Escape: The Love Story from Whirlwind - James Clavell Audiobook

Written by James Clavell
Read by JohnLee
Format: MP3
Bitrate: 64 Kbps
Unabridged

Series: Asian Saga, book 7
Length: 15 hours, 44 minutes
ISBN: 9781415944882
Release date: 2001
Publisher: Books on Tape (Penguin/Random House)

In 1979 the Shah is thrown out of Iran and the nation’s turmoil becomes world headlines. Caught in this shifting world of fanaticism, ambition, duplicity, heartbreak and violent death are the foreign helicopter pilots who have been servicing the oilfields. Their one objective now is to make a bold concerted escape, with their helicopters, to safety across the Gulf.

In Whirlwind, Clavell told the full story of the three weeks it took them to achieve this. In ESCAPE, he drew out just one thread from that epic narrative-the love story of Erikki Yokkonen, a dashing Finnish pilot with S-G, a helicopter company working in Iran, and his aristocratic Iranian wife, Azedeh, whom he loved beyond safety and politics.

Azadeh is the daughter of Abdollah Gorgon Khan, the leader of the Gorgon family and a leader in Iranian Azerbaijan. The Shah has been forced out and Ayatolleh Khomeini is now in power. With this, the entire S-G operation is at stake; as well as the safety of Erikki, Azadeh and her family.

This shorter version of the story of Whirlwind (584 pages) was published in 1994. The back cover of the first edition bore a message from the author humorously dedicating the book to anyone who had ever complained that his books were too heavy.

Note on the revolution – The Shah was supported by the US and after his ouster US recognition was gone as strict Theocracy was enforced. If you are under 40-50 it is the only way you have ever seen it. Before the revolution it was, for a traditionally Moslem country, a relatively progressive, prosperous, well-educated and open country. None of the usual reason for revolution seemed present except possibly the desire to remove hereditary rule and Western influence.