Escape

by James Clavell

Tehran, Iran 1979: Simmering religious tensions explode and the Shah is forced to flee Iran. A British helicopter company--secretly owned by the Noble House of Hong Kong--with a fleet of helicopters registered in Iran faces bankruptcy if their copters are claimed or destroyed by the uprising. The pilots need to escape, but they've built lives in Iran, some even have families. Finnish pilot Erikki Yokkonen has married Azadeh, an Iranian woman of noble birth, whose family is caught up in the political situation exploding around them. Tasked with saving as many of the helicopters as he can and desperate to save his love, Erikki and Azadeh become caught up in the events around them.

Threaded throughout master storyteller James Clavell's novel Whirlwind much like a shimmering strand of silk woven through an elaborate Persian carpet, is the love story of two people from different backgrounds. They have been brought together by a love stronger than either one, a love stronger than the revolutionary fires that burn all around them. A moving story, expertly told, unthreaded from the original masterwork, and allowed to stand on its own, brilliantly.

Genres: Fiction, Historical Fiction, Adventure, Iran, Audiobook, Thriller, Historical

480 pages, Paperback

First published October 5, 1995

About the author

James Clavell, born Charles Edmund Dumaresq Clavell was a British novelist, screenwriter, director and World War II veteran and POW. Clavell is best known for his epic Asian Saga series of novels and their televised adaptations, along with such films as The Great Escape, The Fly and To Sir, with Love.


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James Clavell. (2007, November 10). In Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. Retrieved 23:16, November 14, 2007, from http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?t...

Reviews

[Jessica Mitchell · Rating 1 out of 5]

What a huge disappointment. This book is quite simply an abridged version of “Whirlwind.” It seems that all Clavell did was pair down the book; it was basically scene-for-scene, word-for-word identical to “Whirlwind.” I bought both books, as “Escape” is described as the love story from “Whirlwind”, so I assumed that it would expand on one of the couples’ love stories from the preceding book (Whirlwind). It did not, and I feel ripped off. If I could get my money back I would. Don’t waste your time with this. Just read “Whirlwind” and be done with it. So disappointing, and from one of my favourite authors, too. What a sad note to end on, James. Tisk, tisk.

[CS · Rating 3 out of 5]

Bullet Review:

I FINISHED!!! With it being nearly 600 pages, I am SO PROUD.

What a "whirlwind"!!! Full review to come.

Full Review:

Erikki Yokkonen is a pilot with a S-G, a helicopter company working in Iran; Azadeh is his wife, the daughter of Abdollah Gorgon Khan, the leader of the Gorgon family and a leader in Iranian Azerbaijan. The Iranian Revolution is taking place; the Shah has been forced out and Ayatolleh Khomeini is now in power. With this, the entire S-G operation is at stake; also Erikki and Azadeh keep getting torn apart. Can the company get out of Iran - and can Erikki and Azadeh find peace with each other.

This is a buddy read with my dear friend Iset, who gave me this book, citing it as one that she had read when younger and enjoyed greatly. I was intrigued; while I had read The Complete Persepolis, my education about the Iranian Revolution was highly limited to the sketch information I retrieve while in high school. We discussed doing a Buddy Read and this was the book we decided we had to read.

Now that I've (finally!) finished, I must say that it was a thrill-ride, but some of the characters were irritating and it definitely feels like a "Cliff Notes" version of a more complete story - criticisms I see on several reviews of this book.

Firstly, the characters. While this book did include some interestin females (Genny), for the most part, I felt they were "pretty set decoration" and had little to influence the plot and other characters. Certainly 1970's Iran wasn't necessarily the best time to be a woman, but I have a hard time believing that they were all nearly the doormats that Azadeh and Sharazad were in this book. As for the men, they tended to be one type: that super-ultra masculine manly man you expect in cheesy 80's movies. (Perhaps appropriate because this was written in the 80's? Maybe, but still, if the women don't wield weapons like Sarah Connor or Ripley, then the men don't get a free pass for being the Terminator or Rambo.) Erikki in particular wasn't a very likeable "hero"; he was a jealous, angry, violent man who would frequently boss his wife around. (Some may be part of a "ploy" but still deplorable.)

Secondly, the plot. I feel there is a fabulous story that is just barely touched on in this book. Frequently, we pull away from characters for hundreds of pages, just to summarize what happened in a mere 4 pages. (The Fates of Ross and McIvers fair this way, leading to zero tension and only a big question mark, wondering what happened that the reader missed.) And that ending! After all the reader has been through, that ending felt like the biggest, hugest cop-out/deus ex machina!

The one thing this book has going for it is that it never stops. It's always moving. This is a true thriller in that stuff is happening on every page - political machinations, manipulations, escapes, espionage, plotting, planning, etc. You wouldn't be remiss for not noting the above because the plot twists and turns faster than a roller coaster at Disneyland.

This book was 584 pages and not once did I feel something was dragging and irrelevant. The problem was, I felt that, somehow, 584 pages was not nearly enough to truly tell this story.

Just skimming "Whirlwind"'s entry on Wikipedia reveals a much larger, more complete cast. I have no doubt that that book better describes this harrowing escape. I don't know if I'll get around to reading it, as I have many other books to get through (including several other recommendations from my friend, Iset!). But it would be interesting to see what was cut and what was not in the full story "Whirlwind".

[Bodosika Bodosika · Rating 4 out of 5]

A very interesting Narrative and I really enjoyed it.

[Arnis · Rating 3 out of 5]

Noslēdzošajā Asian Saga sērijas romānā Whirlwind un tās papildinošajā mīlas stāstā Escape darbība rit Irānas reliģiskās islama revolūcijas pašā sākuma periodā un ajatollas Rūhollāha Mūsavī Homeinī salīdzinoši pēkšņajā un visnotaļ straujajā nākšanā pie varas 1979.gada sākumā.

https://poseidons99.wordpress.com/202...

[Saski · Rating 2 out of 5]

What do I think!?! I feel cheated! I was a huge Clavell fan; read everything I could find multiple times. Whirlwind was in my top three; seeing in the blurb 'from Whirlwind', I was so excited. Harrumph!
So disappointed!

[Yassmine Azeez · Rating 4 out of 5]

i read only half of it , cuz it became boring , with many details and minor actions written in detail , but i enjoyed very much knowing about this mysterious country iran , very obscure to us in egypt

[Justin · Rating 3 out of 5]

Very similar to Whirlwind.

[Grada (BoekenTrol) · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was much more than 'the love story from Whirlwind'. Allright, it contained the story of a love that was unlikely: an Iranian girl from a well to do family and a Finnish man. They overcame the difficulties that they encountered and were happy in Iran. Untill the turmoil of the revolution began.

And to me that was the most interesting part of the book. The description of the things happening in these difficult days of revolution. The people that needed to adjust. The bands of mullahs that acted without any autority, the new order that erased most if not all previous ways that were custom.

Interesting to read about the relations people had, the way the looked at each other, the cunning, the say this and do that stategies that were mapped out before meeting someone. And the not saying things, so plans could be carried out without having ordered anything.

It was a worderful book that I found very readable & interesting :-)

[Iset · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a re-read of a book I first picked up many years ago, when I was ill and bored one weekend, aged 10. It wasn’t actually my book – it was my father’s – but back then I had a propensity to grab adult fiction, having exhausted all the children’s and teen’s books available to me. I was gripped by the hard hitting drama and tension of Escape – this was an action thriller I had never read the likes of before. In recent years I’ve seen the book catch a lot of flak for ‘not being as good as Whirlwind’ – Escape is a cut and edited version of Whirlwind – but I’d never read Whirlwind, Escape was my first introduction to Clavell’s books, and I have to admit I liked Escape and have always looked back on it with fondness. It was long overdue a re-read, so here I am.

Well, it’s still the fast-paced action thriller I remember. Nowadays one might call it high octane, and the action is certainly relentless. The strange thing is I didn’t enjoy it as much as I remember, I think because I can sense what was left out and cut. Some of the characters feel thinly sketched, as do certain plotlines, and I get the distinct sense that in Whirlwind these plots and characters must have been far more detailed and highly developed.

Context is also really important. For my younger self, Escape swept me off to a strange and distant place where shocking and dramatic things happened. For years afterwards I was fixated on the Iranian revolution. Now, as an adult, I have far more context, but I’m not sure if that makes the story more or less dramatic. As a child I didn’t have any idea of the awful things that were going to happen in this unfolding tale. As an adult I do, and I’m far more aware of the reasons behind them… but I’m also far more jaded and not surprised anymore by such things. I’m not sure if that added to or detracted from the drama of the story. What’s for sure is that I could see grim parallels with current events.

Clavell’s writing style is eminently suited to this kind of story. He writes in a rather utilitarian way that, whilst for me it’s light on character development, is detailed in description of environment and action. He also has a curious way of creating complex schemes from the characters that are delivered and explained in a surprisingly sparse and functional way. I have to say I remain unsatisfied with the characters, with their lack of depth and development. Their broad brushstrokes frustrated me, and whilst I may not have noticed this as a child, I’m far less willing to forgive it as an adult – the relentless action, the one-note characters, the unflagging male heroes. It’s strange; I was so looking forward to re-reading this, as in my memory it’s one of the greatest books I’ve read, but now I definitely wouldn’t rate it more than I have below. It’s almost enough to put me off reading any more of Clavell in future – but I sneaked a peak at the reviews for Whirlwind and the consensus seems to be that it was something of an aberration in Clavell’s Asian Saga and that the rest of his novels were much better. As such, I will give Clavell another go at some point, with one of his lauded efforts like Shogun or Gai-Jin, but if they prove to be just as functional and character-light I may have to call it quits with Clavell.

6 out of 10

[David · Rating 3 out of 5]

I only read this because I heard it was the seventh in the series, but it was just the sixth over again with a bunch cut out. As much as I was in favor of that, the author just cut out sections and kept one main thread without reducing it. The whole thing made less sense, was less impressive, and still took up three or more times the space it could justify. Such a waste of time.

[Vidya]

The book is a good read in the first half as the tempo builds.But the ending is like all hindi movies...fairly insipid and hurriedly finished.Like Clavell's style of writing though....

[Peggy]

It was basically a condensed version of Whirlwind. I would not recommend spending money on it as their is not that much new material in the book.

[Leigha · Rating 4 out of 5]

My first non-asian Clavell book and I was pleasantly surprised. Though I had little interest in the subject matter, Clavell doesn't fail to create characters and human interactions that intrigue and compel the reader to see the story through. The premise of the story is one surrounded by war and violence and, as a result, there is some very gritty imagery. Also, typical to Clavell and the muslim culture about which he is writing, the female characters are very subservient to the male protagonists. An interesting, well-written read.

[Ira Livingston · Rating 2 out of 5]

I don’t know what I expected when I started this, but I think the multiple storylines of Whirlwind made everything more exciting, more desperate, more… we’ll just more.

I loved this story, but it’s only the main romance of Whirlwind, and yes it’s still a page turning, exciting but if you really want to have the really if the turmoil in Iran with the revolt against the Shaw, then tackle Whirlwind with its longer form.

Looking for a shorter tight romance then this should fit the bill, personally I always like the more historical take.

[Kim · Rating 3 out of 5]

Initially, I was bored, finding the writing too long winded but, then I was pulled into the story of the revolution in Iran. It has made me want to look up the historical details of those events. For a reasonably large book it was a fast read. I felt it could have ended a tad sooner. The last chapters seemed superfluous.

[Patrik Bystrom · Rating 4 out of 5]

Having only read Clavell's novels set in Japan and the Indochine, this was a pleasant surprise. His narrative style works equally well in Persia. I greatly enjoyed the tension in the story as well as the rich geographic and cultural landscape.

[Gabriela · Rating 5 out of 5]

A memorable and exciting James Clavell. I have realised how much I have missed his books and how good it would be to re-read some of his trilogies and sequels read when I was a kid.

Hopefully I'll find time to write a bit more about this one. Just need to gather my thoughts.

[Bill McFadyen · Rating 3 out of 5]

Written after James Clavell’s death this is an addition to his tale of the Iranian Revolution and could it be Bristol Helicopters . A good read for the sun bed - though of its day and feels very dated.

[John Seidler · Rating 5 out of 5]

a fun ending

This was a portion of the book “Whirlwind” but with a different and fun ending. It was a nice length, gave an understanding of the Middle East culture and was a good read.

[Yjasmina Calim · Rating 2 out of 5]

Not what I expected at all. I thought this would be more like a spin off of a show, diving deeper into specific characters and exploring those plots but I felt like I was just re-reading different parts of the same book.

[Megan · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is an abridged version of Whirlwind. No new writing.

[Roy Samuelson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Escape - last of a long series

It is not necessary to read this book last. I would try to read them in order. Series takes place over 500 years.

[Melissa Vergenz · Rating 4 out of 5]

Whirlwind lite

I feel like I've read this before. It seems to be a condensed version of Whirlwind. Still a good read.

[Linda · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read Whirlwind (Asian Saga 6). Escape is nothing more than a shorter version of Whirlwind. So if you have read Whirlwind, you don't need to read this.

[Parker · Rating 1 out of 5]

I just couldn't get into this one.

[Alan · Rating 1 out of 5]

Waste of money if you've read whirlwind, it's just an abridged version with exactly the same prose.
This should be made clear in the description so people aren't suckered in.
Very disappointed!

[Nick Carey · Rating 3 out of 5]

Finnish pilot Erikki Yokkonen has married Azadeh, an Iranian woman of noble birth, whose family is caught up in the political situation exploding around them in Iran 1979

[Lilia Andreeva · Rating 3 out of 5]

The female characters seem not fully developed with most of their characters, thoughts and experiences centred around their male counterparts’ experiences. Otherwise it was an interesting book.

[Shellie · Rating 4 out of 5]

This truly completes my reading of ‘The Asian Saga’. I thoroughly enjoyed it, all of it, and I’m so glad I finally read this final chapter.

[Jim Gilliam · Rating 5 out of 5]

Escape is billed as the love story from his book Whirlwind. James Clavell tells the tender and moving love story of Erikki, the blond Finnish pilot, and his beautiful high-born Iranian wife, Azadeh whom he protects with his life and would indeed would give his life for in a second. The worldwide oil industry depends on helicopters and Iran and other Middle Eastern companies depend on foreign companies to supply the technology that they lack at home. The oil rich Arabs, in this case the Persians (Iranians), historically farm out all of that sort of work to foreigners. It was a turbulent time in Iran. The Shad had been exiled from Iran and various factions were fighting for control. Erikki flew for a British helicopter company that was in real danger of becoming nationalized. All of the various factions were after the company's helicopters for their own purposes. In true Clavell style the various characters weave through the intricate plot with the speed of a runaway freight train. The heads of the UK based helicopter devise a bold and dangerous plan to extricate several million dollars in helicopters and spare parts along with all non-Iranian personnel. Erikki and his wife Azadeh are cut off and left to fend for themselves to attempt their own escape. Like all of the other James Clavell novels, this one robbed me of sleep. Sadly James Clavell died in 1994, it was a grievous loss to the literary world. I, for one, would have enjoyed reading more from this gifted author.

Jim Gilliam
Author, Point Deception