Tai-Pan

An impressive account presented as an historical fiction that excites, intrigues, romances and delivers a well-paced, epic adventure about the founding of Hong Kong. Simply an amazing book, as are all Clavell's books in the Asian Saga.

Just a riveting fast-paced historical well done piece as are all James Clavells books. And both reads I found him very interesting. Story about a greater than life man with the dream that comes true but he doesn't live to see it blossom. As the old saying goes, the graveyard is filled with indispensable men. Life is for the living, think I'll read King rat next.

This is the second James Clavell book I read (the former was Shogun).
I really love Clavell's writing - it combines elaborate plots, suspense, humor and the different Chinese and European cultures.
I loved both books

A fascinating view into an interesting period in history with an emphasis on the cultural differences between the Chinese and the Europeans in the 19th century, told within a story laden with complex characters and political ploys.

I am an avid reader of both fiction and nonfiction books. I'm an avid historian and found this book very fascinating, entertaining and well written. I finished it within one week and was sad to see it end. James Clavell has a very unique style of writing and storytelling. I find the history and the story very accurate and compelling. I am reading all of the books in this series

The characters in this novel are very realistic. the storytelling is every bit as good as Shogun but the drama is much more crisp and clear and I found my self truly concerned for even the antagonists in their moment of crisis. the climax and ending are extremely satisfying and I couldn't wait to open Gaijin to find out the fate of Noble house.

James Clavell gives you his soul when you read his books. Totally entertaining and exciting. He develops his characters and makes care about their lives. I wish he wrote 40 books so I could read all of them. I am sad when I finish a book.

The characters in this novel are very realistic. the storytelling is every bit as good as Shogun but the drama is much more crisp and clear and I found my self truly concerned for even the antagonists in their moment of crisis. the climax and ending are extremely satisfying and I couldn't wait to open Gaijin to find out the fate of Noble house.

James Clavell gives you his soul when you read his books. Totally entertaining and exciting. He develops his characters and makes care about their lives. I wish he wrote 40 books so I could read all of them. I am sad when I finish a book.

Excellent book that places the founding history of Hong Kong in its global geopolitical context. Some characters/roles stretch credulity: the Tai Pan's strength, the Russian diplomat's assignment in Alaska.

Clavell is best known for Shogun, which is a wonderful novel set in 17th century Japan. I think, however, that Taipan is probably as good. The novel brings to life anceint Hong Kong and is fascinating on so many levels. Great story, action, love, etc.

A great read full of family-versus-family intrigue. Great for fans of books set in the Age of Sail. Reminded me of Wilbur Smith's "Monsoon". A little too difficult to read at times as the author puts too much effort into writing the accents of both european and asian conversations. Otherwise good read.

Wow. A must read to understand the Asian mind. This writer had first-hand knowledge of the Japanese minds during his stay in a Japanese Prison of War Camp. It was a horror of starvation and punishment.

He was encouraged, when the war was ended and they were liberated.....(the liberators were horrified and thunderstruck at the few who had survived....turned away their faces after the first observation because of the wraiths these men had become) to write to try to keep his sanity at the horrors.

He researched and added to his knowledge of the Japanese language and the history of these people. This helps us "Westerners" to understand a lot about their attitudes and behavior, even today.

Very, very, very important book

Nancy and John Morse

I almost started reading Shogun for the third time but I got side tracked looking at Whirlwind. After I started reading Whirlwind, I realized it was volume 2 and I was lost in the characters so I went back to Tai-Pan. I am glad I did a And will read the rest of the series in order. If you like Ken Follett's series beginning with Pillars of the Earth then these books are for you!

A great read about the Far East.

I purchased Kindle because I'm on the road often and Kindle is perfect, especially the scalable text. I've read most of Clavell's novels over ten years ago and I thoroughly enjoyed his writings. What I didn't appreciate were the numerous misspellings in the Kindle content. I sure the misspellings were not in the hard copies, so what's with the problem with digital?

On a side note, I've just downloaded the Noble House from my hotel room in Shanghai and the wireless worked as advertised. Good Job!

Ed

In the same vain as Shogun. This novel captivates your attention as you see the coming together of two cultures both Europe and China as they battle for the right to control the trade between two major players and become the Tai-Pan

I'd already read this book along with several other Clavell works and find them hard to put down. I bought this as a gift to my brother in law who is also an avid reader when he was asking me about the origins of Hong Kong.

Having read the excellent Shogun, I was afraid of being letdown with Tai-Pan. I wasn't. The plot was interesting, the pidgin dialogue amusing, and the history fascinating. Looking forward to Gai-Jin.

An enjoyable historical story about the British colonization of Hong Kong. Well written and in keeping with the previous novel in the Asian series. I'm now reading "Noble House" which is a continuation of the saga and takes place in the present time and relates back to many of the details in Tai Pan, giving context against the previous story.