Crazy Rich Asians

 

Summary (from the publisher): Crazy Rich Asians is the outrageously funny debut novel about three super-rich, pedigreed Chinese families and the gossip, backbiting, and scheming that occurs when the heir to one of the most massive fortunes in Asia brings home his ABC (American-born Chinese) girlfriend to the wedding of the season.

When Rachel Chu agrees to spend the summer in Singapore with her boyfriend, Nicholas Young, she envisions a humble family home, long drives to explore the island, and quality time with the man she might one day marry. What she doesn't know is that Nick's family home happens to look like a palace, that she'll ride in more private planes than cars, and that with one of Asia's most eligible bachelors on her arm, Rachel might as well have a target on her back.

Initiated into a world of dynastic splendor beyond imagination, Rachel meets Astrid, the It Girl of Singapore society; Eddie, whose family practically lives in the pages of the Hong Kong socialite magazines; and Eleanor, Nick's formidable mother, a woman who has very strong feelings about who her son should--and should not--marry.

Uproarious, addictive, and filled with jaw-dropping opulence, Crazy Rich Asians is an insider's look at the Asian JetSet; a perfect depiction of the clash between old money and new money; between Overseas Chinese and Mainland Chinese; and a fabulous novel about what it means to be young, in love, and gloriously, crazily rich.

Review: Rachel Chu is of American-born Chinese and has been dating her boyfriend Nicholas Young for two years when he invites her to spend the summer in Singapore with him. Rachel imagines an idyllic yet humble getaway with no understanding that instead she is traveling home with the heir to one of the largest fortunes in Asia. Nick has mentioned little about his family or background so Rachel is wholly unprepared to confront the dazzling wealth of Nick's family and all of his friends. Rachel also has no idea that she will be perceived as a gold-digger with no family pedigree who is only after Nick for his fabulous wealth and will be cruelly appraised by his mother Eleanor as a horrible choice for her son. 

This debut novel is entertaining and fun. The world of the Youngs and his family is one of almost unimaginable wealth, filled with private jets, couture wardrobes, and dripping with jewels, unlike the modest background Rachel grew up in. In many ways it reads as a Cinderella story but rather than an evil stepmother, there is Nick's mother, plotting behind the scenes to rid her son's life of Rachel. Like Cinderella, Rachel has only pure motives that aren't recognized by the villains. And like Prince Charming, Nick is practically perfect in every way from his looks, bank account, education, and treatment of Rachel, with his only flaw being his scheming family and friends. 

In many ways, Rachel and Nick are too good to be true. Rachel is too pure and unconcerned with wealth. Nick is too unspoiled by the luxury of his background. It also makes little sense that Nick would never mention his family's wealth to Rachel, even when he knows she is about to meet his family. It seems cruel to not prepare her for the world she is about to be thrust into. I did truly enjoy the storyline of Nick's cousin Astrid, who also grew up in fabulous wealth and is struggling with her marriage as a result of her husband feeling inferior in the face of her family's wealth. 

This is certainly not high literature but it is an entertaining and fun love story about a world of wealth and extravagance rarely featured in American novels. 

Stars: 3