Reviews tagging 'Racism'

Sex and Vanity by Kevin Kwan

32 reviews

gkaltam's review against another edition

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funny lighthearted fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? No
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0


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geekmom's review against another edition

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slow-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? No
  • Loveable characters? No
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

2.5

This book has so many problems that I don’t know if I want to even start describing them. 

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bookedbymadeline's review against another edition

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funny lighthearted relaxing medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

I picked this up because I loved Kwan’s debut work, Crazy Rich Asians, as well as the sequels. I was pulled in right away and read this pretty quickly because it’s a lighthearted, modern homage to A Room With a View! I haven’t read Room With a View yet but it’s high on my classics TBR.

In Sex and Vanity we go from Capri, Italy in part 1 of the novel and then jump 5 years later to NYC for part 2. I enjoyed Capri a lot more, but the NYC chapters grew on me after a few chapters.

For the most part, I liked the characters! They were all well written and complex, although some of them (Lucie) annoyed me at times 😅 But I did love how outrageous some of the characters were and it made for an entertaining read!

The one thing that really bugged me was with each new character introduced, Kwan writes out EVERY school they went to from Pre K to college 🙃 it got annoying very quickly, like all the labels and pop culture references could be a bit much at times and unfortunately will end up dating the book in years to come. The name dropping/brand insertions were numerous and felt like Kwan was trying to reach the word count for an essay 🙈

Kwan also adds footnotes (just like in Crazy Rich Asians), but this time I didn’t enjoy them as much. Sometimes they were contradictions or clarifications for something a character said, instead of informational, and meant to be funny-which felt forced/unnecessary and didn’t hit the same way they did in CRA (or like I think Kwan expected).

The ending was really well done! It left things sort of open ended but also wrapped up in a sense, it was a satisfying ending for the novel. It’s a fun, quick read that I enjoyed but I think Kwan’s Crazy Rich Asians trilogy is still his best work 💗

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lateromantic's review against another edition

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adventurous funny lighthearted fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? No
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

2.5

Very fun, very frothy in the best way, fabulously knowledgable about fabulous things like art and fashion and interior design. Plot was meh and very not the point of this kind of read, but I'd have liked to see it longer and have some of the plot beats be described in as much detail as the luscious moments.
I loved how it ended with one character -
Cecil, and everyone's attitudes towards him in the end - he wasn't portrayed as a villain or a buffoon, just the wrong man
Equally, I didn't love the ending for another character -
Charlotte. It seemed to come out of nowhere that she's nice now, and then to be dating the nicest character in the book? nah this bit was very pure fiction happy-ending.
I also loved how Kwan handled the theme of
racism - both internalised and from external sources. He really made it seem realistic what the character felt for herself and how she was interpreting others' actions, and he leaves it up to us to decide how far it was true or a problem that the characters can overcome. Perfect for this kind of frothy read - places you in a realistic world and gives an understanding of serious issues, somehow without detracting from the lightness of his book? Masterful.
My favourite part was the footnotes - charming and informative. I wish more chick lit told me about arty Chinese cinema and European trends in porcelain.

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mishaps's review against another edition

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lighthearted slow-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Plot
  • Strong character development? No
  • Loveable characters? No
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

2.0


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fairyofprocrastination's review against another edition

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funny lighthearted medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Plot
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

2.5

The book was okay. Mostly I am annoyed by Lucie, and while she and George Zao have plenty of chemistry, there is no development of a relationship which I desperately seek for in a romcom.

As for the international phobia against Asians, I would really like to say Lucie is extremely annoying and for the last few chapters of the book, an absolute bitch. She is 25 behaving like a 15 year old where cliques matter. Dude I believe that when you are descended from the Mayflower, you get the Goddamn right to be whoever you want to be, even if you are Chinese American. 

As for George Zao, while that guy is right up my alley, he has shit choices in his love life. While he and Lucie match each other intellectually and all, their social upbringing will always be a hindrance that Lucie will create time and again in their relationship.

As for the other things, this book has a lot of subtle and unsubtle racism against Asians, immense amount of wealth that makes everyone look insensitive (that epilogue however shaped like a picture perfect ending still reeks at least a mile long of wealth, privilege and power), but then again, I'm not here to read something serious. 

2.5 stars. 

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lovetlr's review against another edition

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adventurous emotional funny lighthearted medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5


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maggies's review against another edition

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funny lighthearted medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Plot
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

This is my second Kevin Kwan book (I think?) and I just don’t think the style is for me. Too much gossip and focus on fancy clothes and rich-people-things. Doesn’t float my boat, and I should probably stop trying to force it. That said, this story was fine. A taste of Pride and Prejudice, even! Just not enough to really satisfy me.

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nouveau's review against another edition

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funny hopeful inspiring lighthearted relaxing slow-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0


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alyssancoon's review against another edition

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lighthearted medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

3.5

I got a little lost with all the designer / rich people name dropping, but the overall romance was good 

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