Noble House

Hong Kong (1963) -- The Noble House from the author's Asian Saga -- James Clavell. |...| [Amazon Customer Review by Matthew Teng]: "It is a pleasure, but it's not necessary to read Shōgun, Tai-pan or King Rat before Noble House... Noble House (James Clavell's Asian Saga #4) The plots -- CIA versus KGB versus PRC Intelligence versus MI-5/MI-6. Ian Struan Dunross of House Struan [the titular Noble House, Jardines in real life] versus Quinlan Gornt of Rothwell-Gornt (aka Swire, who’s trying to depose the Noble House and take over) versus Linc Bartlett, the american upstart tycoon... Lovely and beautiful Orlanda Ramos versus Linc's VP Casey Tcholok... 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". |...| [Review by Jan Sobieski]: "Ian Dunross, in a driving torrential rain, arrives at the Struan Building in Hong Kong. There he meets with Alastair Struan, the current tai pan (ultimate ruler) of the Noble House. At this meeting Struan confers the title of tai pan on Dunross and he must take an oath to uphold the traditions and oaths established by the first tai pan and founder of the Noble House, Dirk Struan, one of the first and certainly the mightiest of the China Traders from the early 19th century. At this meeting Dunross discovers that a ship containing a disproportionate amount of the Noble House's uninsured wealth has gone down imperiling the House's future". |...| The setting is Hong Kong, 1963. The action spans scarcely more than a week, but these are days of high adventure: from kidnapping and murder to financial double-dealing and natural catastrophes–fire, flood, landslide. Yet they are days filled as well with all the mystery and romance of Hong Kong–the heart of Asia–rich in every trade…money, flesh, opium, power. |...| Characters frequently refer to the looming 1997 HK's handover, ponder its consequences and make predictions. A complete subplot involving Soviet spies was taken out, I guess because they decided it was no longer relevant – although disappointing from a cold war nostalgia standpoint, it was a clever choice. But above all else, anyone who’s read the book will be impressed at how the locales look like what you imagined before [Hong Kong Cinemagic] |...| James Clavell, who died in 1994, was a screenwriter, director, producer, and novelist born in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. Although he wrote the screenplays for a number of acclaimed films, including The Fly (1958), The Great Escape (1963), and To Sir With Love (1967), he is best known for his epic novels in his Asian Saga.

Aventura / Crime / Crônicas / Drama / Ficção / História / Literatura Estrangeira / Política / Romance policial / Suspense e Mistério