I found this book as a used book store a few years ago and, having heard of it once or twice, decided to buy it. Since then, I have seen it more and more and, as I’m sure most people know by now, the movie adaptation is coming out late summer. So I’d slowly been moving it towards the top of my TBR (since of course I have to read it before I see the movie) when a friend of mine mentioned that she was planning to read it this summer. That’s an opening if I ever saw one…so I suggested a buddy read and then a movie night. Clearly the idea was a go!
Crazy Rich Asians by Kevin Kwan
The plot synopsis is going to be super fast and easy, compared to most of the other books I have read recently. Basically, Rachel Chu has been dating Nicholas Young for about 2 years. They live in NYC and are both in academia. When Nick invites her to go to Singapore (where he’s originally from) with him for the summer primarily as his date to his best friend’s wedding, but also to travel and meet his family, she agrees. However, Nick has been a little less than open about his family’s situation, and it’s not til Rachel arrives in Singapore that she realizes how much money Nick’s family has. In fact, he is from one of the richest families in the whole area, his best friend’s wedding is pretty much the event of the decade, and the entire community is steeped in old traditions, expectations and opinions. Cue the drama!
Crazy Rich Asians is, in fact the perfect summer read/movie. Although it took me until about a quarter of the way in to really get into the swing of it, once I hit my stride I literally could not stop turning pages. Rachel and Nick are a very cute couple and, though there are clearly some communication issues, nothing is maliciously done. They are a strong relationship throughout the novel and I really liked that – there was lots of drama to keep me occupied without their confidence in their relationship being one of those things. That being a point of stability was refreshing. As far as the rest, oh my goodness was it entertaining. I enjoyed the cultural glimpses we got of high class Singaporean life, from food and language and traditions to the uglier prejudices and manipulations. It’s a world so far removed from what I know, both culturally and financially, that it almost didn’t seem real at times. It made for great reading. In addition, the footnotes from the author, clarifying language and honorifics, explaining foods and beliefs, had a perfect tone of snark and satire to them. And in fact, a few times he mentions his own experiences in the schools or with the foods he is writing about, which adds a really cool personal touch and also re-grounded the story in reality (at least for me). The nonstop gossip, maneuvering, and money spending made for an absolutely fascinating and diverting read.
Let me give a few small caveats to this review. As I mentioned, it took me a little while to get into the story. And I think primarily that’s because there are just so many characters. I flipped back to the family trees at the beginning a lot of times while I was first getting into it. Looking back, it maybe wasn’t that necessary – the main characters popped out and more clearly in time, and would have even without my extra effort I’m sure. However, if you are a Type A reader or that kind of detail bothers you, beware before you start. Also, there were a number of times that the dialogue rang a little false for me. I realize that this was kind of a social commentary book, meant to expose some ridiculous-ness and also to entertain, so if you (as I tried to) keep that in mind, that annoyance really ends up fading into the background. But the people did sometimes seem caricatured (especially the women), so again, if that is something that bothers you, mentally prepare for it.
Overall, this is a great satirical snapshot of a life experience. Go into this book knowing that it’s a singular perspective (this is obviously not what life is like for a majority), and meant, at least mostly, to amuse, and you will really enjoy it! It’s plot driven, nonstop drama and super fun – the perfect summer read. And honestly, I cannot wait for the movie because OMG I am expecting a production of insane proportion!
I love this book, but agree with the clunky dialogue bits you mentioned. Unfortunately the second book makes it worse and I found it less enjoyable to read, but the first is great! (I haven’t read the third yet.) I’m SOOO excited about the movie. It looks so good and some of my friends and I are going to make a huge date out of it. haha.
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Good to know about the second one. I actually was pretty happy with where the first one ended and don’t feel like I need more, so I will not rush to read the next one. VERY excited about the move though – I hope my expectations aren’t too high but this has such on-screen potential!
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Yeah, the first one has a fine ending. The second one didn’t really resolve anything and just made new obstacles, IMO. Hopefully the movie will be great 😀
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Can’t wait for the film either!! ❤️
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Great review! This one has been on my to read list for a while, and I’m looking forward to it.
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Thank you! It was definitely a great summer binge read.
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My wife just bought this one and her brother lives in Singapore, so I may have to nab it.
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It’s a really fun story! I would assume it does not depict what life is like for the majority of Singapore (minus the food maybe, that’s probably more universal), but it was absolutely entertaining.
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I loved this whole series but I have to admit that I struggled to get into the first book (like you) because of all the characters. By the third book I felt that I knew who was who a lot better. I can’t wait for the movie!
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Yea it was a little overwhelming to start, but definitely worth pushing though!
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I’m glad to hear you liked this one, even though it took a bit to get into! Good to know! I don’t know if I’ll get a shot to read the book any time soon, but I DO want to go and see the movie. It looks great. 🙂
-Lauren
http://www.shootingstarsmag.net
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Yes – this is definitely one that I wouldn’t feel guilty about seeing the movie without reading the book. So I hope you get to go and enjoy that!
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This sounds like a really nice read
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It was really fun – the perfect summer entertainment!
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i want to borrow this – remind me next time i see you! Thanks
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This sounds like a great summer read – I didn’t even know the movie was based on a book!
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It was totally perfect for summer!
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This has been on my TBR for over a year. I want to read it before the movie, but not sure on going to get to it. 🙁
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That’s pretty much where I was til this buddy read came up. I will say though, it’s a super fast read, so you may still be able to make it. And if not, this isn’t one I would feel guilty about not reading before seeing the movie. 🙂 Good luck!
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Lovely review! I only recently heard of this book and its adaptation, but I immediately added it to my TBR because it sounds like such a fun read and perfect for summertime, too.I can’t wait to get started now! Thank you for sharing 😀
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Of course – thanks for stopping by! And I hope you enjoy the book. It really is the perfect pool/beach summer read.
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Great review!
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Thank you!!
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You’re welcome!
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I have heard that it really does take awhile to get into this so I’m not sure I would be able to get through it. Great review!
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That’s fair – you have to know what works for you as a reader. I will say that the action and drama starts up right away, it’s just that there are a lot of characters and they all get introduced at once.
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I’m so happy to see you enjoyed this book! 🙂 I hope I’ll get around to reading it soon, because I want to finish it before seeing the movie.
Lovely review! ❤
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Thank you!! It’s definitely a fun, quick one, so hopefully you get to it. Fingers crossed!
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