The Great Mutiny: India 1857 by Christopher Hibbert

The Great Mutiny: India 1857 Reviews

• 
  Sumit

  Here is the process in simple words:-
  They go to places different from theirs. Knowing that it can give them material benefits. Establish their supremacy based on cunningness and weaponry. Realize that current people here like to do things differently. Conclude that its not Christian way of doing things hence not the right thing. Start a crusade to change them. Give them guns so as to quicken the pace. Make them shoot each other. Boss over them while stripping them naked. Take away their self respect or they wont salaam us while rubbing the ground with their nose. If anyone is brave enough to protest, hang him, cut his head off, or even better blast that nigger using a canon. Oh and when they revolt, burn their villages, kill everyone in sight, confiscate stuff that you can carry and destroy everything else accumulated over by the generations of these rowdies. And don't forget to paint them as savages, describe them as brutes incapable of noble human emotions such as kindness, compassion, courage and self respect or how it can be justified to the womenfolk back home. Break the damn society and fill the coffers.
  
  Repeat over generation across geographies and here we are, in 21st centuries asking ourselves why the world is such a mess.
• 
  Greg

  A very well reseached book with many quotes from sources of the time. It was a little long for me at 393 pages but then I am not an historian of 19th century India. Hibbert's descriptions of the culture of the life of the British officers and their wives is embarrassing in its frankness. Were we really that bad? From the many contemporary documents, letters and papers, it would seem that we were and it is a surprise that the mutiny didn't come earlier. Well worth a read.
• 
  Shuja

  Awesome. provides unique perspective of a mutiny termed as battle for freedom by others. This is rather intrestin thing writing history. What I have read in school text books is that a few events alone triggered the mutiny. Some say it was Mangal Pandey, some to others. But we have to understand that 1857 mutiny would have taken place with or without Mangal Pandey.
  I have given it five stars. The narrations are backed by proofs, references, cross references. Vivid details are provided of the scale of mutiny which swept across the whole of India. The funny thing about writing history is that the writer can still present a distorted picture while at the same time producing valid arguments and evidence to support it. I have learnt no history book can be impartial. Mr Hibbert sure has presented a tremendous account of the heroic deeds of British soldiers. Those fighting against them are termed as rebels as "Pandies". A fight to end mutiny is confronted by those who call themselves freedom fighters. The best we can do is to establish and collect all history facts from various sources, wash them off biased opinions or other unwanted ingredients and save the left over for generations to come. That left over will serve as objective, impartial account of what actually happened.
  
• 
  Sahana

  A brilliant, immersive, and meticulous reconstruction of the 1857 mutiny. Hibbert mercilessly critiques both British and Indian military "heroes" as it's clear that his sympathies lie with the civilians, Indian and European, whose lives were destroyed by the violence. Hibbert's tactic of using old letters and diary entries to narrate certain scenes is controversial but makes for a book that brims with historical wealth and evidence. This text showed me how much of this conflict is buried under nationalistic propaganda, courtesy of both England and India.
• 
  Rahul Sharma

  I am not an expert in reviews, i am a novice reader, my review could be naive or too simple but i tried to write :-)
  
  I do not see it to be a spoiler alert but if you feel so then let me know, i will mark it as one.
  
  About the book
  ============
  It started well in the beginning. I felt like i am going to get what i wanted, an insight on what happened during that specific year, how it all started, strategies used by natives and British and European Army to contain the situation, who were prominent rebel leaders and how they marched against East India Company.
  
  However, I felt it to be more pro-britisher/european. This book has major portion, about the atrocities done by natives, how soldiers, their family were tortured (at one point in book, it was also mentioned that there are no proofs of killing children and raping women but soldier used this thought to provoke themselves and their fellow soldiers). It goes on telling about how little ration soldiers in the residency had, how difficult it was for mothers to feed their children. How shabby their clothes had become as they were pinned down in residency and it is too repetitive for my liking.
  
  When it came to prominent leaders like Tatya Tope, Rani Laxmi bai, Nana Sahib, their role was limited to only a few pages. I was expecting to know their part of the struggle as well (the book had a little description of a few words about them and that is all). How they formed large group of rebels to fight against Britishers, how they were actually defeated despite of possessing large number of troops. Description of war will go unnoticed. Only, the description of siege of Delhi has some good information about last Mughal Emperor and how potentially strong army fell apart there, leaving king helpless.
  
  what i gained after reading this book? How strong we were but not sure how we lost it all. How we were so close to gain independence 100 years earlier but all of a sudden everything fell apart and a lot about atrocities done by natives upon Britishers/European.
  
  -Rahul Sharma
• 
  Jay Wright

  This book is a little traditional in its approach. While you have many quotes from the English perspective, it is mainly a battlefield scenario. Interesting, but the book does not meet its potential. You get the "who" and "when" and sometimes the "how." but rarely the why. This was my first dive into the sub-continent's history and I am somewhat disappointed.
• 
  Alex

  While I was impressed by the extensive research, I found myself rather aggravated by what he chose to focus on. As a result, I found it dry and rather repudiative. The middle bulk of Hibbert's history focuses on escapes and nitpick aspects of the revolt, rather than focusing on the broader picture - the socioeconomic, political, and religious aspects of India prior to the revolt. In terms of pertinence to the modern learner, I believe a fastidious examination of the military history is not nearly as relevant as if he had devoted more attention towards examining what unfolded through the eyes of the politicians in back in Britain, the upper echelon of the East India Company, and the independent princes.
• 
  Dropbear123

  3.5/5 rounding down for Goodreads
  
  The writing and narrative style were both pretty good. There is a lot of use of journals and reports from many of the British people involved which I liked. It is not too focused on the specifics of army movements and tactics and is more about on the ground experiences. The best part of the book for me was the beginning, which sets out what life was like for the British in India and the various factors and causes of the mutiny.
  
  Would recommend if you’re looking for a readable book on the Mutiny, but for a more detailed and military tactics+strategy Saul David’s ‘The Indian Mutiny, 1857’ is better.
• 
  Sabyasachi Chowdhury

  Unnecessary details, lack providing the forrest view and goes too much into the trees. Misses the point of why the mutiny and what was british rnpaires overall take on it...how did it shape the history etc are all missing.
• 
  Matthew

  A very well-researched and dense book. The author frequently used large block quotes from those who were involved which made reading the book laborious at times.
• 
  GrabAsia

  Amazing book. The topic though complex, is v interesting & the author has weaved together the story v well, incorporating the many well written eye-witness accounts.
• 
  V. Subhash

  About India's first war of Independence in 1857, described as the 'Sepoy Mutiny' by the British, against East India Company's government in India. Full of first-person accounts.
• 
  Julian Cribb

  There are many good books about the 'Indian Mutiny' - or First Indian War of Independence, as you prefer - but this is probably the best all round. Although told from a predominantly British perspective (the victor usually enjoys the privilege of dictating history, and this event coincides with the birth of newspaper journalism in Britain) it is not unsympathetic to the Sepoys, who were used by their masters with contempt for their beliefs. Indeed the refusal of the British to entertain the Sepoy religious perspective puts one in mind of the behaviour of the West towards Islam nowadays: mute incomprehension ending in horrible bloodshed. Hibbert captures the lofty arrogance and ignorance of the Raj with skill and verity.
  Hibbert is a masterful historian, a meticulous researcher and un-earther of interesting but over looked historical details, an excellent writer and a thrilling storyteller who transports you to the dusty plains of India, the merciless struggles for Cawnpore, Lucknow, Delhi, Jansi and other key locations, the brutal confrontation not just of Briton against Indian but Indian against Indian, the characters - some inspiring, others revolting - and of course, the horrendous massacres, such as the infamous well at the Bibigarh.
  An interesting reflection on the event is that the rebellion was among troops recruited by the British East India Company, one of the world's first great 'multinational' corporations, to defend its trading interests in India and the Far East. How long, one wonders, before today's commercial giants start to recruit and build private armies for similar purposes?
• 
  Simon Bendle

  An absolute corker; this is how history should be written. Fascinating, funny, easy-to-follow and balanced, every chapter is packed with tales of amazing heroism or shocking barbarity (on both sides). Some of the characters who appear are unforgettable, like the meticulous and fastidious Sir Thomas Metcalfe “who could not bear to see women eat cheese”.
• 
  Harsh Verma

  For all those who sigh at the mention of the Raj, here comes an account of the gory days of 1857. It is a historical chronicle that is part battle part biography and part swash buckling adventure. Whether it was a war of independence or a mutiny is a debate that will never end but one thing is for sure when you read this book 1857 will come alive before you.
• 
  James Burns

  This is a good book on the history of the the indian Mutiny of 1857. it is a chronilogical indepth cronological history of causes events and key personal. Very thorough. For the serious history buffs not recomended for light reading
• 
  Ron Van Der Reeder

  tales of heroism & savagery (fascinating)
• 
  Mark

  Strengths: Quite detailed, but not too long. Non-partisan and draws well on contemporary sources.
  
  Weaknesses: Repetitive and sometimes inappropriately jocular.
• 
  Rajkst

  with old letters and testaments included this makes an interesting read
• 
  Jeremy

  A powerful book that really captures how bloody and savage the mutiny was. I love how he has focussed on personal stoties and unpublished accounts
• 
  Elaine Gullotta

  It took me a while to finish this book as it is detailed and packed with information. What imagery this book possesses. Having just visited India I can easily empathize with the difficulties one had to overcome in every day life never mind the misery one must try to survive in the middle of a dangerous uprising. A great book for anyone interested in what it was like to be in the British forces or the spouse of someone stationed in India c. 1850s which my husbands ancestors where. This author did a wonderful job not only with the story telling and character development but he explained in great detail how cultural and religious passions when not taken into consideration by military leaders can result in total break down of authority. A lesson learned for future generations.