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3.81 AVERAGE
3.81 AVERAGE
It took some time for me to decide on that last star. I'll explain why in a moment.
You may have seen the movie adaptation...we get a glimpse of the lives of the jet-settiest set in Singapore and in the midst of it a young woman accompanies her partner Nick on a trip to China for a wedding only to realize she's being led straight into a lion's den. He's neglected to mention that he comes from an obscenely rich family who are nearly all looking at her with suspicion as an opportunistic interloper. Can their relationship survive it?
So. There's a lot going on here. The movie actually pretty well accomplished the most human part of the book. Nick's lies of omission feel even more egregious here as we watch Rachel being actively plotted against by people she doesn't even know exist. Overall though, the human side gets somewhat lost in the almost crushing weight of recitations of wealth, labels, and properties. Nick's cousin Astrid, who is supposed to be his confidante in the family *must* be assumed to have some depth but we don't really see more than a beautiful, hollow shell floating through stores, parties, and galleries. It's hard to mourn the loss of her marriage or what it might mean to her son when we don't ever get a sense of her as a wife or mother. Nick himself has the depth of a hologram. An attractive enigma we know more for what he's not than what he is. Rachel feels the most real but we get only bits and pieces of her, and mainly through her victimization.
Much like in the book, the exchanges with Rachel and her college friend (memorably played by Awkwafina in the movie) stand out because they feel more dynamic and the most normal.
All that said, though not all of this was for me, I can definitely see an appeal for it. It's Gossip Girl grown up with the Real Housewives appeal of seeing rich people behave terribly, of course... but it's a little more than that too. What I genuinely enjoyed was when Kevin Kwan stepped into more of a tour guide role and left footnotes about slang and expressions, food, and other little details that made you feel more immersed in the culture beyond the superficial. Those were the real little gems and what I'm choosing to take away.
You may have seen the movie adaptation...we get a glimpse of the lives of the jet-settiest set in Singapore and in the midst of it a young woman accompanies her partner Nick on a trip to China for a wedding only to realize she's being led straight into a lion's den. He's neglected to mention that he comes from an obscenely rich family who are nearly all looking at her with suspicion as an opportunistic interloper. Can their relationship survive it?
So. There's a lot going on here. The movie actually pretty well accomplished the most human part of the book. Nick's lies of omission feel even more egregious here as we watch Rachel being actively plotted against by people she doesn't even know exist. Overall though, the human side gets somewhat lost in the almost crushing weight of recitations of wealth, labels, and properties. Nick's cousin Astrid, who is supposed to be his confidante in the family *must* be assumed to have some depth but we don't really see more than a beautiful, hollow shell floating through stores, parties, and galleries. It's hard to mourn the loss of her marriage or what it might mean to her son when we don't ever get a sense of her as a wife or mother. Nick himself has the depth of a hologram. An attractive enigma we know more for what he's not than what he is. Rachel feels the most real but we get only bits and pieces of her, and mainly through her victimization.
Much like in the book, the exchanges with Rachel and her college friend (memorably played by Awkwafina in the movie) stand out because they feel more dynamic and the most normal.
All that said, though not all of this was for me, I can definitely see an appeal for it. It's Gossip Girl grown up with the Real Housewives appeal of seeing rich people behave terribly, of course... but it's a little more than that too. What I genuinely enjoyed was when Kevin Kwan stepped into more of a tour guide role and left footnotes about slang and expressions, food, and other little details that made you feel more immersed in the culture beyond the superficial. Those were the real little gems and what I'm choosing to take away.
funny
lighthearted
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
adventurous
challenging
emotional
funny
lighthearted
reflective
relaxing
sad
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
“Remember, every treasure comes with a price.”
HUGE props to the audiobook, read by Lynn Chen, which brought so much life and gusto to the story and characters. definitely give it a try if you like audiobooks.
reading this book felt like a summer afternoon with a best friend, talking about whatever and whatsoever. it felt like gossiping - only that it was better than that, since it's about rich people that don't even exist (and thus takes the guilt and odd dismay i usually feel every time i hear my parents gossip). it was mindless, hilarious chatter that has you rolling your eyes and exclaiming "oh, rich people!".
i also loved the variety of topics within: motherly (possessive, cough) love, power of tradition and old habits, how no amount of wealth can ever satisfy all your needs... i could go on and on. i've seen many people also mentioning they felt represented since all characters and plot are set in an asian background, traditions, history and such, which has me very happy. sure, you don't need to feel represented to love a novel, but it won't hurt to see yourself in one. it creates a stronger emotional bond.
there was this splendour, prosperous lustre to everything too: all the descriptions have you floating on a sparkling rainbow, savouring the scenes with your imagination. (your mind is always the best production company out there, since there's no budget cuts to what you can dream inside your head ;)).
on the other side, once i finished the book, i had the feeling that some characters were barely developed (rachel was one example, even if she was the main character), and i fail to understand if it is because they're only secondary, used merely for plot device, or if the author just didn't work on it. then again, i got the feeling that they were not meant to be perceived as real or even compared to reality. more than characters, it's like they were exaggerated caricatures sometimes, whose lines only got thinner once their walls broke down and they became more emotional, more vulnerable.
it also got a bit too much telenovela-ish towards the end, which frustrated me.
Spoiler
it took me a GOOD while to understand that michael had an inferioty complex and was letting all that get in the way of his marriage... and to pull a prank like that?? it's just vile, not the sacrificing act he thought it was. it also can't not feel like a sick excuse.i recommend this book if you want something to laugh and just relax. if you don't feel like reading it, i also recommend watching the 2018 adaptation, which wasn't as great, but it's good enough that has you feeling a similar, colorful array of emotions.
---
this was SO GOOD.... let me just clean my face from all the tears shed after watching the adaptation and ill get back in a second to review this
Without the heart captured in the movie and frankly too many *boring* details of the minor (albeit 'crazy rich') cast of characters. Lost interest at about 50%.
Satire is very difficult to do well, especially in anything longer than a McSweeney’s bit. Kwan took the form all the way to novel-length without losing me; I loved every single satirical moment. Just when I was starting to question why I was wading through depictions of lavish wealth, Kwan popped up with first person interjections in the footnotes. It was just the right amount of broken fourth wall winking to the audience to keep me in.
challenging
funny
fast-paced
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
I think this book was good but I want a slightly different or more elaborate ending. I feel like so much was drawn out for so long that he wrapped it up too quickly and too neatly! It was definitely entertaining and interesting but there are so many people and plot lines that we get no closure with.
I probably shouldn’t use a book review to compare a book to its movie (which I saw before reading), but doing so seems the best way to process how I felt about this book. I understand that the book is a satirical look at the uber wealthy, but constantly poking at the reader to remind us how shallow and greedy our crazy rich Asians are without giving us a well developed, likable character to really cheer for makes the whole thing kind of flat for me. Whereas the movie centers Rachel and Nick’s story, here we have multiple POVs with characters we struggle to place (unless we check back in with our family tree) who are…just rich, and not too nice about it. The Bible study scene which concludes with the women frantically contacting their brokers was especially striking. Book Nick is sweet and handsome, but clueless (really, you weren’t allowed to talk about money so you don’t think you’re really *all* that rich as you grew up in a palace?). The book didn’t make me feel as deeply invested in their relationship, or believe that their chemistry was worth all the vitriol Rachel encountered or what wealth Nick would have to sacrifice to stay with her with this family’s approval. The lush and visually beautiful world of the movie and the actors’ performances achieved that. I was looking forward to the over the top and funny Peik Lin of the movie and got just a bland friend instead, and to the moving mah jong scene where we finally glimpse depth from Eleanor, but it’s book equivalent didn’t exist.