A Division Of The Spoils

Aug 28, 2025 2:10 AM

Author:Paul Scott

BOOK FOUR OF THE RAJ QUARTET

The British Raj in India is in its final days. But the fall of the Empire is both the end of one era and the beginning of another. For the Hindus and Muslims, the political reality signals inevitable post-war recriminations and future territorial wrangles. For Guy Perron, Field Sergeant and historian, these last days are a time to reflect on the legacy the British has left behind in India. And for the British families still residing in India, decisions about their future must be made and final goodbyes must be said, all against the backdrop of one of the most turbulent periods of social change the world has ever seen.

Reviews

Its two great and time-resting virtues are, first, the extraordinary range of characters it so skilfully portrays and, second, its powerful evocation of the last days of British India

—— Times Literary Supplement

A mighty literary experience

—— The Times

Quite simply, monumental

—— Washington Post

I enjoyed it so much - stories of "then" and "now", and beautifully balanced between the two

—— Judith Flanders, author of The Victorian House

[A] meticulously researched and moving new novel

—— Camden New Journal

Unputdownable

—— Jenni Murray

The author's exhaustive research has the same ability as Sarah Waters to vividly bring to life a particular period in history.

—— The Morning Star

An engrossing novel

—— Image Magazine

She represents historical research as exciting, romantic and as offering personal catharsis.

—— History Today

Riotously high in laughs and glamour. I defy a festive grump not to be cheered by it

—— Independent Books of the Year

Fast-paced and funny

—— Women & Home

Influenced by magical realism and the cool prose of modernism, first-time author Chloe Aridjis takes the best from each

—— Alastair Mabbott , Herald

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