, this is a well researched and, most of the time, a superbly written book. Read more
Published 23 months ago by T. Dhingra

2.0 out of 5 stars To spite the Gods?
I picked up this book when I was on a trip, mainly because of the intriguing title. I thought, well, here is someone who will tell us how our Gods hold us back economically... Read more
Published on 19 Sep 2007 by Aditya

2.0 out of 5 stars Shallow and biased
The book starts out well, and offers a smattering of statistics that intrigue, as well as some background into India's history and its founding fathers so to say, including Nehru,... Read more
Published on 10 Jul 2007 by Abhinav Agarwal

5.0 out of 5 stars Great Book about Indian Culture
I found this book really interesting and I wholly recommend it to anyone who wants to know how Indian culture, economic growth and religion intertwine. Read more
Published on 3 Jun 2007 by Jay

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent introduction to contemporary Indian politics and society
Edward Luce portrays a picture of modern India primarily in an anecdotal manner. While such an approach usually has certain limitations, Luce substantiates it up with well... Read more
Published on 25 Mar 2007 by N. Nevatia

1.0 out of 5 stars Very disappointing ....trite and shallow!
This book is disappointing . Having read it immediately after reading "Being Indian" by Pavan Varma ,the contrast is sharp. Read more
Published on 3 Feb 2007 by A. Gupta

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