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The Nine Lives of Pakistan
- Dispatches from a Precarious State
- Narrated by: Roger Clark
- Length: 11 hrs and 13 mins
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The Nine Lives of Pakistan
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Summary
Declan Walsh is one of the New York Times's most distinguished international correspondents. His electrifying portrait of Pakistan over a tumultuous decade captures the sweep of this strange, wondrous, and benighted country through the dramatic lives of nine fascinating individuals.
On assignment as the country careened between crises, Walsh traveled from the raucous port of Karachi to the salons of Lahore, and from Baluchistan to the mountains of Waziristan. He met a diverse cast of extraordinary Pakistanis - a chieftain readying for war at his desert fort, a retired spy skulking through the borderlands, and a crusading lawyer risking death for her beliefs, among others. Through these "nine lives" he describes a country on the brink - a place of creeping extremism and political chaos, but also personal bravery and dogged idealism that defy easy stereotypes.
Unbeknownst to Walsh, however, an intelligence agent was tracking him. Written in the aftermath of Walsh's abrupt deportation, The Nine Lives of Pakistan concludes with an astonishing encounter with that agent, and his revelations about Pakistan's powerful security state. Intimate and complex, attuned to the centrifugal forces of history, identity, and faith, The Nine Lives of Pakistan offers an unflinching account of life in a precarious, vital country.
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What listeners say about The Nine Lives of Pakistan
Average customer ratingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
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Overall4 out of 5 stars
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Performance3 out of 5 stars
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Story4 out of 5 stars
- Michael Sweeney
- 02-03-21
Fascinating country
With the worlds fifth largest population and a worldwide diaspora, it is remarkable how little understood Pakistan is. This is a series of essays from an Irish journalist. I much preferred the writing when he focused on the historical context or the dealings with ordinary Pakistanis, who are more remarkably varied than outsiders may think. The military and political strong men he encounters often seem remarkably alike.
The stentorian narration of Roger Clark detracted from my enjoyment. It felt as if he barked, rather than spoke, the whole thing.
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2 people found this helpful
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- forever student
- 03-11-21
Superb book
Excellent book! Enjoyed it immensely. Will listen to it again.
The narration too was very good.
Thank you, Daclan Walsh
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story3 out of 5 stars
- Clive
- 13-01-22
An essential read for any visitors to Pakistan
an essential read for anyone who has lived and worked in Pakistan and followed its history. Well written, well presented, filled in many gaps in my knowledge of Pakistan . Does tend to skip back into previous history in a rather random kind of fashion however, but Walsh does know the history well. Fits in well with my own experience of living and working there, reading about the history and meeting several of the senior people mentioned.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Dave
- 23-04-21
Excellent book on Pakistan
An excellent book on the history and politics of Pakistan interweaved with the experiences of the decade that Declan Walsh spent in the country as a journalist. Declan describes his travels through the country and the larger than life characters that he comes across, as well as the reach of the Pakistani intelligence service and Pakistan's fraught relationship with India from Partitian to the present day. A must-read book for those interested in South Asian / Pakistani history and politics, you won't be disappointed.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Amazon Customer
- 15-03-24
Really well balanced
Great audio book. Enjoyed every moment. Really well put together with exceptional detail. I shall keep an eye out for other titles by the author.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Amazon Customer
- 05-05-22
Wonderfully insightful yet bleak expose
The author's years spent in Pakistan provide a unique insight into a nation with a troubled history, but so much promise. A great listen.
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Overall3 out of 5 stars
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Performance3 out of 5 stars
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Story3 out of 5 stars
- Syed Mohsin Hasan
- 15-02-24
An overview of sorts
Written nice but gets a bit vague in number of places which are of high importance. But again it’s written mostly on personal experience and perceptions.
One thing I really disliked about this is the narrator. It must be mandatory to have basic understanding how names of people and places is pronounced if you are not a native. Could at least research or learn. And writer after staying in country for nine years accepted it is not a good reflection. Less than one star for me
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Overall3 out of 5 stars
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Performance2 out of 5 stars
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Story3 out of 5 stars
- Daft Monk
- 14-09-22
That book the journalist always writes...
A mix of anecdotes, history and personal experience. Sometimes fascinating, but ultimately a bit of a mess in the way that books by journalists used to writing in a shorter form so often are.
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