[ZZY]∎ [PDF] Last Man in Tower Aravind Adiga 9781848875166 Books

Last Man in Tower Aravind Adiga 9781848875166 Books

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Last Man in Tower Aravind Adiga 9781848875166 Books

Unlike White Tiger, which focused intently on one man, the Last Man in the Tower gets into the mind of many people, mostly residents of Vishram Tower A. We also learn about the man driving the whole eviction - Mr. Shah of the Confidence Group. It's his dream to build the Shanghai Tower right where Vishram, an older building, stands. The residents are offered a huge sum of money to vacate the premises, and each has their own reasons for wanting the money - but each also has their own memmories in the space, for good or ill. The "society", because it's something like a co-op, had grown together like an unruly family. Mr Shah's offer brings emnity between lifelong friends. The last man in the tower is Masterji, an elderly teacher who doesn't want to leave his memories of his deceased wife and daughter and a lifetime spent in the building. His neighbors, once friends, begin to turn against him. it's a character study, about how people behave and what they will do. It's just as shocking as the White Tiger in this sense.

However, it doesn't have the same quality that won The White Tiger the Man-Booker prize. If that was a thrilling freshman offering, then this is a sophomore effort - and we can still look forward to further maturing of Adiga's writing and his more senior efforts. The book is not unremarkable and it is worth reading, but it will not be a classic.


Tags : Last Man in Tower [Aravind Adiga] on Amazon.com. *FREE* shipping on qualifying offers. Book Summary of Last Man In Tower Ask any Bombaywallah about Tower A of the Vishram Co-operative Housing Society and you will be told that it is unimpeachably pucca. Despite its location close to the airport and being bordered by slums,Aravind Adiga,Last Man in Tower,Atlantic,1848875169,Fiction - General,General,Literary

Last Man in Tower Aravind Adiga 9781848875166 Books Reviews

Gentrification is present world wide, both its positive and negative aspects. Both are examined in this transcendent second novel by Booker winner Aravid Adiga, The inhabitants of Vishram Society (colloquialism for apartment house) encompass a wide range of personalities and needs, but when they are offered generous amounts of rupees to vacate in order to make way for luxury condos, they all display the best and worst of their varying natures. Masterji, the only holdout, is cajoled, bribed, made a mockery of and boycotted by his neighbors. Each character is sharp and clear, and the wealth of experience both exotic and familiar. Novels set in apartment houses usually have much to draw from, and Adiga makes the most of his characters and his setting. The Maximum City of Mumbai is presented in all its glory, squalor and beauty. Highly recommended.
When I was looking for a novel to read on the long plane ride to India for my first visit there last month, a friend recommended Last Man in Tower, Arivand Adiga's second novel. It was a fine suggestion I am a long-time fan of Indian writing, which is one of the reasons I wanted to go to India, and I had enjoyed The White Tiger ' Adiga's first novel, which won the Booker Prize in 2008. As it turned out, I didn't start reading Last Man in Tower until after I arrived in Delhi and set out on my overland trip to Mumbai, where the novel is set. In fact, most of the plot is set in the slums that border Chhatrapati Shivaji International Airport., so I felt I could look right down on "the tower" as I flew out of India's largest city en route to Goa at the end of my Mumbai visit.

Last Man in Tower is the story of the residents of a 50-year-old apartment building, Tower A of the Vishram Co-operative Housing Society -- a six-story building that has for many years been an island of respectability amid the slums that surround the domestic terminal of Mumbai's airport. Now that the land around the airport is becoming more desirable, businessman Dharman Shah wants to purchase Towers A and B of Vishram Society, tear them down, and build a shiny new structure in the image of those he's seen in Shanghai ­­- a city he admires so much that he is going to name his new complex after it.

In addition to his desire to make money and expand his empire, Shah wants to challenge the supremacy of another Mumbai construction magnate, J.J. Chacko of the Ultimex Group, who has just offered a ridiculously high amount (81 lakh [8.1M] rupees) for a single slum property 'apparently just to attract attention. Shah so intent on the role the Vishram project can play in this pissing contest with Chacko that he is willing to risk his life for it, ignoring the advice of his physician who tells him that his lungs are so bad that if he doesn't leave Mumbai, the pollution is going to kill him.

Vishram Society Tower A is occupied by about fifteen middle-class families, most of them parents with children still at home, working in such fields as hardware, finance, real-estate and social work. They come from a range of religious and cultural backgrounds their ability to live in relative harmony despite their differences is a quality I learned even during my short visit to be one of the many admirable characteristics of the Indian people.

complete review is at marywwaltersbookreviews at wordpress dot com
Just like Adiga's earlier book, The White Tiger, Last Man paints a certain picture of a corrupt India driven by money over character or caring. Mumbai is known as the center of an aggressive sort of India. Bangalore has some of the same feeling. But money and housing overcomes all else. It is a cynical world. And worships in action what it doesn't in feeling. Masterji is admired and held up as a model, and yet, he is the last man. Masterji's reflection on life seem to be a more spiritual Indian perspective, but he also reflects a certain type of self-centered spiritualism.

It is a brutal book in many ways, but very interesting. As the picture of a man who wants 'nothing,' and how that affects those around him, it is striking.

I recommend it.
Unlike White Tiger, which focused intently on one man, the Last Man in the Tower gets into the mind of many people, mostly residents of Vishram Tower A. We also learn about the man driving the whole eviction - Mr. Shah of the Confidence Group. It's his dream to build the Shanghai Tower right where Vishram, an older building, stands. The residents are offered a huge sum of money to vacate the premises, and each has their own reasons for wanting the money - but each also has their own memmories in the space, for good or ill. The "society", because it's something like a co-op, had grown together like an unruly family. Mr Shah's offer brings emnity between lifelong friends. The last man in the tower is Masterji, an elderly teacher who doesn't want to leave his memories of his deceased wife and daughter and a lifetime spent in the building. His neighbors, once friends, begin to turn against him. it's a character study, about how people behave and what they will do. It's just as shocking as the White Tiger in this sense.

However, it doesn't have the same quality that won The White Tiger the Man-Booker prize. If that was a thrilling freshman offering, then this is a sophomore effort - and we can still look forward to further maturing of Adiga's writing and his more senior efforts. The book is not unremarkable and it is worth reading, but it will not be a classic.