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38 of 39 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Out of familiar territory, Clavell still writes a great book, October 3, 1997
I bought Whirlwind at a used bookstore with a mixture of anticipation and regret. Anticipation because Clavell always writes one hell of a good book. Regret because, besides "the Children's Story," this was the only Clavell book I hadn't read, and, due to his unfortunate death in 1993, I guess we won't be seeing anything new from him ever again (will anything be released posthumously?) Instead of his normal Japanese or Chinese locales Clavell delves into Iran, circa 1979. The Revolution is going on and it's looking bad for the European and American members of an Iran-based helicopter company, secretly owned by the Noble House of Hong Kong. Clavell flawlessly combines the small struggles in life, like taboo, cross-cultural loves, business, life and death, with the religous zealously that swept across a nation and changed it dramatically. All of his familiar plots and subplots are here, not as manifold as "Noble House," but still the novel is much deeper and far-reaching than just about any other modern fiction. And character? Every one of Clavell's characters seem to be cut out of real-life, with their own dreams and desires and challenges.
One last cool thing is that certain characters from Noble House appear in this book, letting us see what's happened in their lives in the past seventeen years (Noble House takes place in 1962.) My recommendation: if you like Clavell, you'll like this, even though it all takes place in the Middle East, with no Asian locales. If you can, read it in order, after Noble House, as chronologically this is the last of the Eastern Saga, even though "Tai-Pan" was written in 1993.
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17 of 18 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
End of the saga, October 3, 2002
So very, very sad to be finished with Whirlwind knowing that I'll never truly know how the Noble House winds up. Of course with the tech boom of the 80s, I'm sure Struan-Dunross-MacStuan-Gallavan(?) made out just fine. What I loved about Whirlwind and the Asian saga in general is how Clavell really let us get inside the minds of these people. From learning about the 'Wa' in Shogun to 'Joss' in Tai-Pan to 'God is Great' in Whirlwind, I feel like I have gained valuable insight into the thought process of the Japanese, Chinese and Iranians. But philosphies aside, Clavell is a master storyteller. So much fun to be caught up in both a story and the characters involved. 1200 pages, not nearly long enough! Whirlwind is a great read. While Shogun will remain my favorite (prolly because I read it first) I would encourage anyone and everyone to read this gripping tale of Persian turmoil. Of course, you gotta read the saga in order though!
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17 of 19 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
WHIRLWIND: Read it again!, October 5, 2001
I first read Whirlwind when it hit the bookstores in '88. I was a Clavell fan since Shogun and eagerly awaited his newest novel. I was slightly disappointed with the book at the time, thinking it didn't live up to my favorites, Shogan and Tai Pan.Last week I picked up Whirlwind again, because of the events of 9-11 and the current focus on Islamic fundamentalists. Whirlwind is about the creation of an Islamic state in Iran. At the beginning of the book the Shaw has fled and Khomeni returns. Everywhere there is chaos and the story centers around a group of expat Europeans who try to deal with and ultimately extricate themselves from Iran before they lose everything. The book begins and ends with a righteous Mullah's thoughts. At the end the Mullah has discovered the weakness of the Europeans (non-believers), the key to their future control: They value the individual. By putting his foot on the neck of one non-believer, a Believer can control millions. This is the message he vows to spread to all Believers (Muslims). Whirlwnd is strangely prophetic and relevant in light of the 9-11 tragedies. I understood and enjoyed it more today than I did in '88. I highly recommend it.
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