Whirlwind by James Clavell Summary and Reviews
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Book Reviews of Whirlwind
Book Review: Out of familiar territory, Clavell still writes a great book
Summary: 4 Stars
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.Book Review: Totally boring
Summary: 1 Stars
James Clavell is one of my favorit authors, but this book is a pure dissapointment. I mastered this novel only with great self-disciplin, because it was mega boring.Book Review: Very disappointing for Clavell
Summary: 3 Stars
I was probably more disappointed in this book than would otherwise have been the case because I had such high expectations. Clavell's other books typically unite genuinely interesting characters in complex, reality based plots and, over the course of hundreds of pages, subject the reader to a detail laden and rich adventure. One emerges from his books feeling both entertained and educated. Whirlwind could have been all of that and more. Clavell's most contemporary story has all the elements just waiting, but he doesn't rise to the occasion. The characters are stereotypes, the plot is predictable and we don't really learn much that we didn't know about either Iran or the 'revolution' that put the fundamentalists into power. It's a shame, because all of this could have added up to another great Clavell achievement. Instead, we have a mediocre pot boiler about circumstances we are all too familiar with.Book Review: Whirlwind
Summary: 5 Stars
All of James Clavell's Asian-theme novels are terrific. This last novel of his certainly continued that trend. His passing is a true loss, not only to the literary world, but also to his millions of readers worldwide. To be unable to continue to follow the ever-increasing saga of the Struan's is a great disappointment to me.Book Review: Whirlwind - The brilliant story of revolutionary Iran.
Summary: 4 Stars
For those of us who are familiar with Clavell's work, it is no surprise to find Whirlwind a dramatic exciting story with captivating twists in plot at every turn. With Whirlwind, we see the continuation of the Noble House, and not surprisingly, more legend and lore of the Struan clan. Set in 1979 Iran, Whirlwind deteals the life and times of several individuals, both Iranian and otherwise, in those turbulent pre-hostage crisis days. Clavell does a masterful job bringing his characters to life. All from the massive Fin, Errikki Yokkonen, to the delicate Sharazad, to the enigmatic and mysterious Robert Armstrong. Since Clavell's death in 93' nothing has been posthumously published, leaving this his last chronological work. To any fan of Clavell's, this work is essential reading, to anyone who wishes merely for a rousing read, Whirlwind will satisfy.