Noble House [Paperback]

James Clavell (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: July 1, 1999

Over one hundred years have passed since Dirk Struan founded Hong Kong's oldest trading company. But now, the Noble House is in danger. As Hong Kong itself becomes the deadly playground of the CIA, the KGB and the People's Republic of China, rival tai-pans, seeking revenge for blood feuds over a century old, gather for the kill.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"* 'Breathtaking. Only terms like colossal, gigantic, titanic, unbelievable, gargantuan are properly descriptive' - Chicago Tribune * 'Seethes with drama, sex, crime... Clavell is, as always, a matchless talespinner' - Cosmopolitan * 'A grand drama, with the glamour, mystique and perils of the Orient... it has such breadth and power that at the end you will want to start at the beginning again.' - Manchester Evening News * 'NOBLE HOUSE totally fulfils the function of a novel, taking me out of myself and transporting me into a majestic sweep of intrigue and excitement' - David Niven"

From the Publisher

The setting is Hong Kong, 1963. The action spans scarcely more than a week, but these are the days of high adventure: from kidnapping and murder to financial double-dealing and natural catastrophes -- fire, flood, and 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.

"The last time I was so taken with a spellbinding safari was when I read Gone With The Wind." -- Los Angeles Times. --This text refers to the Mass Market Paperback edition.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 1296 pages
• Publisher: Flame (July 1, 1999)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0340750707
• ISBN-13: 978-0340750704
• Product Dimensions: 5.2 x 2.3 x 7.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.7 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (93 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #4,547,975 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

47 of 49 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars An incredible spellbinding read!! An all-time favorite!, June 8, 2005

By 

JanSobieski (United States of America) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Noble House (Mass Market Paperback)

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 book then jumps forward three years, to August of 1963, and the Noble House's financial predicament has grown, if anything, worse. Linc Bartlett, an American billionaire, and his ambitious and stunningly beautiful protégé, K. C. Tcholok arrive in Hong Kong aboard his private Boeing 707 (remember this is 1963). They are in Hong Kong to establish a presence in the lucrative Oriental markets and to make a deal with the Noble House or one of its competitors.

Hidden in the wheel-well of the jet are rifles, ammunition, and grenades which are strictly prohibited in Hong Kong. Their origin as well as their purpose is revealed to us gradually as we come to know the protagonist and current tai-pan, Ian Dunross and the multitude of complex problems that he must contend with.

We discover early on that there is a Judas Iscariot in the Noble House, the comprador Phillip Chen's son, John Chen, who is inexplicably kidnapped. Bartlett is playing the Noble House against it's arch-enemy and biggest competitor, Rothwell-Gornt run by Quillan Gornt, a descendant of Tyler Brock who is the arch-enemy of the first tai-pan, Dirk Struan. Gornt is using his former mistress, Orlanda Ramos, to spy on Bartlett and to manipulate him into a favorable disposition toward his company.

Ian Dunross has a highly secret source of intelligence named Alan Medford Grant from a London Strategic Planning Institute and one of his reports to the tai-pan is intercepted by Roger Crosse of Hong Kong Special Intelligence. Shortly afterwards Grant turns up dead in England as a result of foul play. The information in Grant's reports are yet another important element in the complex tale crafted by Clavell. We learn from the report that the Noble House has a Russian mole within and that there is a mole high up in the Hong Kong government.

Nearly every rivalry and association has its roots in the past dating back to at least the original China traders of the early 19th century. Clavell does a marvelous job of integrating the past and the present drawing on his knowledge not only of China and the Orient, but of high finance with repeated references to Sun Tzu's "Art of War."

Even some of the characters from Clavell's marvelous "King Rat" make an appearance. The King himself does not appear and is only alluded to, but Robin Grey, as a labor MP and Socialist sympathizer, and Peter Marlowe, a writer and thinly disguised James Clavell himself do appear.

Clavell is an astute observer of human nature enabling him to craft an amazingly complex and engaging tale tying together a multitude of disparate elements in a believable manner that is too often overlooked in todays half-baked novels. This book is long at over 1300 pages but well worth the effort. I would recommend reading Clavell's "Tai Pan" first, if possible, but this is not mandatory.

I first read this book on a vacation to Harbor Island in 1981 and was so utterly absorbed by the book that I ignored many of my social responsibilities.

I've just completed reading the book again at age 54 and have actually enjoyed it MORE than the first time I read it. I cannot recommend this book highly enough.

42 of 45 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Clavell takes to Hong Kong, September 9, 2004

By 

therosen "therosen" (New York, NY United States) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)   

This review is from: Noble House (Mass Market Paperback)

Clavell was perhaps the greatest Western writer of Asian historical fiction. In this epic novel he captures the spirit of the Western trading companies as they maneuver in British Hong Kong. We find out what has happened to the house and lineage first created in Taipan, and how the trials and tribulations have been passed from generation to generation.

This book captures many of the strengths of the entire series:
- Characters are portrayed as complex individuals, not just one dimensional drones
- There's tons of history and cultural lessons hidden between the story lines
- Character lines are carried cross-book in the series

Definitely a solid (if not short) read!

18 of 19 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars high suspense level, up there with _Sho-gun_, December 27, 1999

By 

J. K. Kelley "literary mercenary" (Eastern WA, United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Noble House (Mass Market Paperback)

This book makes a leap of one century from Clavell's _Gai-jin_, and presents an interesting look at the culture and economy of Hong Kong. I cannot say how accurate it is except in one respect: passion for gambling. Having worked for years with natives of Hong Kong I believe Clavell has captured this aspect well.

What Clavell does best with _Noble House_ is to maintain a high suspense level. Every character in the book could die; one must wait a long time to find out how it's going to turn out. Most of the characters are interesting enough. Just the shenanigans involved with the Hong Kong economy would make this a worthwhile read.