Crazy Rich Asians (Crazy Rich Asians Trilogy, #1)

by Kevin Kwan

#1 NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER • The international sensation and blockbuster Hollywood rom com. • "A Pride and Prejudice-like send-up about an heir bringing his Chinese-American girlfriend home to meet his ancestor-obsessed family.” —People
 
“Deliciously decadent.... This 48-karat beach read is crazy fun.” —Entertainment Weekly

When New Yorker Rachel Chu agrees to spend the summer in Singapore with her boyfriend, Nicholas Young, she envisions a humble family home and quality time with the man she hopes to marry. But Nick has failed to give his girlfriend a few key details. One, that his childhood home looks like a palace; two, that he grew up riding in more private planes than cars; and three, that he just happens to be the country’s most eligible bachelor. 

On Nick’s arm, Rachel may as well have a target on her back the second she steps off the plane, and soon, her relaxed vacation turns into an obstacle course of old money, new money, nosy relatives, and scheming social climbers.

• ISBN10: 0345803787
• ISBN13: 9780345803788
• Publish Date: 20 May 2014 (first published 1 January 2013)
• Publish Status: Active
• Publish Country: US
• Publisher: Random House USA Inc
• Imprint: Vintage Books
• Format: Paperback (US Trade)
• Pages: 544
• Language: English
• URL: https://penguinrandomhouse.com/books/isbn/9780345803788

Reviews

[kiracanread]

I really enjoyed Crazy Rich Asians, I thought it was a very unique story and I thoroughly enjoyed the satirical aspects, I thought it was really funny in parts whilst staying true to the Singaporean heritage.

[leahrosereads]

Well this was a ride! I liked the MCs and a couple of the side characters, and I was so happy that family trees or I'd have been super lost (I still was, there were just so many POVs/storylines). I liked how this ended, and while I know there's more to the story, I don't think I'll be continuing with the story.

Just really kinda like where and how this ends.

[Mad Soul Child]

Yaaay it's real fun and crazy! Absolytely loved it

[Steph L]

I loved this book! I started reading it because I loved the movie so much, and I wanted to read more of the story. Overall, this is close to the movie, but as always, I prefer the book for some of the plot points, and details that were left out of the film.

[pamela]

Under the glossy veneer of humour lay something truly dark and insidious. And yet, it was so damn fun to read.

Full review to follow.

[clementine]

I imagine this will be much better as a movie.

[layawaydragon]

So this was a fail and it's my fault. See, I read the third book (Rich People Problems) first. That I got sucked into and wanted to see how it ended.

Knowing how it ends....Crazy Rich Asians seemed to move glacially slow and I was so sick of everyone. The people I loved the most in RPP were so frustrating! Astrid being so...*gestures wildly, makes strangling motion* and Nick was SO FUCKING STUPID ABOUT HIS FAMILY AND RACHEL. I would've left his ass for lying about this shit and letting me walk in blind to an impossible situation. Fuck him. Fuck him. Fuck him. I still get so mad just thinking about it. Poor Rachel!



So I quit. No regrets.

Again, I read it out of order due to an honest mistake. I don't know if I wouldn't made it anyways because there wasn't anyone to really root for and there weren't toned down moments to balance it out like in RPP. Maybe I got lucky doing it this way.

I'll try watching this as a movie and hopefully will make it through the cringe to the good stuff. I do not have the fortitude to make it through audio. If it had a text copy, I'd have tried skimming and skipping but *shrug*. Whatever. I'm not losing sleep over it.

Notes While Listening:
-->Starts with racist hotel manager.
-->Eddie was always a dick.
-->Well, that's a way to show him!
-->ABC=American Born Chinese.
-->Elanore is Nick's mom.
-->Oh fuck "this American girl" shit.
-->Aww, Rachel's mom. So sweet. So ignorant about the money. The dears.
-->Poor Alistar lol kitty
--> I didn't know that shit about Louis Vuitton.
-->That's clever Eleanor. Devious. Terrible. But clever.
-->Cheating fucking bastard. Buh-bye sympathy.
-->Nick, you're being a dick by not telling her!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
-->Aramenta...?
-->Poor Astrid. But where is her kid?
-->Singaporeans love food, arguing about food and abbreviations. Kay, gotta add that to my stereotype bank. lol
-->Rachel is totally our noob protag to allow explanations for all their bullshit.
-->God, all the tacky ass gold on some Trump shit.
-->"Don't you know there are children starving in America?"
-->Sound like Collin needs some mental health help here??!
-->Ugh, Nicky you ignorant ass.
-->I liked them all better in the third book.
-->So painful to listen to, like it's a fucking car crash.
-->Look, either we tax the rich or fucking eat them. I don't even care which way anymore at this point. I just keep thinking about all the workers dealing with these fuckers and how they're living.
(and yes, I think the same thing when reading about rich white people, which is why I don't do it. )

[Sam@WLABB]

This was delicious, soapy fun. Uproariously funny and irreverent and I loved just about every second of it.

[gmcgregor]

Kevin Kwan's Crazy Rich Asians takes the scary "meet the parents" scenario and turns it up to 11. Rachel Chu and Nick Young, both professors in New York, have been dating for about two years when Nick's best friend invites him home to be the best man in his wedding, and he decides to bring Rachel along. Rachel knows that home for Nick is Singapore, but knows precious little else about what she's getting herself into. You see, Nick isn't just another guy from Singapore. He's the scion of an incredibly, obscenely rich family, and when you combine that with his good looks, he's one of the most eligible bachelors in Asia. And his mother's plans for him don't really feature a future with an Chinese-born but American-raised daughter of a middle-class single mother.

The focus of the book is Rachel living a deeply fish-out-of-water scenario among the jet set elites of the island, but it's structured in an alternating-chapter format, so we see the perspectives of Nick, his mother Eleanor scheming, and his best friend/cousin Astrid struggling with the decline of her own marriage to someone outside their class, and other players in the drama as well. There are twists and turns and more designer name-dropping than you can shake a stick at as the action propels toward the central wedding and its aftermath. While this does keep the plot moving forward and keeps any one storyline from getting too bogged down, it also makes it hard for there to be much character development, especially of our leads Nick and Rachel.

While this novel has some great satiric elements, it indulged far too much in one of my least favorite plot devices: relying on people not talking to each other to fuel the drama. In order to buy into the entire premise of the book, you have to believe that Rachel knew virtually nothing at all about Nick's family before she landed in Singapore...which means you'd have to believe that after two years in a serious, committed relationship, they've never actually discussed his family once despite the fact that he'd met her mother long before. And while I could buy that someone coming from a rich, private family wouldn't have splashed out all the details to his latest weekend fling, the idea that he wouldn't tell (and she wouldn't push, frankly) doesn't really hold up. There's another giant plot hole where we're meant to believe that even though Rachel has been seriously bullied by a group of girls at a weekend retreat, that she never told her boyfriend because they were boning and she didn't want to "spoil the mood". That is not a healthy relationship and I do not want those people to end up together.

I know that this trope doesn't necessarily bother everyone though, and besides my own personal beef, it's a fun, sharp, biting spin on the lifestyles of extravagantly wealthy people. And as much money as those people have, they're still at the end of the day dealing with the same problems anyone is: figuring out family, wrestling with love and heartbreak, trying to find happiness. They're just doing it in outfits that cost more than most of us make in a year. I actually found Nick and Rachel's story pretty boring (which is why I doubt I'll pick up any of the sequels) but did really enjoy Astrid's parts of the narrative. The movie version of this got great reviews over the summer and even though I did not love the book, I'm interested in seeing it! It sounds like the virtues of the book translated well to the screen. While it didn't work for me, this would be a great book for someone that wants something fluffy that does hit some emotional points but never too hard.

[jesstheaudiobookworm]

4.75★ Audiobook⎮ I’m so glad I decided to start listening to Crazy Rich Asians. It truly is like Gossip Girl, but set in Singapore and way more extreme, if you can believe it. Crazy Rich Asians was unbelievably entertaining.

Crazy Rich Asians had all the drama of a soap opera, complete with unexpected twists. As a soap fan, I ate it up. I found it hilariously funny and delightful, like juicy gossip. It provided a great contrast to Vacation, a more contemplative book I was hearing at the same time. Crazy Rich Asians would make for a delicious poolside tale at whichever summer resort you choose to holiday. Or, you know, your own backyard.

Beginning this series has made me super excited for the upcoming movie. It was fun to be able to envision the cast members as the characters in my head while I listened. Most of the POV characters came across as very distinct. Some of the more minor characters, however, tended to blur together. Being unfamiliar with Chinese naming traditions, I found it a little difficult to grasp the who’s-who until about 75% through the book. It was a overwhelming trying to keep all of the characters and families straight, but still worth it. I ended up finding a family tree graphic on Pinterest that made it a lot easier.

I can’t wait for the movie to be released! I’ve been following the casting news eagerly and can’t wait to see it all come together. Hopefully the second and third installments of the series will also be picked up for the silver screen.

Narration review: Rich is a series that I was absolutely planning to continue on with. After finishing Crazy Rich Asians, I picked up its sequel almost immediately and began listening. I adored Lynn Chenn’s narration, even if it was a little fast-paced at times. As the story went on, I became used to it. She did an excellent job of differentiating between characters and displaying their personalities with her voice. Alas, I understand that narrator swaps have to be made sometimes, but I really wish Lynn could have finished out this series. Her replacement was simply not up to par and I doubt I’ll be able to finish the series because of it. Quelle déception!

However, I do encourage you to give the series a shot. I wholeheartedly recommend the first installment, Crazy Rich Asians, on audiobook. The second two, not so much. Whether you start listening on audio and switch to paperback or just read the entire series, I don’t think you’ll be disappointed. ♣︎