Crazy Rich Asians (Crazy Rich Asians Trilogy)

This is a fun and entertaining read. Will keep you coming back for more and flipping each page, then the next thing you know you're already done with the book. I was one of the people who watched the rom-com movie before reading the book. The movie was so enjoyable that I had to read the book. However, the book definitely has more dramatization and details. I prefer the book over the movie since the plot twist and turns are more entertaining and dramatic. However the ending is abrupt and flat compared to the movie, I still enjoyed them both though. Don't want to spoil it for those who are thinking about reading it, just know it's different. The book felt like I was reading a lengthy gossip column since it's so juicy and full of "tea" as what the youths call it nowadays. The descriptive words to detail how rich they are is creative. It leaves up the imagination that I have a good one. I received my book in good condition, no issues. All pages are intact and it's hardcover with a sleeve which is of awesome quality, very sturdy and strong. I recommend it, nothing beats a physical book in my hands compared to an online one in a Kindle or iPad. Turning each page also smells great, my sensitive nose loves the smell of clean and new books. I highly recommend a read, even if you've watched the movie, it'll be like a new movie with the book. Get it! I have a very vibrant and pretty floral bookmark to go with it, fitting of the flashy and rich theme of this book.

I'd rate this 4.5, even 4.75 stars. This may be one of the most perfect summertime books I've read in quite some time. Fun, funny, gossipy, outrageous...all of these words could be used to describe Kevin Kwan's Crazy Rich Asians, a romp through the lives of several colossally rich Chinese families living in Singapore. When Rachel Chu, an ABC (American-born Chinese) working as a college professor in New York, is asked by her professor boyfriend, Nick Young, to spend the summer with him at his family's home in Singapore and attend his best friend's wedding, she has no idea what she's in for. You see, Nick never mentioned that he's the heir to one of the largest fortunes in Asia, or that his best friend Colin, heir to a massive fortune, is marrying supermodel and hotel heiress Araminta Lee in what promises to be the storybook wedding of the year in Singapore. And neither is really prepared for the firestorm that Nick's bringing Rachel to Singapore will touch off, among women of all ages, since Nick is the most eligible bachelor in the entire country. Meanwhile, Nick's cousin, Astrid, the ultimate high-fashion-wearing "It Girl," is having relationship troubles of her own while she's always in search of the perfect outfit or jewelry, and their cousin, Eddie, is bound and determined to have his family recognized by the society magazines as the models of fashion and style, despite the fact that he often demonstrates neither. This is a story about the foibles of a society battling between the privileges of lineage and inheritance, and the need of the "new rich" to prove themselves. It's about respecting your family and history, and deciding whether you should continue following the path you've been expected to travel your entire life, or whether it's time to follow your own dreams and pursue your own ideas of happiness. And some people will stop at nothing to preserve what they believe is the "right way" of life, even if it means hurting the ones they love. All in the pursuit and protection of money... I thought this was a terrific, campy, soap opera-ish type of book, full of Chinese and Singaporean history and culture, and some of the most outrageous behaviors I've ever read about. (Author Kevin Kwan has said he even toned it down a bit from real life, because his editors didn't think it would be ultimately believable.) Yet as crazy as the book gets, at its heart, the main characters are complex, sympathetic, and really enjoyable, and you find yourself drawn into their stories and invested in what happens to them. If you like to see how the other half lives--perhaps in ways you can never imagine--you'll really enjoy this book, because it's well written and fascinating on top of everything else. But here's a warning: don't read this on an empty stomach, because Kwan's descriptions of various foods and meals will make your stomach growl--between reading this on a plane and on the Metro, I was starving! This was great fun, and I look forward to seeing what Kwan comes up with next.

Eye opening, refreshing, overwhelming, and exhilarating. I've seen, grabbed, and almost purchased this book so many times but eventually always found a reason not to buy it. However, seeing the trailer for the upcoming movie I decided to finally purchase it and I am so glad I did. This book is the first book I've read with predominantly asian characters and settings so the plethora of end notes explaining the wording was helpful although I was able to understand the gist of it through basic context of what was happening. Crazy Rich Asians follows the lives of the Singaporean elite and newcomer Rachel Chu as Rachel is introduced as the girlfriend of the "Asian Prince Harry" (<-that comes from the trailer, not the book) The story line is filled with drama, gossip, sabotage, emotions, and great food. This book was overwhelming, in every sense of the word. Kevin Kwan provides so many descriptions of everything: the food, the places, the outfits, the people. There are times when authors can lose the audience by providing too many details, making the story line slow going but I felt as if the abundance of details here actually pulled me in. Additionally, the POV alternates constantly. I thought this would bother me (and it did, with certain antagonistic characters) but it was refreshing and interesting. Overall, this was an awesome book. I highly recommend this book whand I eagerly await the next two books which I ordered immediately upon finishing this one. There was no major cliffhanger, Kevin Kwan just left space for future books which I am eager to get started on!

Quick entertaining summer read - I finished the book in 2 days and really I felt like I should have not paid for it. If you are looking for some brainless read on a plane, pick this up. You'll get a glimpse into an Asia you've never seen or heard of before. But don't expect a lot more out of it! The book doesn't have much of a plot and I felt the ending was underwhelmed. It portrays Asians differently than what we often see in mainstream culture - rich, actually, crazy rich, with the lifestyle we'd only imagine, although that lifestyle is utterly entertaining and somewhat pathetic (in my opinion). The writing is alright, but the book failed to offer character development, mainly since it focused too much on describing in details all the gold and diamonds everyone were wearing. At parts it was awkward and hard to read, and a little extreme without giving readers any room to prepare for it, thus it felt forceful and overly dramatic. I found the author's aggressive stress and repetitive mention of money, name-brand couture, vacation, private jets, and other jet-set options a little redundant and tiring. Reading his background and some interviews (apparently he grew up in somewhat similar situation and has witnessed the same if not even more extravagant lifestyle), I could not help but feel like this book was his one chance to showcase to western audience that there are crazy rich Asian, whose fortune and lifestyle can be comparable to European royals, and that he was on a crusade to change the image of Asians in mainstream media. All I got out of this book was that yes, true love does exist regardless of class and money and background, and yes, having a lot of money is nice, but it does not necessary mean happiness (although it can possibly buy your female lovers happiness), and yes, (some) Asians are really really rich and very stubborn and traditional and will do anything to stop their sons from marrying a low-born girl. Please note the sarcasm, but yes all valuable and non-cliche life lessons. But if you have been to Southeast Asia, you'd appreciate the author's endearing love and pride for Singapore, which showed very clearly throughout his book. It is, overall, a fairly entertaining book, and readers can take it many different ways: you can chose to be obsessed with this lifestyle you'd probably never have, or just laugh at the amount of cat-fighting, gossiping, and self-consuming worthless events that go on. I do question though, if a Middle Eastern author will come out with a book about the rich lifestyle of some sheik or skeika soon or if an African writer will expose us to the life of some local lords or safari-owners. If so, I do wish for a deeper and more powerful story,

This novel is both a beautiful love story and a wickedly funny satire. The focus is on Nick Young and Rachel Chu, lovers and college professors in New York City. Rachel is an ABC (American-Born Chinese) who travels to Singapore with Nick to meet his family and attend the wedding of his best friend, Colin Khoo. Rachel is overwhelmed by the conspicuous wealth of Nick's family and friends in Singapore, something that Nick failed to prepare her for. Just before the wedding, Rachel is spirited off to a bachelorette party at a plush island resort and learns how cruel jealous women can be. Nick's bachelor party is on a huge yacht, one that he grows tired of quickly and manages an ingenious escape with the help of friends. There is a great deal of back-and-forth sniping by the native Singapore young women about who has the best jewelry and clothing, noting that it's not about the cost of a dress but who the designer is. There is one scene in the book where a large family is having dinner but the children at the table are playing more than eating and wish to leave for their room. The mother exclaims, "Finish everything on your plate, girls! Don't you know there are children in America starving?" There is another love story in the book and it involves Nick's cousin, Astrid, who is married to Michael, a computer company entrepreneur. Astrid happens to see a text on Michael's cell phone that implies he has a mistress in Hong Kong. She deals with this problem in a patient, effective and clever manner while looking after their son and trying not to become an embarrassment in Singapore society. Author Kevin Kwan, himself a native of Singapore, pulls back the curtain to reveal the nature the island's elite. Nick's family matriarchs are hugely concerned about Rachel's history. They fear she's a gold-digger and totally unsuitable since she doesn't come from the right kind of family. Nick's mother wants him to marry a woman from Singapore who has a comparable amount of money and family status. Rachel and Nick survive the wedding, behind-the-scenes plotting and back-stabbing, and along the way learn much more about themselves, their own relationship, and their respective families. They also learn a familiar lesson about the value of wealth, the love of family, and how to put it all in perspective. Though it gets complicated at times with all the people moving through the story, it's an enjoyable and satisfying book with many laugh-out-loud moments and feel-good emotions that just might bring a tear of joy to your eyes. I rarely give a book five stars but this one is close. 4.5 stars for sure.

I marathon-read this book in a one-night binge prior to watching the movie. It was a gripping, engaging read. The book is stuffed with quotes and witty humor, and it’s easily one of those novels that you’d read and never put down until you’re all 500+ pages through. Perhaps most ironic about this book is that, despite the fact that the family depicted is fabulously, unattainably wealthy—despite the fact that the material extravagance in the book is unimaginable for the average person—the book is incredibly relatable. It hits home hard on many aspects of the Asian (and Asian-American) experience. The themes of family (especially large, feuding ones, overly invested in everyone’s relationships and ever keen to gossip) are common to all of us. And as I shared this book with my friends, each of us found characters who we felt resembled our own family members, or other people we knew. Nick’s chill father. The overbearing mother. The gossip-happy cousin. There is a remarkable about of nuance and character development in this book. Characters are rarely a one-dimensional caricature; they feel human, real—and you feel as if you’ve been brought along this whirlwind journey in real life. That is, indeed, what I look for in a good book. 10/10 recommend. Go read this—and watch the movie—regardless of whether you’re Asian. Yes, some jokes will make more sense if you’re from the Asian community, but Kwan does a great job with footnotes explaining it all. This book is bold and unapologetic, and for that, I loved it.

What a fun, surprising, entertaining, educational read! “Crazy Rich Asians” by Kevin Kwan captivated me with its cover the first time I saw it. The eye-popping coral color, the contrasting blue earrings, and the rubber-like texture made this appealing even before I read the jacket cover. The inside covers are also decorated with items from the book, adding visual appeal from the start. All show, no go? Not in this book! Rachel Chu has been dating Nick Young for two years when he invites her to spend the summer with his family in Singapore. They leave their apartment in New York, where they are both professors, and she is surprised that he has splurged on first class tickets. But, that is only the beginning. She soon discovers that Nick’s family is, in fact, one of the most wealthy and influential ones in Asia. His grandmother lives in a palace, his cousin drops a million dollars in a few days of shopping in Paris, and his aunt once bought a hotel when the manager was rude to her just so that she could fire him. Will Nick’s family accept Rachel, who was China-born, American-raised, or will they plot against their union and convince him that it is an unsuitable match? The story sounded like it would be a fun beach read, but it actually was a very intelligent story that contained many thoughtful subplots. The author also wrapped the reader into the world he wrote about by adding footnotes to explain some of the Chinese words and customs that were referenced. This is definitely a book that you don’t want to end, so I was pleased at the end to see that the movie rights have been secured, and a sequel will be released in June 2015.

How did I give 4 stars to a book that I couldn’t make myself pick up to read and eventually gave up and listened to the audio version? Interesting but unengaging eye read but quite fun as an ear book. This book is just the miscommunication trope set in Singapore with ultra posh expensive brand names.

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Super fun! I loved it, can't put it down.

J'ai acheté ce livre par pure curiosité car il est rare de trouver un livre qui parle de la culture asiatique dans les hautes sphères de la jet set... Très enrichissant, très bien expliqué avec des annotations pour les mots en chinois, mandarin. Très bon travail de l'auteur qui a su allier culture, humour, amour possible et impossible, intrigue, différence des castes et une description du paysage Singapourien étonnante. Merci à l'auteur un très beau livre ...

It’s been long time since I “met” this kind of book; can’t put down and keep reading even whilst walking...I can’t waitto start next one. Now too busy to start so wait another week to read 😆

Unbelievable for those who have never lived in Asia's main cities, Singapore, Hong Kong and Shanghai. But it is all quite true to reality. Many references to designer clothes, luxury vehicles. It all seems kind of frivolous, but that's the way the wealthy live. Yet the older generation, even if well to do skimp and save just as ordinary folk do. Very enlightening. The author lived with his family in Singapore and knows the ins and outs of society, As a Caucasiah who lived in Hong Kong for 14 years, till 1991, , I can attest to the same mentality there.. The book is being made into a movie, so you can tell what a good story it is.