The White Tiger
by Adiga, Aravind
The White Tiger is the debut novel by Indian author Aravind Adiga. It was first published in 2008 and won the Man Booker Prize for the same year. The novel studies the contrast between India's rise as a modern global economy and the main character, who comes from crushing rural poverty.
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On Aug 3, 2014, CloggieDownunder said
The White Tiger is the first novel by Indian author, Aravind Adiga. The narrative takes the form of a series of eight rambling emails sent over the period of a week from Balram Halwai aka Munna aka The White Tiger to Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao on the eve of his visit to India, and describes how Balram advanced from half-baked school boy son of a rickshaw puller to lowly teashop employee in Laxmangarh to chauffeur of rich Landlords in Delhi to fugitive wanted for the murder of his former employer to Bangalore entrepreneur. All this, under the guise of advising the Premier on producing much-needed entrepreneurs for China. Along the way, Balram comments on the divide in India between the rich and the poor, the powerful and the powerless, and details the bribery and corruption that are de rigeur in India. Adiga’s India is slums and sewage, shopping malls and traffic jams, call centres and cockroaches. As the main character, Balram is neither endearing nor wholly odious; in fact none of the characters will hold the reader’s interest for long. Some of Adiga’s descriptive prose is excellent, but this is not really enough to make this a “blazingly savage and brilliant” novel as described on the front cover. Winner of the Man Booker Prize for 2008, this is a pleasant enough read, at times blackly funny, but a far cry in quality from the works by those other Indian authors that won the Man Booker Prize in 1997 and 2006.
On Aug 3, 2014, a reader said
The White Tiger is the first novel by Indian author, Aravind Adiga. The narrative takes the form of a series of eight rambling emails sent over the period of a week from Balram Halwai aka Munna aka The White Tiger to Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao on the eve of his visit to India, and describes how Balram advanced from half-baked school boy son of a rickshaw puller to lowly teashop employee in Laxmangarh to chauffeur of rich Landlords in Delhi to fugitive wanted for the murder of his former employer to Bangalore entrepreneur. All this, under the guise of advising the Premier on producing much-needed entrepreneurs for China. Along the way, Balram comments on the divide in India between the rich and the poor, the powerful and the powerless, and details the bribery and corruption that are de rigeur in India. Adiga’s India is slums and sewage, shopping malls and traffic jams, call centres and cockroaches. As the main character, Balram is neither endearing nor wholly odious; in fact none of the characters will hold the reader’s interest for long. Some of Adiga’s descriptive prose is excellent, but this is not really enough to make this a “blazingly savage and brilliant” novel as described on the front cover. Winner of the Man Booker Prize for 2008, this is a pleasant enough read, at times blackly funny, but a far cry in quality from the works by those other Indian authors that won the Man Booker Prize in 1997 and 2006.
On Jul 19, 2009, preatty_mokshayahoocoin said
Balram Halwai is a complicated man. Servant. Philosopher. Entrepreneur. Murderer. Over the course of seven nights, by the scattered light of a preposterous chandelier, Balram tells us the terrible and transfixing story of how he came to be a success in life -- having nothing but his own wits to help him along. Born in the dark heart of India, Balram gets a break when he is hired as a driver for his village's wealthiest man, two house Pomeranians (Puddles and Cuddles), and the rich man's (very unlucky) son. From behind the wheel of their Honda City car, Balram's new world is a revelation. While his peers flip through the pages of Murder Weekly ("Love -- Rape -- Revenge!"), barter for girls, drink liquor (Thunderbolt), and perpetuate the Great Rooster Coop of Indian society, Balram watches his employers bribe foreign ministers for tax breaks, barter for girls, drink liquor (single-malt whiskey), and play their own role in the Rooster Coop. Balram learns how to siphon gas, deal with corrupt mechanics, and refill and resell Johnnie Walker Black Label bottles (all but one). He also finds a way out of the Coop that no one else inside it can perceive. Balram's eyes penetrate India as few outsiders can: the cockroaches and the call centers; the prostitutes and the worshippers; the ancient and Internet cultures; the water buffalo and, trapped in so many kinds of cages that escape is (almost) impossible, the white tiger. And with a charisma as undeniable as it is unexpected, Balram teaches us that religion doesn't create virtue, and money doesn't solve every problem -- but decency can still be found in a corrupt world, and you can get what you want out of life if you eavesdrop on the right conversations. Sold in sixteen countries around the world, The White Tiger recalls The Death of Vishnu and Bangkok 8 in ambition, scope, and narrative genius, with a mischief and personality all its own. Amoral, irreverent, deeply endearing, and utterly contemporary, this novel is an international publishing sensation -- and a startling, provocative debut.
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The White Tiger
by Aravind Adiga
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- Used - Very Good
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- none
- Edition
- 8th printing
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- 2009
- ISBN 10
- 1848871937
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Los Angeles, California, USA
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NZ$16.88
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* Giftable -- Excellent copy of --The White Tiger, oversized paperback book feels & looks unread ... Very good condition. Pictures are provided for your review to determine quality & decision making -shipped -USPS -Media Mail -Los Angeles -- The White Tiger is the debut novel by Indian author Aravind Adiga...WINNER OF THE MAN BOOKER PRIZE 2008 WINNER OF THE… Read more about this item Item Price
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The White Tiger
by Aravind Adiga
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- 2009
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- 1843547228
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Wamuran, Queensland, AUS
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In very good condition - has markings from use - due to differing weights in books, postage maybe adjusted at checkout.
The White Tiger is the story of Balram Halwai's life as a self-declared "self-made entrepreneur": a rickshaw driver's son who skillfully climbs India's social ladder to become a chauffeur and later a successful businessman. Balram recounts his life story in… Read more about this item Item Price
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The White Tiger
by Aravind Adiga
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- 2008
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Wellington, NZL
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Free Press. Good. 5.87 x 1.14 x 8.19 inches. Paperback. 2008. 336 pages. Cover worn<br>2008 Atlantic Books trade paperback, 3r d printing. Aravind Adiga (Amnesty: A Novel). The white tiger of this novel is Balram Halwai, a poor Indian villager whose great a mbition leads him to the zenith of Indian business culture, the w orld of the… Read more about this item Item Price
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The White Tiger
by Adiga, Aravind
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- Reprint; Ninth Printing
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- 2008
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- Paperback
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London: Atlantic Books. Very Good. 2008. Reprint; Ninth Printing. Paperback. Mass Market PB . Light reading and cover corner creases, light shelf wear, slight pinkish tinge to fore edge of reading block. ; Ninth printing of mass market edition. Nice tight flat copy, no names or marks inside. Cover design by ghost with artwork by Petra Borner… Read more about this item Item Price
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The White Tiger (Signed Limited Edition)
by ADIGA Aravind
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- 1st Edition Thus
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- 2008
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- HARDCOVER
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- 1848870965
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London, London, GBR
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Atlantic Books, London, 2008. 1st Edition Thus. HARDCOVER. 8vo in black faux cloth, silver lettering to spine. 321pp. Signed limited edition No. 238 of 1500 copies. Jacket printed on high quality smooth paper, housed in a decoratively silver printed strong card slipcase __CONDITION : A well preserved AS NEW unread and unmarked copy in an AS NEW… Read more about this item Item Price
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The White Tiger
by Adiga, Aravind
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GORING BY SEA, West Sussex, GBR
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The White Tiger
by Adiga, Aravind
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- First Edition
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- 2008
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- Softcover
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- 184354721x
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King River, Western Australia, AUS
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Atlantic Books, London, 2008. First Edition. Softcover. Very Good Condition. Second impression . Size: 8vo Octavo (standard book size). 321 pages. Text body is clean, and free from previous owner annotation, underlining and highlighting. Binding is tight, covers and spine fully intact. No foxing detected in this copy. All edges clean, neat and free of… Read more about this item Item Price
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The White Tiger
by Adiga, Aravind
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- Used - Very good 1st UK edition, with crisp unclipped d/j, blue clothbound boards clean and silver titling on spine bright. Pages tight
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- 2008
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Maidenhead, Berkshire, GBR
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London: Atlantic Books, 2008. 1st UK. hardback. Very good 1st UK edition, with crisp unclipped d/j, blue clothbound boards clean and silver titling on spine bright. Pages tightly bound and unmarked.. 8vo: crown (200 x 140 / 8"" x 5_""). 2008 Booker Prize Winner. The White Tiger presents a raw and unromanticised India, both thrilling and shocking -… Read more about this item Item Price
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The White Tiger - SIGNED by the Author
by Adiga, Aravind
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- 2008
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Harrogate, North Yorkshire, GBR
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London: Atlantic Books, 2008. A first edition, first printing published by Atlantic Books in 2008 signed by the author, without dedication, to the title page. A fine book, clean internally. In a fine, unclipped wrapper. SIGNED without dedication to the title page by Adiga. A lovely copy indeed. The White Tiger tells a darkly, humorous tale of… Read more about this item Item Price
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The White Tiger
by Adiga, Aravind
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- 2008
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Atlantic Books, Australia, 2008. 1st Thus. Paperback. Good Condition. Size: Octavo . 336 pages. Quantity Available: 1. Shipped Weight: Under 1 kilogram. Category: Poor India Bangalore Fiction.; Chauffeurs -- India -- Bangalore -- Fiction.; Businesspeople -- India -- Bangalore -- Fiction.; ISBN: 184354721X. ISBN/EAN: 9781843547211. Dewey Code: 823.92.… Read more about this item Item Price
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The White Tiger: A Novel w/publisher's Blurb Sheets
by ADIGA, Aravind
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- 2008
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Springtown, Pennsylvania, USA
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NY: Free Press, 2008. Bound in purple and yellow boards, stamped in silver. In bright white dust jacket. The first U.S. edition of the author's Booker Prize winning novel. Laid in is five blurb sheets from the publisher announcing the publication of the book. 276 pp. An early review copy. . First American Edition. Hard… Read more about this item Item Price
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The White Tiger
by Aravind Adiga
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Atlantic Books, 03/01/2008. Hardcover. Used; Good. EX library copy **WE SHIP WITHIN 24 HRS FROM LONDON, UK, 98% OF OUR ORDERS ARE RECEIVED WITHIN 7-10 DAYS. We believe you will be completely satisfied with our quick and reliable service. All orders are dispatched as swiftly as possible! Buy with confidence! Greener Books. Item Price
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The White Tiger
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Atlantic Books, 03/01/2008. Hardcover. Used; Good. **WE SHIP WITHIN 24 HRS FROM LONDON, UK, 98% OF OUR ORDERS ARE RECEIVED WITHIN 7-10 DAYS. We believe you will be completely satisfied with our quick and reliable service. All orders are dispatched as swiftly as possible! Buy with confidence! Greener Books. Item Price
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The White Tiger.
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Atlantic, London, 2008. Soft Cover. Book Condition: Near Very Good.. Item Price
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The White Tiger
by Aravind Adiga
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Atlantic Books. Hardcover. Used; Good. Simply Brit welcome to our online used book store, where affordability meets great quality. Dive into a world of captivating reads without breaking the bank. We take pride in offering a wide selection of used books, from classics to hidden gems, ensuring theres something for every literary palate. All orders are shipped… Read more about this item Item Price
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The White Tiger
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White Tiger The
by Adiga, Aravind
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The White Tiger
by Aravind Adiga
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- 2008
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- 8172237456
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Seattle, Washington, USA
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Harper Collins, 2008. Hardcover. Good. Disclaimer:Missing dust jacket; Pages can have notes/highlighting. Spine may show signs of wear. ~ ThriftBooks: Read More, Spend Less.Dust jacket quality is not guaranteed. Item Price
NZ$11.77
The White Tiger
by Aravind Adiga
- Condition
- Used - Good
- Published
- 2008
- Binding
- Hardcover
- ISBN 10
- 8172237456
- Quantity Available
- 1
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Seattle, Washington, USA
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NZ$11.77
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Harper Collins, 2008. Hardcover. Good. Pages can have notes/highlighting. Spine may show signs of wear. ~ ThriftBooks: Read More, Spend Less.Dust jacket quality is not guaranteed. Item Price
NZ$11.77