First time reading this classic in the Asia series by James Clavell. It took me a very long nine months to really get into the book. I'd start and restart - mostly pausing because of the vast number of characters. A white board is needed to keep track of them all. Over (a long) time however, the story becomes engrossing. Clavell packs a life-time of events into a ten-day period - which is the period of which this book takes place. I've never been to Hong Kong, but this seemed a reasonable description of the mix of Chinese and British cultures (at least in 1963). Good, enjoyable read overall. ( )

Every few years, I pull out my copy of Noble House and sit down for a reread of one of my favorite books. The story takes place during one week in 1963 in Hong Kong when it was still run by the British. It is essentially a Chinese city, and the British living there understand that, while it's also a hub in Asia for other great powers like the United States, Russia, and China.
The main protagonist is Ian Dunross, tai-pan of the Noble House (the commercial side of Struan's). Ian is a descendant of Dirk Struan, the pirate and founder of the Noble House, and there are many references back to the previous books in the Asian Saga. It's probably not necessary to read them to understand this book, but knowing them does lead to better enjoyment here. I like all the Easter eggs for Shogun and stories about the Hag, Dirk, and Tyler Brock.
The central premise of the plot is the American company Par-Con that comes to make a deal with either Struan's or their main rival, Rothwell-Gornt (the descendants of Tyler Brock). Linc Bartlett and his CFO Casey Tcholok are raiders, determined to get into the Asian market with whoever profits them most. Events are hampered by gun-running, fires, kidnappings, drug-running, spies, and more characters than I can name. The action moves quickly and there is a lot packed into every day. I've read this book several times, and I was still on the edge of my seat with all the villains, the plotting and the politics, all mixed in with actual events of the time. There's still resentment and scars from World War II, the US is gradually getting into the Viet Nam war, and spy scandals like Profumo rock Britain. At the center of it all is Hong Kong, the hub of commerce in Asia and a focus of the great powers of the time.
As I stated, there are a lot of characters. Mr. Clavell does a wonderful job of differentiating them by personality and culture. I find that some of the most interesting parts of the story. Women are just getting into the business world though not treated equally, and even less so by cultures. It's a long book and covers so much, but is never boring or slow. I'll pick it up again in a few years, but right now I highly recommend a read. ( )

What a great read. Still remember how I enjoyed reading it and even some of the characters. Here's what I wrote after reading in 1984: "Hong Kong in 1960. One week filled with British, the Chinese, the Americans, and Russians. Millionaires, smugglers, spies, lovers. Who will taipan of Nable House at week's end? Linc? Casey? Duness? Gornt?" The American businesswoman, Casey, was inspirational (not because of how she was but that she was a successful, global traveling, business woman). Turns out that the novel mirrors many real life people, organizations, and occurences (names changed, though). ( )

HONG KONG,1963.O AR PARECE IMPREGNADO PELO CHEIRO DE DINHEIRO EA LUTA POPR ELE PENETRA EM TODAS AS CAMADAS .A CASA NOBRE, O MAIS ANTIGO ESTABELECIMENTO COMERCIAL DA COLONIA ,ATRAVESSA GRAVE CRISE FINANCEIRA.

Just a potboiler of a good time. Be careful it’s over a 1000 pages but you’ll not want it to end. ( )