
Part 1
Part 2
Part 3
Part 4
Part 5
Part 6
Part 7
Part 8
Part 9
Part 10
A bustling crowd gathers to watch a daring aviation display in the town of Chirapur, only to be stunned when the pilot’s fragile machine breaks apart and crashes to the ground. The sudden disaster sends shockwaves through the spectators—women weep, some faint, while others stare in horrified fascination at the twisted wreckage. In the aftermath, the local doctor’s sister, Eola, tries to steady the nerves of those around her, hinting at the tangled relationships that bind the town’s residents.
Amid the turmoil, a conversation unfolds between Ananda, a newly converted Christian, and Dr. Wenaston’s brother, revealing the uneasy coexistence of British officials and Indian society. Their exchange touches on recent political murders, cultural stereotypes, and the fragile trust between communities. As tensions simmer beneath polite civility, listeners are drawn into a vivid portrait of colonial India, where personal loyalties and societal expectations collide in the shadow of a tragic spectacle.
Language
en
Duration
~9 hours (571K characters)
Publisher of text edition
Project Gutenberg
Credits
Produced by Al Haines
Release date
2011-12-10
Rights
Public domain in the USA.
d. 1939
Best known for vivid novels set in India, this British writer drew on decades of life in Madras and the Nilgiri Hills to create stories of empire, local culture, and everyday human drama. She also wrote travel and historical nonfiction, bringing the places she knew to life for readers back home.
View all books
by Vinceslas-Eugène Dick

by Philippe Aubert de Gaspé

by Abraham Cahan

by Dion Boucicault

by Maria Edgeworth

by Ben Jonson

by Pauline E. (Pauline Elizabeth) Hopkins