The Discovery of India

Author: Jawaharlal Nehru

Rating: 2/5

A history book exploring India’s past up till the British Empire.

Spoilers ahead.

Review

It has taken me over a month to get through this chunky book. I will admit that I really liked the beginning, I liked the personal touch Nehru added to his writing and I found he was better at writing about himself (his relationship with his wife, his horrendous sleep schedule while he was trying to travel around India to rally the people, how he first became interested in Indian history etc.) than about Indian history. A quarter of the way through, I was just not as enthralled and was getting annoyed at how many huuuuuuge quotations he included in the book. It read more like a compilation than anything. While Nehru’s book wasn’t super interesting to read, I definitely have a greater appreciation for all India has gone through. I’m eager to learn more about its past. Perhaps books aren’t the best medium to learn though, given that this book really did put me off reading.