King Rat by James Clavell Summary and Reviews
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Book Reviews of King Rat
Book Review: Not for those looking for an uplifting read.
Summary: 5 Stars
I'll be honest, this is a depressing book. But it is about a depressing subject. This is a semi-autobiographical look at the author's internment in one of the Japanese's POW camps, Changi. It is a statement on the ingenuity and cunning of mankind, but also of its brutality. If you're looking for a quick, solid read, this is it.Book Review: Not my favorite Clavell book, but ...
Summary: 4 Stars
Although there is nothing patently wrong with King Rat, it is my least favorite of the first three books in Clavell's Asian Saga. The novel takes place entirely within a POW camp run by the Japanese in Singapore. The plot is engaging and I spent a couple of days eagerly flipping pages until the end, but I didn't get the sense that I had learned anything about Singapore the way that I felt I had learned about Japan and Hong Kong from reading Shogun and Taipan. In the book's defense, it is an excellent account of life in a POW camp and the ends to which people will go to survive in them, but I am hoping that King Rat is not a harbinger of things to come for the remaining books in the series.Book Review: ONE YOU WILL WANT TO REREAD
Summary: 5 Stars
Over the years I have reread this one several times and continue to be fastinated with this particular work. I, myself, feel this has gained "classic" status and eventhough I hate the term "a must read," but certainly feel this book falls into that category. The work graphically shows just what people will do when faced with circumstances completely out of their control. Recommend this read for any serious student of literature, history, miliary or otherwise, or psychology as well as those simply looking for a very good read.Book Review: One of the best books i've ever read.
Summary: 5 Stars
I read this book for my Honors English class in the 9th grade, and it is still, after all these years, one of my favorite books. There is no way to capture the feelings you read while reading this novel in such a short review space, but trust me, read the novel. It is powerful, well written, and extremely intelligent.Book Review: Reads like a book for 8 to 12 year olds
Summary: 2 Stars
I really enjoyed the first 100 pages of King Rat and expected good things from the remaining chapters. But the novel goes downhill as the reader is forced to learn more about Peter Marlowe, a character I suspect we're supposed to admire for his complexity. The dialogue between prisoners is forced and the sub-plots are only of marginal interest. I found myself skimming the final third of the novel, as concentrating on it was much too painful. With a 4 and 1/2 star rating, a prospective reader would think they were buying "The Brothers Karamazov". Same goes for all of the books on Amazon that suffer from 'grade inflation'. With every novel commanding 4 or more stars, what's left to differentiate the great novels?