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
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Written by:
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William Dalrymple
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
Average Customer RatingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance4 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Amazon Customer
- 13-08-22
Brilliant
When you have a brilliantly researched history and anecdotes woven as a story, you have 'Return of a King'.
You go back in time and relive this period as if it happened in front of you. Not to be missed at any cost.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Leonardo
- 21-01-23
Fantastic Narration
It's a fantastic story, deeply researched and wonderfully told as only a Dalrymple can be. But, what distinguishes the what from the chaff, in an audio book, is the narration. Without a doubt, Off clarify it as outstanding and exceptional.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- anup
- 05-10-21
Must Listen
great book. excellent narration. must read. narrator is also very good. why afghanistan is afghanistan
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1 person found this helpful
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Anonymous User
- 30-09-24
Good as always
Dalrymple makes reading (or listening) to his books, a breeze. He knows how to keep the tempo of a book up and will never let the reader stray. He will hold you with his words and enthrall you with his stories.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Roydend
- 21-07-22
Understanding Afghan history was easier after this book
We’ll researched and the audio is so well done it actually takes you to the streets of Kabul and Herat
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Padmanav
- 18-06-24
History as we see it today
A great book for anyone interested to understand British history of Undivided India and also understand why is Afghanistan the way it is today
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance4 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- shivaprakash
- 29-01-23
love it
It is one of the best story telling wrt Afghanistan and it's past. There is reason why Afghanistan is called graveyard of empires, and this book brings this notion forward in an interesting manner.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- NALIN J.
- 31-03-22
simply exceptional
Dalrymples exceptional research work and story telling, loved the book and narration is great
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Vishwanath K.S
- 10-07-24
Good narration without any western bias.
The book is very well researched which clearly narrates the failings of the British in first attacking Afghanistan, failing to hold on to it and finally the disgraceful retreat resulting in thousands of lives and abandoning the sepoys who fought for them to the mercies of the Afghan warlords. It also highlights the bravery of the Afghans and their stubbornness and never say die attitude. It is a gripping book to be read by one and all.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- bomtchr
- 07-12-24
Thoroughly Fascinating
Intricately researched and detailed and told from all sides - then connected to the present day! Love it
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