The Billionaire Raj

In the Literary Review, Oliver Balch calls the book "thoroughly entertaining" and writes that the economic content "neither bores nor overbears", but criticises the "familiarity of some of its examples".{{Cite news|url=https://literaryreview.co.uk/rise-of-the-bollygarchs|title=Rise of the Bollygarchs|work=Literary Review|last=Balch|first=Oliver|access-date=2018-08-09|language=en-US}}

A Publishers Weekly review lauds the book as "an invaluable commentary on Indian democracy", and praises Crabtree for "[bringing] a reporter's precision and flair to his story".{{Cite news|url=https://www.publishersweekly.com/978-1-5247-6006-9|title=Nonfiction Book Review: The Billionaire Raj: A Journey Through India's New Gilded Age by James Crabtree. Crown/Duggan, $27 (369p) ISBN 978-1-5247-6006-9|work=Publishers Weekly|access-date=2018-08-09|language=en}} A Kirkus Reviews critic summarises the book as "[s]olid reading for students of economic development and global economics".{{Cite book|url=https://www.kirkusreviews.com/book-reviews/james-crabtree/the-billionaire-raj/|title=THE BILLIONAIRE RAJ by James Crabtree {{!}} Kirkus Reviews|language=en-us}} Tunku Varadarajan of Wall Street Journal compliments the book for being "a lively and valuable blend of the empirical and the anecdotal".{{Cite news|url=https://www.wsj.com/articles/the-billionaire-raj-review-gatsby-on-the-ganges-1530723006|title='The Billionaire Raj' Review: Gatsby on the Ganges|last=Varadarajan|first=Tunku|date=2018-07-04|work=Wall Street Journal|access-date=2018-08-09|language=en-US|issn=0099-9660}} Melissa van der Klugt of The Times calls the book "timely reading" and says Crabtree has an "eye for detail", but notes that it is an "oddly macho book" due to only rare mentions of women.{{Cite news|url=https://www.thetimes.com/world/asia/article/review-the-billionaire-raj-by-james-crabtree-inside-the-world-of-indias-super-rich-t072clq8b|title=Review: The Billionaire Raj by James Crabtree — inside the world of India's super-rich|last=Klugt|first=Melissa van der|date=2018-07-14|work=The Times|access-date=2018-08-09|language=en|issn=0140-0460}}

Writing in the Financial Times, Meghnad Desai describes the book as “the most comprehensive and eminently readable tour of economic India.”{{Cite web |last=Desai |first=Meghnad |date=2018-07-05 |title=The rapid ascent of India’s super-rich |url=https://www.ft.com/content/e06bfa46-7b8f-11e8-af48-190d103e32a4 |url-access=subscription |access-date=2019-01-04 |website=Financial Times |language=en-GB}}

Jonathan Knee of The New York Times laments that the book "does not fully profile the diverse community of Indian billionaires" and that "the lines between the many forms of corruption described are far from clear", though Knee praises that The Billionaire Raj "is chock-full of profoundly revealing vignettes".{{Cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2018/07/09/business/dealbook/review-billionaire-raj.html|title=Review: 'The Billionaire Raj' Offers Reasons for Optimism in India's Gilded Age|work=The New York Times|last=Knee|first=Jonathan|access-date=2018-08-09|language=en}}

Writing for Mint, V. Anantha Nageswaran notes the absence of the United Progressive Alliance in the book and praises Crabtree's writing and "eye of a good journalist for details".{{Cite news|url=https://www.livemint.com/Opinion/Qskj5r03q8uG98qMFdhsPJ/James-Crabtrees-exertions-and-excursions.html|title=James Crabtree's exertions and excursions|last=Nageswaran|first=V. Anantha|date=2018-07-23|work=Mint|access-date=2018-08-09}} comments on the absence of IT entrepreneurs, but believes there is "no comparable account of India's gilded age", complimenting the book as "a reporting gem" which "deserves to be widely read".{{Cite news|url=https://indianexpress.com/article/lifestyle/books/grime-beneath-the-glitter-the-billionaire-raj-review-5268414/|title=Grime Beneath the Glitter|date=2018-07-21|work=The Indian Express|access-date=2018-08-09|language=en-US}} Una Galani of Reuters notes that the book is not optimistic but says that Crabtree "deserves credit for delving deep into cronyism".{{Cite web|url=https://www.breakingviews.com/features/review-a-fleeting-snapshot-of-indias-bollygarchs/|title=Robber barons reset|last=Galani|first=Una|date=6 July 2018|website=Reuters}}

The book has also been reviewed in Business Standard,{{Cite news|url=https://www.business-standard.com/article/beyond-business/the-billionaire-raj-cricket-to-elections-how-money-has-changed-everything-118080301373_1.html|title=The Billionaire Raj: Cricket to elections, how money has changed everything|last=Sanghvi|first=Vir|date=2018-08-03|work=Business Standard India|access-date=2018-08-09}} Financial Times{{Cite web|url=https://www.ft.com/content/e06bfa46-7b8f-11e8-af48-190d103e32a4|title=The rapid ascent of India's super-rich|website=Financial Times|language=en-GB|access-date=2018-08-09}} and The Economist.{{Cite news|url=https://www.economist.com/books-and-arts/2018/07/05/the-tycoons-who-are-powering-indias-rise|title=The tycoons who are powering India's rise|newspaper=The Economist|access-date=2018-08-09|language=en}} Crabtree has been interviewed on the book by multiple media outlets including Mint,{{Cite web|url=https://www.livemint.com/Companies/FeRwRFEQJu8mKx7wcVN5FL/India-is-one-of-the-worlds-most-unequal-countries-James-Cr.html|title=India is one of the world's most unequal countries: James Crabtree|last=Sinha|first=Vikram|date=2018-08-25|website=Mint|language=en|access-date=2019-01-04}} The Times of India,{{Cite web|url=https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/home/sunday-times/all-that-matters/india-has-moved-people-out-of-poverty-but-its-become-much-more-unequal-says-james-crabtree-author-of-the-billionaire-raj/articleshow/64991942.cms|title=India has moved people out of poverty but it's become much more unequal, says James Crabtree, author of The Billionaire Raj - Times of India|website=The Times of India|access-date=2019-01-04}} The Wire,{{Cite web|url=https://thewire.in/video/wealth-india-james-crabtree-interview|title=Much Of Wealth Created In 2000s A Result Of Economy Of Favours: James Crabtree|website=The Wire|access-date=2019-01-04}} The Indian Express{{Cite web|url=https://indianexpress.com/article/lifestyle/books/other-successful-developing-asian-economies-have-been-more-equal-than-india-5268426/|title=Other successful developing Asian economies have been more equal than India|date=2018-07-21|website=The Indian Express|language=en-IN|access-date=2019-01-04}} and The Financial Express.{{Cite news|url=https://www.financialexpress.com/lifestyle/book-review-james-crabtrees-the-billionaire-raj-talks-of-indias-new-gilded-age/1253513/|title=Book review: James Crabtree's The Billionaire Raj talks of India's new gilded age|date=2018-07-22|work=The Financial Express|access-date=2018-08-09|language=en-US}}

In November 2018, The Billionaire Raj was named Business Book of the Year at the Tata LitLive! Awards in Mumbai.{{Cite web|url=http://www.tata.com/media/releasesinside/tata-literature-live-the-mumbai-litfest-award|title=Prestigious literary awards ceremony at the grand finale of the ninth edition of Tata Literature Live! The Mumbai LitFest via @tatacompanies|last=Tata.com|website=tata.com|language=english|access-date=2019-01-04}}

• The book was shortlisted for the 2018 Financial Times and McKinsey Business Book of the Year Award.{{cite web |date=14 September 2018 |title=FT/McKinsey Business Book of the Year — the shortlist |url=https://www.ft.com/content/cdf9d03e-b836-11e8-b3ef-799c8613f4a1 |url-access=subscription |url-status=dead |archiveurl=https://archive.today/20180915101803/https://www.ft.com/content/cdf9d03e-b836-11e8-b3ef-799c8613f4a1 |archivedate=15 September 2018 |accessdate=14 September 2018 |work=Financial Times}}

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Category:2018 non-fiction books

Category:British non-fiction books

Category:Books about the economy of India

Category:Books about the caste system in India

Category:Tim Duggan Books books