James Clavell - The Asian Saga 02 - Tai-Pan

version: unabridged
format:  mp3
bitrate: 48 kbps
runtime: 25:52:31
read by: John Lee

Book Description
Many books throughout history related themselves to the lives of those living among the past. Some of them, like The Scarlet Letter, allowed readers to take part in lives not their own, and experience events in ways they could never imagine. One certain book was Tai-Pan, one of the greatest action/history novels of Hong Kong's history and of one man whom could succeed through anything he went against. James Clavell is the magnificent author who wrote this adventurous book along with many others based upon the ancient times, pirates, and exotic vignettes. His intricate wording gives the reader a reality of the past, rendering the reader to become any of the characters. Clavell's Tai-Pan is an exquisite book to read; however, too much history of Hong Kong and China is revealed in the plot and it's hero, Tai-Pan (a Chinese word given to Dirk Struan meaning "supreme ruler" or "leader of the leaders" as a nickname) among other characters travel a long and brutal journey to become the greatest merchant among the seas. Some people get discouraged by the book's seemingly overwhelming thickness and apparently long sentences. For example, "He related all the Jin-qua had said, except about the chop and about the four half coins and about the five lacs to be kept safe and the one lac to be brought to Gordan (Clavell 209)." This sentence out of the book is only one of many long specific, nonetheless descriptive sentences within the pages of the novel. Although it is not very eye-catching, the words that are combined together form a stronger sentence creating an effect to the story. On every page there is political machinations sibling rivalry and high-tension drama. On the other hand, the pages will melt away down to the last word thanks to the riveting story and the realistic, enjoyable characters. The strongest aspect about the book was the clever way in which Clavell weaved all the history, politics and character development together into a fascinating story.