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Title: Noble House by James Clavell ISBN: 0-440-16484-2 Publisher: Dell Pub. Date: 01 October, 1984 Format: Mass Market Paperback Volumes: 1 List Price(USD): $7.99 |
Average Customer Rating: 4.6 (53 reviews)
Rating: 5
Summary: James Clavell's Greatest Work
Comment: Noble House is undoubtedly Clavell's greatest work. Although Tai-pan, Shogun and King Rat are excellent books in their own right, Noble House keeps the reader enthralled to the last page. Tai-pan makes good reading in itself and serves as a prequel to Noble House. However, it is not necessary to read Tai-pan before Noble House. I did not but I still found this work exciting. The plots - CIA versus KGB versus PRC Intelligence versus MI-5/MI-6, Gornt versus Dunross versus Bartlett, Orlanda versus Casey and a variety of characters (other than those already mentioned), makes the 1400 plus pages light work - it is truly a classic by an author with deep insights in the culture and international relations of Hong Kong and its neighbours and trading partners. The boardroom drama is intense and Clavell leaves the reader guessing who will emerge winner until the end. I recommend this book to anyone.
Rating: 5
Summary: Clavell's greatest, fascinating characters in fine setting
Comment: Set 120 years after the events of Tai-Pan, Ian Dunross is the latest in Dirk Struan's line to head Struan's, also known as the Noble House. To survive, Struan's always skates the financial edge, and Quillan Gornt, descendant of Dirk's enemy, Tyler Brock, is quite happy to push it over the edge.
Even though we meet many fine characters, from American businesswoman Casey Tcholok to smuggler's son Paul Choy, Hong Kong itself is really the star of this novel. Seeming almost anarchic at times, the colony (as it then was, the novel is set in 1963) and its people, Chinese and British, seem to worship one god, Money.
Clavell ties in references to his other novels--characters from King Rat show up and relive their wartime hatred, many of the characters discuss and live out the heritage of Tai-Pan, and a Japanese character mentions briefly the events of Shogun.
This is the sort of book that will keep you up reading until 4 a.m.
What I didn't like: I found the character of Peter Marlowe most annoying. He shows up all the time, acts like a know it all, and is really Clavell's way of writing himself into the book. Also, about six different times, it is mentioned that the U.S. is starting to get involved in Vietnam, and each time, a precient character chirps (or at least thinks) that the U.S. will regret it. Hindsight is 20/20, the novel was published in 1981.
A good read.
Rating: 4
Summary: Review by Shane Kennedy - Author of Highbinders
Comment: Author James Clavell wrote six epic novels that he referred to as "The Asian Saga" consisting of Shogun, Tai-Pan, Gai-Jin, King Rat, Noble House, and Whirlwind. Each book, while not always directly interrelated, has overlapping characters and themes that build upon one another while exploring the experiences of Europeans in Asia. While King Rat is often referred to as Clavell's strongest work, (Whirlwind his weakest) its dark setting of a Japanese POW camp during the Second World War is often too unsettling for many readers. Noble House allows a reader the option of seeing just how engrossing Clavell can be as a writer while not having to deal with the biting nature of humanity's dark side as portrayed in King Rat. Set in Hong Kong during the early 1960's, Noble House's plot evolves around the wheeling and dealing of modern day "Tai-pans" or Big Bosses of large, wealthy corporations. Clavell balances his hero, Ian Dunross, against an equally imposing counter-hero, Quillan Gornt, creating a clash between two corporate-titans that is exciting, interesting, and at times very witty. At over 1370 pages, Noble House is not a quick read, but if you are interested in reading only one of Clavell's books, Noble House should be your choice.
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Title: Tai-Pan by JAMES CLAVELL ISBN: 0440184622 Publisher: Dell Pub. Date: 01 September, 1986 List Price(USD): $7.99 |
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Title: King Rat by James Clavell ISBN: 0440145465 Publisher: Dell Pub. Date: 01 September, 1986 List Price(USD): $7.99 |
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Title: Gai-Jin by James Clavell ISBN: 044021680X Publisher: Dell Pub. Date: 03 April, 1994 List Price(USD): $7.99 |
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Title: Shogun by James Clavell ISBN: 0440178002 Publisher: Dell Pub. Date: 01 September, 1986 List Price(USD): $7.99 |
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Title: Whirlwind by James Clavell ISBN: 0380703122 Publisher: Avon Pub. Date: October, 1987 List Price(USD): $6.99 |
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