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4.16 AVERAGE
4.16 AVERAGE
I just finished reading Tai-Pan for the fourth time. It is high on my list of favorite reads. Many people criticize James Clavell citing his overlong narratives, caricatured people, slightly skewed history and over the top drama and adventure. But these are the things that draw me to Clavell’s books and make me go back to read them time and again. If I want succinct writing I’ll read a magazine. If I want real life characters I’ll read a biography. If I want precise history I’ll read a text book. And if I want a realistic portrayal of life I’ll watch the news. Clavell provides an escape. He not only thrusts his readers into a larger than life world, he keeps the world swirling and dancing until his readers are hypnotized and need more to meet their daily fix. People who tear apart Clavell’s writing are missing the point.
Tai-Pan is a rollicking adventure filled with people the likes of which you only find in fiction. The entanglements of their lives border on soap opera, their pride and their temperaments would be comical in the hands of a less skilled writer. But here in Tai-Pan we join a group of hardheaded, single sighted people who have their sights set on settling one of the most inhospitable islands in the then known world, Hong Kong. The book is filled with an heroic, conquering spirit the likes of which is rarely seen in contemporary literature. Heroes and villains abound and sometimes trade places until you are not quite sure who are the good guys and who are the bad guys, but what the hell, we’ll just root for them all.
If you want a dry, historically and politically correct telling of the settling of Hong Kong, The Opium Wars, and the clash of cultures, go read a scholarly tome. If you want escapist literature at its best and to be swept into another time and place (and not mind staying there for a while) grab Tai-Pan.
Tai-Pan is a rollicking adventure filled with people the likes of which you only find in fiction. The entanglements of their lives border on soap opera, their pride and their temperaments would be comical in the hands of a less skilled writer. But here in Tai-Pan we join a group of hardheaded, single sighted people who have their sights set on settling one of the most inhospitable islands in the then known world, Hong Kong. The book is filled with an heroic, conquering spirit the likes of which is rarely seen in contemporary literature. Heroes and villains abound and sometimes trade places until you are not quite sure who are the good guys and who are the bad guys, but what the hell, we’ll just root for them all.
If you want a dry, historically and politically correct telling of the settling of Hong Kong, The Opium Wars, and the clash of cultures, go read a scholarly tome. If you want escapist literature at its best and to be swept into another time and place (and not mind staying there for a while) grab Tai-Pan.
I have an affinity for historical fiction. And one such series of books that I am slowly working my way into is James Clavell's Asian Saga. Last year, I read Shogun. This time, I finished the second book, which was set more than 200 years after the first one, Tai-Pan.
The current book is about the founding of Hong Kong, after the Opium Wars. It centers on the main character Dirk Struan and his family and company, The Noble House. He is a merchant who owns an armada of trading ships, plying the route from Hong Kong to London. His biggest rival is Tyler Brock and his company. There are several back stories involving their respective families, their love affairs, their sexual relationships with European and Asian prostitutes and concubines, and so on. Several other plotlines emerge, including European diplomacy with America and Russia, Chinese gangs, and so forth.
Perhaps one weakness of my review here is that I cannot help but make a comparison to Shogun, since after all, it is part of the same series. Every detail I notice here brings back similar aspects in the previous novel. With that disclaimer, I still think that this is a marvelously written book and worth recommending.
Instead of describing the plot (which, if I did, would take immense space here as the plot is enormous), I would rather focus on the good (and bad) points of the novel. I suppose the main theme of the novel (and perhaps of the whole series) is the culture clash between the East and the West. Several instances of this appears in the novel. The European general dislike for bathing is described, together with the superstition that bathing actually causes diseases and death. The Eastern tradition of concubinage is tackled, and also how this was viewed by the Europeans. It is actually amusing and ironic to contemplate the fact that the Europeans are offended when the Chinese call them barbarians, and yet they also call the Chinese heathens.
I am not a history buff, so I do not know whether the actual events are indeed true, chronologically. However, a quick glance in an online encyclopedia says that there are real-life characters that served as inspirations for several of the characters in the book.
As with Shogun, the ending was rather surprising. In the previous book, I wrote last year that the ending was inconclusive. Here, it was rather abrupt. Several story lines were terminated with the passing of a strong typhoon, and power changed hands. As always, the ending provided for a segue so that the generation of the characters can have another story to follow them. I won't give any details as to how Dirk Struan fared in the end, but I should say that for a book that belongs to a series, it holds its end of the bargain very well.
Compared to Shogun, there's less sex in this book. The only mention of sex here in Tai-Pan has something to do with whorehouses and sexually transmitted diseases. Also, there is one snippet about perhaps the never-ending theme of Asians being so fascinated with respect to the size of the European main character's manhood: the Japanese geisha were gawking at Blackthorne's penis size in Shogun, and the Chinese servants were gawking at Struan's penis size in Tai-Pan. Depending on one's taste, that may be a good or bad thing. At least, Clavell is consistent in this respect.
Overall, as with Shogun, I recommend this book for those people who are big fans of historical fiction. It is a page turner, but it isn't an airport novel. It brings life to boring historical events, at least for some. I give this one 4 out of 5 stars.
The current book is about the founding of Hong Kong, after the Opium Wars. It centers on the main character Dirk Struan and his family and company, The Noble House. He is a merchant who owns an armada of trading ships, plying the route from Hong Kong to London. His biggest rival is Tyler Brock and his company. There are several back stories involving their respective families, their love affairs, their sexual relationships with European and Asian prostitutes and concubines, and so on. Several other plotlines emerge, including European diplomacy with America and Russia, Chinese gangs, and so forth.
Perhaps one weakness of my review here is that I cannot help but make a comparison to Shogun, since after all, it is part of the same series. Every detail I notice here brings back similar aspects in the previous novel. With that disclaimer, I still think that this is a marvelously written book and worth recommending.
Instead of describing the plot (which, if I did, would take immense space here as the plot is enormous), I would rather focus on the good (and bad) points of the novel. I suppose the main theme of the novel (and perhaps of the whole series) is the culture clash between the East and the West. Several instances of this appears in the novel. The European general dislike for bathing is described, together with the superstition that bathing actually causes diseases and death. The Eastern tradition of concubinage is tackled, and also how this was viewed by the Europeans. It is actually amusing and ironic to contemplate the fact that the Europeans are offended when the Chinese call them barbarians, and yet they also call the Chinese heathens.
I am not a history buff, so I do not know whether the actual events are indeed true, chronologically. However, a quick glance in an online encyclopedia says that there are real-life characters that served as inspirations for several of the characters in the book.
As with Shogun, the ending was rather surprising. In the previous book, I wrote last year that the ending was inconclusive. Here, it was rather abrupt. Several story lines were terminated with the passing of a strong typhoon, and power changed hands. As always, the ending provided for a segue so that the generation of the characters can have another story to follow them. I won't give any details as to how Dirk Struan fared in the end, but I should say that for a book that belongs to a series, it holds its end of the bargain very well.
Compared to Shogun, there's less sex in this book. The only mention of sex here in Tai-Pan has something to do with whorehouses and sexually transmitted diseases. Also, there is one snippet about perhaps the never-ending theme of Asians being so fascinated with respect to the size of the European main character's manhood: the Japanese geisha were gawking at Blackthorne's penis size in Shogun, and the Chinese servants were gawking at Struan's penis size in Tai-Pan. Depending on one's taste, that may be a good or bad thing. At least, Clavell is consistent in this respect.
Overall, as with Shogun, I recommend this book for those people who are big fans of historical fiction. It is a page turner, but it isn't an airport novel. It brings life to boring historical events, at least for some. I give this one 4 out of 5 stars.
Another epic novel by James Clavell! It took me a while to finish this for various reasons but the plot is easy to follow. Like Clavell's first novel in the series, Shogun, this is also historical fiction and gives you a window into the beginnings of Hong Kong as well as into the contrasts between Chinese and British life and customs. The ending surprised me a little but I felt it was completely aligned with one of the central themes of the novel. This was a pleasure to read and I'm looking forward to picking up the next book in the series in the future.
adventurous
challenging
dark
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
adventurous
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
adventurous
challenging
funny
informative
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
I’ll admit it took me a while to get my bearings in Tai-Pan. The cast is sprawling, and at first I was confused about who was who, but once the threads settled it became an immersive read. Like Shōgun, it paints a rich historical backdrop—Hong Kong in its earliest days—and even with Clavell’s clear embellishments, the story has the texture of history.
May-may, Dirk Struan’s Chinese mistress, is easily one of my favorite fictional characters of all time. Her relationship with Struan is delightful—flirtatious, clashing, tender, and full of surprising cultural misunderstandings. They often leave each other completely flummoxed, yet their love and respect for one another never falter. Those exchanges gave the novel its heart for me.
The theme of Westerners being enlightened by Eastern ways sometimes felt a bit heavy-handed at times, but I still appreciated the intent. What stood out most, though, was the book’s constant reminder of how central trade was to this era—how fortunes, politics, and personal destinies all hinged on the flow of goods.
Overall, Tai-Pan rewards patience. If you can push through the slow start and initial confusion, you’ll find a sweeping, dramatic tale that blends history, romance, and commerce into something unforgettable.
Glad I finally read this. Loved learning about the China British opium for silver bullion trade.
Great book about a devil of a man with tremendous joss who creates his own luck in a very interesting setting.
Great book about a devil of a man with tremendous joss who creates his own luck in a very interesting setting.
adventurous
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
adventurous
emotional
funny
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
adventurous
funny
informative
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No