| Title | : | The Raj Quartet: The Jewel in the Crown / The Day of the Scorpion / The Towers of Silence / A Division of the Spoils: A BBC Radio 4 full-cast dramatisation |
| Author | : | |
| Rating | : | |
| ISBN | : | 1787532909 |
| ISBN-10 | : | 9781787532908 |
| Language | : | English |
| Format Type | : | Audio CD |
| Number of Pages | : | - |
| Publication | : | Published January 3, 2019 |
Spanning the years from 1942 to 1947, this landmark saga explores the relationships between an array of soldiers and civilians stationedin India, as the sun sets on British colonial rule.
As The Jewel in the Crown opens, World War II is at its height and Gandhi is calling for the British to leave. When Daphne Manners arrives in Mayapore, she meets two men who will change her life: Hari Kumar and Ronald Merrick. She begins to fall for Hari, but Ronald Merrick - the local police superintendent – becomes infatuated with her and seethes with hatred for Hari.
The Day of the Scorpion finds Merrick worming his way into the Layton family, and his treatment of Hari Kumar is revealed. In The Towers of Silence, it is summer 1945, and as the war ends Mabel Layton’s companion Barbie Batchelor is forced to leave her home in Pankot. In A Division of the Spoils, Sergeant Guy Perron arrives to witness India’s independence, while the Laytons plan for their future – but the division of the country will spark tragic consequences for many.
The extensive, star-studded cast includes Anna Maxwell Martin (Bleak House, Motherland), Prasanna Puwanarajah (Doctor Foster), Geraldine James (who also starred in the film of The Jewel in the Crown), Mark Bazeley (Broadchurch), Benedict Cumberbatch (Sherlock), Kulvinder Ghir (Goodness Gracious Me) and Nina Wadia (Eastenders).
Duration: 9 hours approx.
The Raj Quartet: The Jewel in the Crown / The Day of the Scorpion / The Towers of Silence / A Division of the Spoils: A BBC Radio 4 full-cast dramatisation Reviews
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Fabulous dramatisation - listened to as a warm up to reading the books... which are a bit daunting!
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A rich and satisfying dramatization of Scott's epic kept me enthralled throughout. The stories of the British in India during WW2 wrap around each other over time like a snake - the tightly knit "community" hold secrets, confront racial and class conflict, and are themselves conflicted by hatred and mistrust. Details are conveyed sometimes by exposition, and very often by excellent sound effects - I could visualize exactly what was happening. Awesome.
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4 stars for Benedict Cumberbatch lol
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I am simply hooked on these BBC dramatised versions of audio books. I love the whole radio play vibe with actual ambient sounds, a full cast and authentic accents. There are so many amazing books that I feel I will never end up reading because of their size and also because there is so much new to read. The trials of a reader, am I right?!?!
This adaptation is of four books that span a period from 1942 to 1947 and is based on the British in India. When the series begins WWII is at its peak and Gandhi was beginning his Quit India Movement demanding the end of the British Rule in India. It follows the end of the war, the partition of Pakistan and India and the transition to the Independence of both nations from the British.
There are tales of love, relationships, tragedy, violence and regret amongst the stories that follow the lives of some of the British families and soldiers who were living here at the time. So many of these were ordinary people with no malice or disdain for the Indians and in fact considered many as friends. The consequences of the those years led to heartbreak on all sides.
What a lovely series of books. It was enlightening to hear about that period in Indian history from the average British person’s perspective. Especially the way it has been done for this adaptation with a stellar cast (including my favourite Benedict Cumberbatch)
