Царят е един – при хората и при плъховете: http://knigolandia.info/book-review/t...

В това издание за първи път открих и историите на жените, които се промъкват в разговорите и спомените на мъжете – тези страници липсват в първото издание на книгата, както пише дъщерята на Клавел в предговора, и липсваха и в онова издание с меки корици и огромни жълти букви на корицата, което толкова обичах. Да, те не променят нищо – но придават още един нюанс на тази иначе строго мъжка история. Защото това са истории на жени, които също са жертви на войната, която е отнела мъжете им – пряко или преносно. И особено историята на жената на Грей поне малко балансира неговия образ и гибелен гняв, започващ от първото изречение на книгата.

CIELA Books
http://knigolandia.info/book-review/t...

"Kiedy ma się wroga dobrze znać jego zwyczaje."

In King Rat, James Clavell succeeds in doing what countless other authors usually fail at: taken actual experiences from his life and distilled them into a gripping dramatic narrative.

And this praise is perhaps the most damnable understatement the book can receive -- Clavell isn't writing about "experiences," he is writing about the cauldron from which he was "reborn" -- his time in Changi, a Japanese POW camp in Malaysia during WWII.

And yet, the book is mostly comedic -- filled with the hopeful gallows humor of men who are living under the constant shadow of death. It's a story about survival and about friendship --- the true, unspoken kind that men shy away from when it is put into words.

Perhaps the most impressive piece of trivia about this book is that it is Clavell's first novel (of which he would write only 5 more, each a masterpiece in its own right). This is the most intimate of his books (taking place entirely in one setting, and dealing with a fairly small cast of characters), and in many ways my favorite.

The words "read this, it'll change your life" are dropped too often with books, but cannot be dropped often enough with this one.

Всяко потъване в света на Джеймс Клавел е едно вълшебство и изпитание. Изключителен повествовател, с живи и убедителни герои, с вълнуващи обрати, въпроси и предизвикателства, които дебнат от всяка страница.

I wish every first novels had such ambition, scope and gusto. KING RAT is about the manliest, most violently existential novel south of Hemingway. It's full of dudes lost without the structure and the social status that normal life usually provides and completely adrift, not knowing the faith of the free world during WWII. KING RAT depicts the microcosm that was formed by all this doubt and confusion and follows the faith of men who used to live by the rules and the men who decided to create their own.

It's a fantastic character study written in such a flat, Hemingwayesque prose that it cracked me up for being so alike sometimes. It felt almost like a parody. It's a strange feeling reading something so close in style and philosophy to ol Ernie,but KING RAT was my first Clavell and it sure won't be my last. He's too much fun not to read. What are you worth in a society that doesn't think, act and structures your life with meaningless titles and perceived value? It's the kind of fun questions James Clavell answers with KING RAT.

И ето, че след три месеца най-накрая прочетох книгата...имайте предвид, че втората половина беше приключена за три дена! Много силна история, описваща живота на пленниците от лагера Чанги. Всякакви проблеми от първобитен характер, премесени със спецификите на всеки човешки темперамент, се опитват да сломят останалите борещи се за оцеляване. Не постоянно, но през повечето време читателя е в напрежение. Съпреживявайки личните проблеми на тези нещастни мъже, човек си задава въпроса кое е добро и лошо, кое е правилно и грешно, в един свят където само най-приспособимите оцеляват.
Препоръчвам я като задължително четиво. Не случайно се нарежда измежду класическите творби.

"Цар Плъх" е невероятна книга. Докато четях, аз живях заедно с "Чанги". Във всеки човек има по един цар, силата, умът и смелостта показват кой е достоен да носи невидимата корона на победителя. А Царят винаги помага на своите приятели, дори да знае, че те не са му приятели...

I really didn't expect to like this so much. I thought it would be one of those classics that are "okay" but are hard to read.
Turns out I was wrong. I greatly enjoyed this book and didn't want it to end.

A tale of survival under brutal conditions in a prisoners of war camp,during World War II.Not too impressed with Clavell's other books,but this one is his best.

I've meant to read this for 20 years and one book or another jumped ahead of it. Or, I'd forget my intention to read it every now and then. But a recent trip to the library in which I could not find anything I was looking for brought "King Rat" to my attention again. And, it was on the shelf. Score! Years and years ago I remember the actress, Jamie Lee Curtis, stating that this was her favorite book and she often gave it out to friends. I liked "Shogun" and I like "King Rat" even more. I, myself, do not think the meek will inherit the earth. I think people make their own luck to a large degree and the strong prevail and the weak perish. Not that there isn't a price to be paid. How well I know this as a strong, self-supporting female. This is a story of a prisoner of war camp filled with Americans, English and Australians during World War II. An American, who by smarts, guts, determination and strength of purpose makes himself into the richest and most powerful prisoner in the camp by his black market transactions. I think it is an interesting character study. Even in the worst of adversity and circumstance, some will always prevail and others will perish.

Очаквах нещо повече. Дори не я дочетох.

I will admit to a certain undying love for James Clavell, mostly due to the many miniseries done of his books inthe 80's. I will also admit that I adore Richard Chamberlain for this same reason. So there.

King Rat is actually a lot different from his other books set in Asia, partly I think because there are no women to speak of. The man in his other books displays a very early 80's chauvinist attitude: he loved to make a big deal about the women's lib movement, in a very patronizing "aren't they cute? I think it's wonderful" sort of way. The women in the historical novels were beautiful and strong, but still defined by their need to be protected by the virile male. But these men are the ones in need of protection--still virle, but stripped of everything that makes them men.

Anyway, to this day, whenever I fry an egg, I think about the scene in which the King Rat is frying an egg, and all of the men in the room are aware of this egg frying. He described it in luscious, desperate detail, and it symbolised their helplessness, their hunger for freedom. I hate eggs, but that scene makes me crave one every time.