Last refreshed at 0600GMT Friday The best five books on everything | 30 July 2010

In Spite of the Gods

Edward Luce
Image of In Spite of the Gods: The Rise of Modern India

Like Partition, this story has been much told, but Edward Luce’s account is authoritative, balanced, sensible and enjoyable. If there is a businessman going to India who wants to get a hang of the economics of the country in an accessible form, this is the book, no question. Luce was the Financial Times correspondent, married to an Indian, and really got under the skin of the place, really travelled. And, most of all, he can write. A rare combination.