Maximum City: Bombay Lost and Found
By:
Suketu Mehta
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Lowest New Price: $7.49
List Price: $17.00
Average Customer Rating: 4.0 out of 5
Description:
A native of Bombay, Suketu Mehta gives us an insider’s view of this stunning metropolis. He approaches the city from unexpected angles, taking us into the criminal underworld of rival Muslim and Hindu gangs; following the life of a bar dancer raised amid poverty and abuse; opening the door into the inner sanctums of Bollywood; and delving into the stories of the countless villagers who come in search of a better life and end up living on the sidewalks.
Publisher: Vintage
Release Date: 2005-09-27
Customer Review: 5 out of 5
great book - I had gone to Bombay without reading this book and was amazed how things ran, especially in Dharavi. Well this book explains how things are run and it makes alot of sense. The shipping was super fast. Great seller.
Customer Review: 5 out of 5
gritty and believable -
I love this book- it is one of my favorite new genres of travel literature. You can feel Bombay- sorry Mumbai, in this book, smell it and even taste it. One of my favorite books of all time.
Customer Review: 5 out of 5
Amazing - The book has such narrative intensity -- I do not know how Suketu Mehta was able to write with such beautiful detachment about a city he knows and loves (and also hates).
I read V. S. Naipaul's A MILLION MUTINIES NOW, and books by fiction writers like Tahmima Anam. But not until I read this book did I see the personal consequences of the religious hatred that threatens to tear apart the fabric of Indian society.
This is a great book (I also marvel at the author's honesty, that he is able to level the most acute criticism of Bombay culture, but never comes off as sounding like someone with an ax to grind . . . )
Customer Review: 4 out of 5
A minimalist's view of a maximum city - As an outsider to India, I've always associated the country with big things. Consequently, I could not help but wonder how this book would manage to cover this behemoth city in 540 pages. Upon completion, it is apparent that Mehta has succeeded brilliantly in examining the big themes of this big city through the transcendent details of those lives who exemplify Bombay: lives of sin, lives of pleasure, lives of devotion. I would recommend this book to anyone more interested in learning about the millions of lives that make up Bombay rather than the city's history.
Customer Review: 5 out of 5
Great book, fascinating stories - Although at times this fascinating book borders on an elegy for Bombay, Suketu Mehta has written an incredible celebration of the city and its citizens. Beginning with the immigrant's story that seems to have become requisite of South Asian literature published in the West, Mehta discusses his upbringing in New York. This sets the stage for a central question in the book, "Can we go home again?" Bringing his family to Bombay provides formidable
challenges as Mehta struggles to makes sense of modern Bombay. As he begins to explore the city he introduces several individuals whose stories exemplify the city.
Dividing his book into three parts, 'Power," "Pleasure," and "Passages," Mehta interviews and presents a variety of stunning individuals and their stories. I found his experiences with Bombay's hitmen and underworld most interesting, but he also explores the lives of police officers waging battle against crime, the producers and directors of the film industry, a bar girl, a homeless poet, people struggling in the slums, and a man who renounces his wealth to become a wandering pilgrim. What becomes apparent is that Bombay is a city of dreams on steroids. Reading about the struggles and hopes of its inhabitants will resound with the reader and provide food for thought. If you are interested in India or want a better understanding of Bombay this book is excellent.
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