Crazy Rich Asians is the outrageously funny debut novel about three super-rich, pedigreed Chinese families and the gossip, backbiting, and scheming that occurs when the heir to one of the most massive fortunes in Asia brings home his ABC (American-born Chinese) girlfriend to the wedding of the season.
When Rachel Chu agrees to spend the summer in Singapore with her boyfriend, Nicholas Young, she … Nicholas Young, she envisions a humble family home, long drives to explore the island, and quality time with the man she might one day marry. What she doesn’t know is that Nick’s family home happens to look like a palace, that she’ll ride in more private planes than cars, and that with one of Asia’s most eligible bachelors on her arm, Rachel might as well have a target on her back. Initiated into a world of dynastic splendor beyond imagination, Rachel meets Astrid, the It Girl of Singapore society; Eddie, whose family practically lives in the pages of the Hong Kong socialite magazines; and Eleanor, Nick’s formidable mother, a woman who has very strong feelings about who her son should–and should not–marry. Uproarious, addictive, and filled with jaw-dropping opulence, Crazy Rich Asians is an insider’s look at the Asian JetSet; a perfect depiction of the clash between old money and new money; between Overseas Chinese and Mainland Chinese; and a fabulous novel about what it means to be young, in love, and gloriously, crazily rich.
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Not at all what I expected…. and I loved it.
It was difficult to keep up with all the characters and distracting going back and forth to bottom of page for language translations.
A fun, frothy read with entertaining characters and humor. Loved the informative footnotes!
Maybe it’s the lure of a fairytale, of sorts, within another culture. Although some parts may be stereotypical, I find it intriguing to be slightly immersed into a story within another country that follows different rules, and has more severe expectations. Although Rachel is Chinese, she is ABC (American Born Chinese), and, therefore, looked down upon by her fellow mainland Chinese, for example, etc. She is learning about her boyfriend’s family, which has apparently been a bit of a mystery to her until a recent spring break trip with Nick takes her around the world. There are bumps along the way, but it has been a fun read.
This was a most interesting & different books I’ve read in a long time – the author kept my interest because the characters were very different and the many different countries & customs made for a great read!!!
I decided to read this book in preparation for the film, as let’s face it, the books are always better!
I was pleasantly surprised by this story as I really wasn’t sure what to expect. It’s a story that centres around the fabulous lives of the filthy rich Chinese elite, and is very much a clash of old and new money.
It was a book full of gossip, bitching and some absolutely fabulous one liners and character depictions.
The book follows the lives of numerous characters but focuses mainly on the story of Nick Young and Rachel Chu. In America Nick is a small fish in a big pond, but you soon learn that in Singapore he is quite the opposite. The mystery of Nick and the Young family slowly unravels throughout the book as you learn all about the web of his family tree.
I personally found myself more drawn to the story of Astrid, Nick’s cousin, for she was intriguing from the get go and suspects her husband of having an affair. She is a likeable character with a wardrobe to die for.
Rachel is blissfully unaware of what she is opening a door to when she agrees to travel to Singapore with Nick to accompany him to a friend’s wedding, and you realise that she is very much a subject of interest.
Overall this book was entertaining, and there is a character for everyone. The gossip is typical of a group of females and it was very much like keeping up with a soap opera. I am very much looking forward to reading more of Kwan’s books.
Alamak, that was one insane ride!
When a friend gave me the book to read, I asked her, “Is it Crazy-Rich Asians, or is it Crazy Rich-Asians?” She just smirked and shrugged. I know now that it’s both, and it’s effing HILARIOUS.
Can you tell I’m hooked? I have to keep going now, to see if it’s possible for Kevin Kwan to ramp up the insanity in the next books in the series. I can’t imagine how, but it’ll no doubt be entertaining and outrageous.
I haven’t seen the movie yet, because the trailers make it look like maybe it covers stuff from all the books, rather than just sticking to the first one and alamak, we don’t want any spoilers! I’ll wait and do some binge watching AFTER I finish the binge reading. Aiyah, it will be so delicious.
The first of Kevin Kwan’s trilogy, Crazy Rich Asians opened a world few ordinary people experience. The plot revolves around the love between a Chinese immigrant woman who grew up in America and became a university professor, and her professor boyfriend who hides the fact that he comes from one of the richest Chinese families in Singapore–or Asia for that matter. The couple goes to Singapore to partake in the wedding of the main character’s best friend’s wedding. The complications arise because of the jealous social circle who tries to denigrate the “American Chinese” finance and destroy her relationship to their rich childhood friend, the “best catch” in their world. A bit too many name brands of clothes and jewelry mentioned every time a character is introduced slows down the story but all in all this is a very enjoyable read. Highly recommend it.
I love this book!
Absolutely a joy to read!! Also went to see it on the big screen. While it was good, the book is always better !!!!
While this is not one of my all-time favorite books, it was interesting to learn about a culture I knew nothing about.
Enjoyed the characters
A fun book to read, I found myself thinking about the characters even when I wasn’t reading it. That’s always the sign of a good book. The characters are interesting, quirky, eccentric, and, in some cases, loveable (in other cases, not so much!) It’s a glimpse into a world most of us will never see. A nice place to visit, but I wouldn’t want to live there!
I really didn’t expect to like this book and after two chapters I loved it. Easy reading, witty and actually educating. The author teaches you a lot about Asian billionaires and their lifestyles, food fetishes and indulgences as well as interesting tidbits about the countries.
Loved this book! crazy rich people in Asia. Asians are usually a minority and treated badly. As an Alaska Native, I appreciated the characters and the reversal of a minority being treated well. Very entertaining, I ended up getting all three books. All were enjoyable.
This book was very overwhelming with its extravagant details, family lineage, and the rich Asian culture. But I loved it, I couldn’t put it down. This is probably the first book that I read being happy that I watched the movie before. The amount of detail that Kevin Kwan uses to describe the elaborate scenes can be very overpowering. It was very difficult for me to keep track of everyone, and who is related to who. Hell, I needed a family tree along with a map! But that’s because of my uncultured ass. You think you know or read rich but then you read this book and you learn crazy rich.
Nick invites his long-term girlfriend Rachel Chu to his home in Singapore for his best friends wedding. Though he leaves out one major key part….his family is crazy rich. Once Rachel and Nick arrive, Rachel is exposed to a whole new world nor her or I even knew existed. Between the scheming girls of Nicks past and his deceitful mother, Rachel has to fight to keep up, making her wonder if this is all worth it. Then there is the charming Astrid, Nick’s cousin who is fighting her own battle with her (not so rich) hunk of a husband. You can’t help but love Astrid sacrificing the life that she is used to, to be with her husband and make him happy. And poor Charlie! You also get to meet Nicks other greedy cousins and quickly hate them as well. Towards the end of the book, you realize you hate more people than like. This book shows the real faces of wealthy people and what money really does to you.
It’s crazy to believe at first how much Nick hid from Rachel about his family. I saw that a lot of people couldn’t really believe that, but towards the end with Astrid’s situation, I started to believe it. Nick’s family comes from old money, not the new rich Asian money where people like to flaunt it, they’re basically like royalty. You get swept up in the high life that the elite live. But then getting into it you start to hate all those rich bastards. Towards the end with the fight between Rachel and Elanor and the grandmother, I felt that pain. I wanted to go through the book and just strangle Elanor and the grandmother.
It’s a book I recommend if you like an entertaining juicy chic-lit. If you ever wondered how people that are richer than God live. Like I said earlier, there is a lot of detail you can get lost in. The characters weren’t very unique, there are plotholes, and dropped storylines. But overall it wasn’t horrible, once I got to part three I couldn’t put it down.
I listened to the audio book of Crazy Rich Asians and enjoyed it a lot. The narrator was excellent, and the story entertaining. It’s a bit darker than I expected – not the traditional rom-com you might expect from seeing the moving trailer. But overall, I really liked it!
A fun, humourous, easy to read romp. While the book makes the most of Asian stereotypes, which is half the fun. I highly recommend for anyone who needs a good laugh.
As a proud Asian American who really loved the movie, I was really excited to read this book. I read a review of the book and the person said the movie was better than the book. Though I didn’t want to believe it, after finishing the book, I have to agree. Personally, I feel like the overall story was better in the movie–particularly the relationship and encounters between Rachel and Eleanor. I feel like there was more substantial plot and development in the movie, though I am fully aware that there are 2 more books (so perhaps some of the events in the movie are taken from the next book?).
Despite this critique, I have to say I really really enjoyed reading Crazy Rich Asians. The spurts of relatable Chinglish made me feel a sense of belonging and excitement I now realize I haven’t really gotten while reading any other book. I’d see some phonetic spelling of some Cantonese and slowly sound it out and then the meaning will click with experiences I’ve had growing up. That was the best part–to see my culture and language in a book. I loved the little satirical asides and though I agree with commentary about how the writing isn’t great, to me, this is a lighthearted read and I don’t expect it to be literature.
Overall, I had a great time reading this and I didn’t really want to put it down. I am looking forward to reading the next books while waiting for (I hope) the next movie.
Read the trilogy after seeing the movie. Much more detailed characters and back story on them. A little hard to remember all the names, but doable. Very informative on Asian customs. Highly recommend all three books.