The Tower

This was a re-read. I first read the book a year or two after it came out...

It was pretty much as I remembered it, three and a half stars. Not surprisingly there were some issues with the story as to the status of women and how the men felt about them and treated them. In the late middle seventies this was common but woudn't/shouldn't be tolerated today.
This was one of two books whose stories were combined to make the disaster film "The Towering Inferno" starring Steve McQueen and Paul Newman and a bunch of other well known actors. I saw it in the theater and then read both of the books responsible. Easy quick read that moves fast. Nothing too deep or complicated, just mildly entertaining.

I was surprised by how modern the book still seemed. It could have been written yesterday. The book was copyrighted in 1973. I completely enjoyed the book. It was fast paced and a good mix of characters. There was a clear line between the good guys and the bad guys. In the end most of the good guys win, but not all. The book left the end a little unfinished, but one could easily guess the outcomes. This is a better read than most.

What an experience! This book starts slow, gradually building tension all the way until the final pages. I didn't like it at first because I didn't like many of the characters. Even Nat, the cowboy junior architect who is the closest thing this book has to a traditional hero, really got on my nerves. However, as the disaster worsens, several of the characters do some serious soul-searching, and they even grow a little bit. Those parts were fascinating. By the end, I was completely invested in these characters. I think it's gutsy of Stern that even the traditional "hero" is able to admit in this story that he hasn't been a very good husband. I think it's wonderful that the characters are flawed. It was fascinating to see which characters collapsed under pressure, and which ones grew stronger.

The bad:
• It's a bit preachy.
• Some parts didn't age well. I wouldn't mind 70's references or music or slang, but the characters’ internal thoughts on "women's lib" got to be a bit tedious, especially since the feminist movement, as shown here, seems so far removed from anything I know, and few of the characters took it seriously.
• The writing style took some getting used to; it's a bit more over-the-top than a modern book would be. The building on fire is compared to a living “breathing” thing, with a steel "skeleton" and shiny "skin," and it's “in torment” from the fire. This sort of flowery prose is not an approach that I see all that often, and it might be off-putting for some.
• Over too soon. It ended very abruptly, and the epilogue didn't help much.
• The characters' names! Oh. My. Goodness. Okay, be prepared to be confused. There's the commissioner, the assistant commissioner, the fire chief, some other firemen, some guy who may outrank the chief (the commissioner? maybe?), the architect, the junior architect, the contractor, the sub-contractor, the inspector, the fire inspector (same guy? I think?), the senator, the other senator who’s high-strung, the mayor, the governor, the police captain, and the police lieutenant. These characters are in and out of the story at various times, but they’re sometimes referred to by name, and sometimes by job title, so it’s a little hard to keep track of who did what, or even how many people are involved. Then there are other characters who always have names. There is at least one character who doesn’t even have a name. And what names! There is a Bert, a Bent, and a Ben. Don’t mix them up! There is Patty, and also Pat (different person), and also Pete. There are two guys both named Paul. And they’re both awful people! And Zib and Elizabeth are the same person, and Nat and Nathan are the same.

The good:
• Suspense builds slowly; tension is palpable
• Lots of development, even with side characters. Lots of interesting backgrounds. One character was a Holocaust survivor whose wife rescued him from a concentration camp. (How?! Forged papers? Political influence? Busting out some ninja moves on the Nazi guards?) One character was a person of color who everyone knew was smarter and better educated than his white co-worker. One married couple snipes at each other like something out of a sitcom. These are people who are dynamic and memorable.
• Strong women. Lots of them, and in unexpected places. One woman meets the news of her husband’s death with grace, poise, dignity, and quiet strength. One woman refuses to be demeaned. And one woman, who wanted to go home and stay out of the way, stays with the firemen instead and comes up with great ideas for helping.
• Villains! One of them especially is so much fun to hate. All of them are interesting.
• Historical vibe. Yes, I know I said parts of this book feel dated, but parts are a vibrant reminder of 1970s New York.
• And best of all, the LAST FIVE PAGES. The end of the story is abrupt, as I said, but the writing style for the final scene is spot-on. It's some of the most chilling stuff I've read in a novel, not just for what happens, but for the way the events are revealed to the reader. The last little bit of this book was worth any frustration I'd had before.

So, to sum up:
The bad = the writing style, the 70's feel, the female characters, and the ending.
The good = the writing style, the 70's feel, the female characters, and the ending.
Clear as mud, right?

This book was very long winded and there was way too much about it that wasn't the fire and the rescuing the people from the fire. Overall, I liked it enough to read it again someday, but while reading it, I kept wanting to just get back to the people in the tower.

The ending broke my heart and effected me for days afterwards. I'd only seen the movie and didn't realize it was based on TWO books, so I wasn't expecting how many people didn't survive.

I bought this book as I love The Towering Inferno film. This film is darker and less saccharine and all the better for it. Whilst you cannot stop Paul Newman and Robert Vaughn from entering your subconscious, there are marked differences from the classic film, in my opinion enhancing the enjoyment.

3.5 stars

I can definitely see elements of The Towering Inferno; I'm not sure which differences came from the other source book, or were general adaptation changes.

It does start off slowly, taking time to set up the calamity, and felt a little dry at times, with sparse language rather than richness of description or character design. Still kept me reading an hour later than I intended.

It took me a couple of weeks to read this book. I was reading it in conjunction with The Fifties and found myself more drawn to that book than this one. I saw The Towering Inferno so long ago and have forgotten much of it that I figured I could enjoy this novel for what it is. It's a tight novel, taking place over a single day as a gleaming new skyscraper and the VIPs inside it deal with a fire. The plot involves a terrorist as well as corruption by some of the builders of The Tower. There is very much a 70s vibe to the novel, especially in the dynamics between the male and female characters. And there is a nice ratcheting of suspense as the good and bad characters trapped in the building unravel. But again, it's a book of its time.

One of the worst novels I have ever read! I can't believe I read it from cover to cover. Mind you, it was really tempting to throw it away just a few pages in but something told me that if it was good enough to make a feature film it must have either a good middle or end. Sadly, that was not the case. The book is terribly written. Unnecessary details and aimless dialogue. Frankly the first 100 pages are mysterious. They set the scene and yet leave you confused. I would sincerely urge readers to actively avoid this book. Trust me, there is nothing to gain from it.