
Description:
Editorial Reviews
Reviews:
5.0 out of 5 stars A brilliant and visceral book
(function() { P.when('cr-A', 'ready').execute(function(A) { if(typeof A.toggleExpanderAriaLabel === 'function') { A.toggleExpanderAriaLabel('review_text_read_more', 'Read more of this review', 'Read less of this review'); } }); })(); .review-text-read-more-expander:focus-visible { outline: 2px solid #2162a1; outline-offset: 2px; border-radius: 5px; } A brilliant book with multiple personalities. Suketu Mehta himself morphs to reflect the person he speaks with -- whether a shooter, a bar dancer or a powerful movie producer and director. Clear prose detailed descriptions and character profiles that unearth the psychology of people living in a parallel universe, bring a city more complex than any other on earth (it seems) to raging and sometimes frightening life. This is the kind of book that can be read at least a dozen times -- and you will discover and re-discover multiple new things each time you do so.
4.0 out of 5 stars A definite read
Reading this book was like taking a stroll down memory lane, instant nostalgia and a sense of connection accentuated by the fact that I’ve lived 21 years of my existence in Mumbai and now I’m in a city totally unlike it. So, when he describes India and specifically Mumbai as the ‘Country of the No’ a rueful chuckle escapes me. Having lived in the city makes reading the book all the more pleasurable. It’s a well-written book and divided primarily into three major chunks and the beauty is that they are equally enjoyable as stand-alone novellas or as a book. His ability to describe his encounters with the various characters ranging from gangsters to bar dancers and his schoolteachers is brilliant. With his words he paints a very vivid image, one that you can imagine with very little effort, so that when he is scared while interviewing the gangsters, so are you. You are right there with him, or at least I was.One major grouse I have is that in this book he chose to cover the extremes. It was either Bollywood stars or ‘shooters’. Granted that these individuals tend to have interesting lives in ways that a middle class individual won’t, but I still think he could have devoted a part of the book to covering them. He does do this briefly in the final part in the form of a few short stories, but I wish he would have woven this into the narrative rather than present it as germs of an idea that didn’t come to realization.A glimpse into the fascinating and pulsating mega polis called Mumbai and a most definite read.
5.0 out of 5 stars A great civics course on Bombay polity
This has helped me to decide whether I could handle living in Bombay (sure why not; I would rather be challenged than bored). A really amazing study of the misdevelopment of one of the world's greatest Sprawls, this book could/should be in any college curriculum on urban development. It is daunting sometimes to realize how completely unplanned many of the world's newest cities are, and how little we may be able to do to change the course of their development.Mehta is a great story teller, and the tales of his Jain family are among the most memorable scenes in the book. Maximum City is also a great true crime thriller, and gives you a sense of a gritty city every bit the dark and exciting sequel to Al Capone's Chicago.Bombay is probably the most lively city in India now, and I hope that Maximum City inspires more writers to tell the thousands of stories that are buried there, in both the moneyed heights of Malabar Hill and the depths of the Dhaaravi jhuggi-jhonpri, from dimly lit kharkhanas to air-conditioned IT glass towers.
5.0 out of 5 stars Amazing and enlightening
The first 30+ pages about Bombay might have been too steep of a mountain to climb for some, but I loved the forensic-grade attention to detail exhibited herein and once the story turns to human characters (those who make Bombay the Bombay we have come to know and love) one is hooked and cannot but down the book.There is so much I could say here, but I don't want to give anything away. I'll just say:1) This is an amazing book, fiction or non, it matters not. It's excellently structured, written and poignant beyond belief.2) This is the best book about a city, any city, every written, and towers over all others.3) This is not only the best intro book about Bombay in particular and India in general, but also the best book about Bombay.Even if you've no love for, attraction towards or desire to ever set foot in, Bombay, you will love this book.This book is about Humanity. Most highly recommended.
3.0 out of 5 stars Truth is stranger than fiction
Truth indeed is stranger than fiction. In that sense Maximum city, a book about Bombay, is disconcerting. The housing scene, the underworld, bar girls and call girls, the Hindi movie industry, communal riots - all play pivotal roles in this content-rich book. Though I never lived in Bombay, I worked there for a few stretches of several weeks each during the early nineties, which coincided with the Ayodhya debacle and the aftermath; plus I have several friends who have lived there; and I happen to be an avid fan of Hindi movies. Hence, I could very easily relate to the rich content of the book. In many ways it was an eye opener - making me realize that what I may have once believed as part-fiction is indeed reality!Mehta has a very simple and lucid style of writing. Yet his tendency to over-tell (as opposed to 'show') gets tiring and hence boring after a point - had the content not been riveting and had I not been bound on a 14 hour flight - I may have given up on the book very soon. The structure is loose and stuff crops up wherever the author thinks about it rather than where it would have fit into the narrative - there was definitely a lot of scope for better organization and tighter editing - which would have made the book a more interesting read. Mehta also tends to confuse his readers with a total lack of respect for the chronology. While I was not expecting a water tight timeline, given that this is non fiction - more attention to the relative timing of events and descriptions - at least within the chapters and sections would have added more sanctity to the writing.All in all the book seems like it was hastily sent to print after the onerous task of research, interviews and an early draft of the extensive material was put together! An restructuring exercise - while imperative - seems to have been given a miss!
La vida en Mumbay
(function() { P.when('cr-A', 'ready').execute(function(A) { if(typeof A.toggleExpanderAriaLabel === 'function') { A.toggleExpanderAriaLabel('review_text_read_more', 'Read more of this review', 'Read less of this review'); } }); })(); .review-text-read-more-expander:focus-visible { outline: 2px solid #2162a1; outline-offset: 2px; border-radius: 5px; } Lo leí porque iba a pasar unos día en Mumbai y me dió una buena idea de como es la vida en esa gran metrópolis, aunque en algunos temas se explayaba demasiado.
A great informative read.
This book is getting old and it’s still worth reading - as shocking and informative today as the day it was written. A great read.
All stars for the narrative. Not even a half for the publisher.
Didn’t sign up for a badly printed book of a great narrative. Can’t give a single star because of the content. But the publisher… You don’t even deserve half a star because of the book quality.
Grande libro
Libro molto interessante
Extreme Stadt - gutes Buch
Suketu Mehta ist Journalist, Augenzeuge, Inder aus einer Gujarati-Familie, in Bombay aufgewachsen und dennoch von New York, vom Westen geprägt. Mit seiner Frau und seinen Kindern lebt er für zwei Jahre in der Stadt seiner Kindheit. Bombay - das ist Wirtschaftswunder, Bollywood, Showbuiseness, Slums, Gewalt, Gangs und Gangster. Es ist eine Stadt, die immer lebendig und doch dem Tod sehr nahe ist. Hier geht Mehta den wichtigsten Phänomenen der Stadt auf den Grund: Er spricht mit allen. Er sitzt tagelangs in Hotels und redet mit Auftragskillern, er spricht mit Politikern, Aufrühern, Religiösen und auch mit normalen Menschen in der Stadt. Seine Perspektive und die Art, wie er diese Menschen darstellt, wie er das Alltägliche mit dem Besonderen verbindet, macht dieses Buch zu einer fast schon krankhaft-süchtigmachenden Lektüre. Manchmal wühlt einen das Buch auf, manchmal erstaunt es einen, aber es langweilt nie und ist wirklich ein ungewöhnlicher Bericht aus einer extremen Stadt, die trotz allem auch ihre menschliche, positive Seite hat. Es ist auch eine Stadt, die längst hätte KO gehen müssen, aber sie ist immer noch, trotz der Verschmutzung, der Gewalt, der Korruption und der Intrigen. Es ist auch eine Stadt, die von Stillstand, Stagnation und gleichzeitig extremen, schnellen Entwicklungen geprägt ist. Hier prallen Bewegungen der indischen Gesellschaft mit großer Wucht zusammen oder existieren parallel zueinander.
Visit the Suketu Mehta (Author) Store
Maximum City: Bombay Lost and Found
AED12730
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Visit the Suketu Mehta (Author) Store
Maximum City: Bombay Lost and Found

AED12730
Quantity:
Order today to get by 7-14 business days
Delivery fee of AED 20. Free for orders above AED 200.
Imported From: United States
At BOLO, we work hard to ensure the products you receive are new, genuine, and sourced from reputable suppliers.
BOLO is not an authorized or official retailer for most brands, nor are we affiliated with manufacturers unless specifically stated on a product page. Instead, we source verified sellers, authorized distributors or directly from the manufacturer.
Each product undergoes thorough inspection and verification at our consolidation and fulfilment centers to ensure it meets our strict authenticity and quality standards before being shipped and delivered to you.
If you ever have concerns regarding the authenticity of a product purchased from us, please contact Bolo Support. We will review your inquiry promptly and, if necessary, provide documentation verifying authenticity or offer a suitable resolution.
Your trust is our top priority, and we are committed to maintaining transparency and integrity in every transaction.
All product information, images, descriptions, and reviews originate from the manufacturer or from trusted sellers overseas. BOLO is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or an authorized retailer for most brands listed on our website unless stated otherwise.
While we strive to display accurate information, variations in packaging, labeling, instructions, or formulation may occasionally occur due to regional differences or supplier updates. For detailed or manufacturer-specific information, please contact the brand directly or reach out to BOLO Support for assistance.
Unless otherwise stated, all prices displayed on the product page include applicable taxes and import duties.
BOLO operates in accordance with the laws and regulations of United Arab Emirates. Any items found to be restricted or prohibited for sale within the UAE will be cancelled prior to shipment. We take proactive measures to ensure that only products permitted for sale in United Arab Emirates are listed on our website.
All items are shipped by air, and any products classified as “Dangerous Goods (DG)” under IATA regulations will be removed from the order and cancelled.
All orders are processed manually, and we make every effort to process them promptly once confirmed. Products cancelled due to the above reasons will be permanently removed from listings across the website.
Description:
Editorial Reviews
Reviews:
5.0 out of 5 stars A brilliant and visceral book
(function() { P.when('cr-A', 'ready').execute(function(A) { if(typeof A.toggleExpanderAriaLabel === 'function') { A.toggleExpanderAriaLabel('review_text_read_more', 'Read more of this review', 'Read less of this review'); } }); })(); .review-text-read-more-expander:focus-visible { outline: 2px solid #2162a1; outline-offset: 2px; border-radius: 5px; } A brilliant book with multiple personalities. Suketu Mehta himself morphs to reflect the person he speaks with -- whether a shooter, a bar dancer or a powerful movie producer and director. Clear prose detailed descriptions and character profiles that unearth the psychology of people living in a parallel universe, bring a city more complex than any other on earth (it seems) to raging and sometimes frightening life. This is the kind of book that can be read at least a dozen times -- and you will discover and re-discover multiple new things each time you do so.
4.0 out of 5 stars A definite read
Reading this book was like taking a stroll down memory lane, instant nostalgia and a sense of connection accentuated by the fact that I’ve lived 21 years of my existence in Mumbai and now I’m in a city totally unlike it. So, when he describes India and specifically Mumbai as the ‘Country of the No’ a rueful chuckle escapes me. Having lived in the city makes reading the book all the more pleasurable. It’s a well-written book and divided primarily into three major chunks and the beauty is that they are equally enjoyable as stand-alone novellas or as a book. His ability to describe his encounters with the various characters ranging from gangsters to bar dancers and his schoolteachers is brilliant. With his words he paints a very vivid image, one that you can imagine with very little effort, so that when he is scared while interviewing the gangsters, so are you. You are right there with him, or at least I was.One major grouse I have is that in this book he chose to cover the extremes. It was either Bollywood stars or ‘shooters’. Granted that these individuals tend to have interesting lives in ways that a middle class individual won’t, but I still think he could have devoted a part of the book to covering them. He does do this briefly in the final part in the form of a few short stories, but I wish he would have woven this into the narrative rather than present it as germs of an idea that didn’t come to realization.A glimpse into the fascinating and pulsating mega polis called Mumbai and a most definite read.
5.0 out of 5 stars A great civics course on Bombay polity
This has helped me to decide whether I could handle living in Bombay (sure why not; I would rather be challenged than bored). A really amazing study of the misdevelopment of one of the world's greatest Sprawls, this book could/should be in any college curriculum on urban development. It is daunting sometimes to realize how completely unplanned many of the world's newest cities are, and how little we may be able to do to change the course of their development.Mehta is a great story teller, and the tales of his Jain family are among the most memorable scenes in the book. Maximum City is also a great true crime thriller, and gives you a sense of a gritty city every bit the dark and exciting sequel to Al Capone's Chicago.Bombay is probably the most lively city in India now, and I hope that Maximum City inspires more writers to tell the thousands of stories that are buried there, in both the moneyed heights of Malabar Hill and the depths of the Dhaaravi jhuggi-jhonpri, from dimly lit kharkhanas to air-conditioned IT glass towers.
5.0 out of 5 stars Amazing and enlightening
The first 30+ pages about Bombay might have been too steep of a mountain to climb for some, but I loved the forensic-grade attention to detail exhibited herein and once the story turns to human characters (those who make Bombay the Bombay we have come to know and love) one is hooked and cannot but down the book.There is so much I could say here, but I don't want to give anything away. I'll just say:1) This is an amazing book, fiction or non, it matters not. It's excellently structured, written and poignant beyond belief.2) This is the best book about a city, any city, every written, and towers over all others.3) This is not only the best intro book about Bombay in particular and India in general, but also the best book about Bombay.Even if you've no love for, attraction towards or desire to ever set foot in, Bombay, you will love this book.This book is about Humanity. Most highly recommended.
3.0 out of 5 stars Truth is stranger than fiction
Truth indeed is stranger than fiction. In that sense Maximum city, a book about Bombay, is disconcerting. The housing scene, the underworld, bar girls and call girls, the Hindi movie industry, communal riots - all play pivotal roles in this content-rich book. Though I never lived in Bombay, I worked there for a few stretches of several weeks each during the early nineties, which coincided with the Ayodhya debacle and the aftermath; plus I have several friends who have lived there; and I happen to be an avid fan of Hindi movies. Hence, I could very easily relate to the rich content of the book. In many ways it was an eye opener - making me realize that what I may have once believed as part-fiction is indeed reality!Mehta has a very simple and lucid style of writing. Yet his tendency to over-tell (as opposed to 'show') gets tiring and hence boring after a point - had the content not been riveting and had I not been bound on a 14 hour flight - I may have given up on the book very soon. The structure is loose and stuff crops up wherever the author thinks about it rather than where it would have fit into the narrative - there was definitely a lot of scope for better organization and tighter editing - which would have made the book a more interesting read. Mehta also tends to confuse his readers with a total lack of respect for the chronology. While I was not expecting a water tight timeline, given that this is non fiction - more attention to the relative timing of events and descriptions - at least within the chapters and sections would have added more sanctity to the writing.All in all the book seems like it was hastily sent to print after the onerous task of research, interviews and an early draft of the extensive material was put together! An restructuring exercise - while imperative - seems to have been given a miss!
La vida en Mumbay
(function() { P.when('cr-A', 'ready').execute(function(A) { if(typeof A.toggleExpanderAriaLabel === 'function') { A.toggleExpanderAriaLabel('review_text_read_more', 'Read more of this review', 'Read less of this review'); } }); })(); .review-text-read-more-expander:focus-visible { outline: 2px solid #2162a1; outline-offset: 2px; border-radius: 5px; } Lo leí porque iba a pasar unos día en Mumbai y me dió una buena idea de como es la vida en esa gran metrópolis, aunque en algunos temas se explayaba demasiado.
A great informative read.
This book is getting old and it’s still worth reading - as shocking and informative today as the day it was written. A great read.
All stars for the narrative. Not even a half for the publisher.
Didn’t sign up for a badly printed book of a great narrative. Can’t give a single star because of the content. But the publisher… You don’t even deserve half a star because of the book quality.
Grande libro
Libro molto interessante
Extreme Stadt - gutes Buch
Suketu Mehta ist Journalist, Augenzeuge, Inder aus einer Gujarati-Familie, in Bombay aufgewachsen und dennoch von New York, vom Westen geprägt. Mit seiner Frau und seinen Kindern lebt er für zwei Jahre in der Stadt seiner Kindheit. Bombay - das ist Wirtschaftswunder, Bollywood, Showbuiseness, Slums, Gewalt, Gangs und Gangster. Es ist eine Stadt, die immer lebendig und doch dem Tod sehr nahe ist. Hier geht Mehta den wichtigsten Phänomenen der Stadt auf den Grund: Er spricht mit allen. Er sitzt tagelangs in Hotels und redet mit Auftragskillern, er spricht mit Politikern, Aufrühern, Religiösen und auch mit normalen Menschen in der Stadt. Seine Perspektive und die Art, wie er diese Menschen darstellt, wie er das Alltägliche mit dem Besonderen verbindet, macht dieses Buch zu einer fast schon krankhaft-süchtigmachenden Lektüre. Manchmal wühlt einen das Buch auf, manchmal erstaunt es einen, aber es langweilt nie und ist wirklich ein ungewöhnlicher Bericht aus einer extremen Stadt, die trotz allem auch ihre menschliche, positive Seite hat. Es ist auch eine Stadt, die längst hätte KO gehen müssen, aber sie ist immer noch, trotz der Verschmutzung, der Gewalt, der Korruption und der Intrigen. Es ist auch eine Stadt, die von Stillstand, Stagnation und gleichzeitig extremen, schnellen Entwicklungen geprägt ist. Hier prallen Bewegungen der indischen Gesellschaft mit großer Wucht zusammen oder existieren parallel zueinander.
Similar suggestions by Bolo
More from this brand
Similar items from “Travel”
Share with
Or share with link
https://www.bolo.ae/products/U0375703403