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 enlarge | Author: Suketu Mehta
Publisher: Vintage
Category: Book
List Price: $16.95
Buy New: $9.46
You Save: $7.49 (44%)
New (13) Used (8) from $9.46
Rating:  75 reviews
Sales Rank: 2331
Media: Paperback
Number Of Items: 1
Pages: 560
Shipping Weight (lbs): 0.9
Dimensions (in): 7.9 x 5.2 x 1.1
ISBN: 0375703403
Dewey Decimal Number: 954.79205
EAN: 9780375703409
ASIN: 0375703403
Publication Date: September 27, 2005
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
Shipping: International shipping available
Condition: Brand new item. Over 3.5 million customers served. Order now. Selling online since 1995. Order with confidence. Code: B20081204231446T
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| Customer Reviews:
 Bombay Underworld, Nightlife, Bollywood.... March 3, 2008
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
I received this book as a gift from my sister, who went to college in Bombay. I myself have lived in Bombay 6 months at the most in a stretch, but have visted it many many times and have several relatives there.
If you have never been to Bombay and you read this book, it might scare you. Bombay might seem like this ominous city under the control of gangsters, trigger-happy policemen, self-serving politicians, and such. Although these are undoubtedly aspects of the underbelly of the city as perhaps of many large cities around the world, a casual visitor to the city will of course experience none of this in all likelihood. But then, this isn't really intended to be a tour book for the casual visitor either.
This book could perhaps be called "Bombay Underground", and that would be an apt title for it too. It takes you into the undercurrents of Bombay that you suspect exist, and which you might see surface and manifest themselves in the mundane day-to-day happenings of the city from time to time, but nothing quite like this book describes. In that sense, this is a brave undertaking and an intrepid journalistic venture -- Mehta meets with the glitterati of Bollywood and the good cops, but also with the lost souls and downright dangerous criminals of Bombay. I also found Mehta to be an objective observer although the Bombay riots really touched a deep communal nerve and discussing the riots, the aftermath and the judicial process could be a highly divisive and controversial issue. Despite having deep roots in Bombay and a conservative family background growing up, Mehta doesn't take sides and raises the right questions.
My only grouse with the book, like many others have also commented, is that it is perhaps too long and could have been edited a little more tightly. However, it did provide me with an excuse to read a little longer and anyway, it's not just the size of the book that matters as we all know. As the cliched Hindi film advertising joke goes: This book has drama, emotion, tragedy, romance -- you gotta have all that in a book about Bombay, and I had fun reading up on a different perspective on the city!
 Hugely disappointing December 23, 2007
2 out of 5 found this review helpful
I live in Bombay at the moment and many people recommended this book. I am quite surprised that it has such a good reputation both critically and at the grass roots level. The material is desperately in need of a good editor, and frankly, a better writer. The gangster stories are repetitive and far too long, the chronology of the book is extremely confusing, and much of the material is very out of date (the state of the criminal world ten years ago is far different from today). The writer's prose is literally incomprehensible at times, often muddled, and frequently infuriating in its laziness and inexactitude. By the end, I didn't much care what the author had to say, because he was so hard to read. In addition, he inserts himself far too often into the descriptions of life in Bombay. This is particularly true whenever he deals with a situation involving an attractive young woman. I felt embarrassed for him and his narcissistic need to hint at his growing emotional intimacy with the bar girl Monalisa. Really in poor taste for a man whose story begins with him moving to Bombay with his wife and children. What of them? Key at the beginning, then forgotten. Furthermore, the author fails again and again to dig deeper with his interview subjects when they say things that beg for further questioning or clarification. A little of that goes a long way. One thing I can say definitively, which I think says it all: I will never read another piece by this author, because there are too many good authors out there with a prose style that makes a book a joy to read, not a chore.
 Worth a read November 26, 2007
2 out of 2 found this review helpful
I've been living in Bombay (no one uses "Mumbai" unless we're mailing something!) since I was 14. I am now 29, so you could safely say I grew up here.
First of all, this is NOT A TRAVEL BOOK. I wouldn't even call it a travelogue or whatever.
If you're looking for a book that gives you insight into the underbelly of this city, this is it. It's backed by research and many first hand (second hand?) accounts of what really happened and still happens here.
Going through the reviews here, I found it very interesting that each and every one of the 1-star reviews here is from a bombayite. What's more, judging by the names of the reviewers, most of them seem to be from the community which supports(supported?) the political party which has been thoroughly lambasted in this book. That probably tells you that you should take the extremely negative reviews with generous doses of salts.
It is also not for you if you're looking for a "light read". This book is mostly dark, though the writer has attempted to be objective, and mostly succeeded. That probably explains why some people were disappointed. Read this book if you want a fascinating portrayal of the negative shades of a third-world city which dreams of being the financial capital of asia.
One thing I think could've been better is this book doesnt' speak about the million positive things happening in Mumbai. It focuses mostly on the issues the writer was dismayed and depressed to find on returning to this city. It also doesn't talk much about what we bombayites call "the spirit of mumbai". How many cities do you know of across the world which has, in the last decade alone - experienced a flood, massive communal riots, (and not just the ones they're referring to here), multiple bomb blasts (again not just those mentioned here), facing the kind of "quality of life" problems first-world cities never faced even a hundred years ago - and yet the city is still growing, and the inhabitants of that city truly believe in letting go of the past and bouncing back everytime?
This book could've spent some more time on those inhabitants who display their enterprising and never-say-die spirit on a daily basis. Who've shrugged off the immense problems we face and made something of themselves without breaking the law or doing something immoral. Believe me, there're literally thousands of those here, if not tens of thousands..
All in all, it's a very good read that made me revisit some issues which I'd preferred to overlook. Bombayites should definitely read it once. Wherever you're from, read it, but by no means should you form the conclusion that this book gives you a comprehensive picture. And sorry I just have to say this again - remember - this is NOT a travel book! Even if it somehow got advertised or portrayed that way.
 this Suketu.... November 14, 2007
2 out of 21 found this review helpful
About the book - I couriered it to the local landfill in Gurugaon in Mumbai (NOT "Bombay" you...) - I hate Mumbai ("Bombay"), dislike the author intensely..and I hated this boring "hear say" memoir...no Suketu-bhai im not envious (keep dreaming!)....on top of everything this prick has the "maha" ego to email me the F word in response to a friendly query...God help his students at NY Ju (hu?)
A Good Read November 10, 2007
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
A very good read. Please remember that if you are looking for a Bombay tour book, THIS IS NOT IT... On the other hand, if you have been to bombay, or have lived in bombay for an extended period of time, a year or more (like me), then you will really appreciate the author's depiction of the city, its culture, its people and what keeps it together. The only drawback of the book is the depth of explanation of certain incidents, I feel is in too much detail. Overall a fantastic book..!!
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