{"product_id":"the-finest-hotel-in-kabul-a-peoples-history-of-afghanistan","title":"The Finest Hotel in Kabul: A People's History of Afghanistan","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eFifty years of Afghanistan, told through one hotel that never closed its doors — from the BBC's Chief International Correspondent.\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eIn 1969, the luxury Hotel Inter-Continental Kabul opened its doors: a glistening white box, high on a hill, that reflected Afghanistan's hopes of becoming a modern country, connected to the world.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eLyse Doucet — then a young reporter on her inaugural trip to Afghanistan — first checked into the Inter-Continental in 1988. In the decades since, she has witnessed a Soviet troop withdrawal, a devastating civil war, the US-led invasion, and the rise, fall and rise of the Taliban, all from within its increasingly battered walls. The Inter-Con has never closed its doors.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eNow she weaves together the experiences of the Afghans who have kept the hotel running to craft a richly immersive history of their country. It is the story of \u003cstrong\u003eHazrat\u003c\/strong\u003e, the septuagenarian housekeeper who still holds fast to his training from the hotel's 1970s glory days — an era of haute cuisine and high fashion, when Afghanistan was a kingdom and Kabul was the “Paris of Central Asia.” Of \u003cstrong\u003eAbida\u003c\/strong\u003e, who became the first female chef after the fall of the Taliban in 2001. And of \u003cstrong\u003eMalalai and Sadeq\u003c\/strong\u003e, the twenty-somethings who seized every opportunity offered by two decades of fragile democracy — only to see the Taliban come roaring back in 2021.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eThrough these intimate portraits of Kabul life, the story of a hotel becomes the story of a people.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003ch4\u003ePraise\u003c\/h4\u003e\u003cblockquote\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003e“Plays to all Lyse Doucet's strengths. Clarity, empathy, depth of knowledge and innate grasp of fine detail.”\u003c\/em\u003e — \u003cstrong\u003eMichael Palin\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003e“Simply unforgettable.”\u003c\/em\u003e — \u003cstrong\u003eElif Shafak\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003e“Beautifully written.”\u003c\/em\u003e — \u003cstrong\u003ePeter Frankopan\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003e“Ingenious… Lyse Doucet writes with verve and insight, and a clear warmth of feeling for Afghanistan and its people.”\u003c\/em\u003e — \u003cstrong\u003eKamila Shamsie\u003c\/strong\u003e, author of \u003cem\u003eHome Fire\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003e“What a beautiful book… An extraordinary introduction to Afghanistan, and a tribute to one of the finest correspondents of our time.”\u003c\/em\u003e — \u003cstrong\u003eRory Stewart\u003c\/strong\u003e, author of \u003cem\u003eThe Places in Between\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c\/blockquote\u003e\u003ch4\u003eAbout the author\u003c\/h4\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eLyse Doucet\u003c\/strong\u003e is the BBC's Chief International Correspondent, a familiar voice from the world's frontlines for over three decades. She has reported from Afghanistan since 1988.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003ch4\u003ePerfect for readers of\u003c\/h4\u003e\u003cp\u003ePeter Hopkirk's \u003cem\u003eThe Great Game\u003c\/em\u003e, Zahra Joya's \u003cem\u003eThe Vanishing Girl of Kabul\u003c\/em\u003e, Rory Stewart — and anyone who loves history told through people rather than dates.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Hutchinson Heinemann (Penguin Random House)","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":52107058151640,"sku":"9781529151039","price":999.0,"currency_code":"INR","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0818\/1471\/6632\/files\/81Mg9lfjSUL.jpg?v=1785502904","url":"https:\/\/www.readersparadise.co\/products\/the-finest-hotel-in-kabul-a-peoples-history-of-afghanistan","provider":"Readers Paradise","version":"1.0","type":"link"}