Title: Crazy Rich Asians
Author: Kevin Kwan
Genre: Contemporary (Adult Fiction)
About the book: It’s the first novel in a trilogy that follows Rachel Chu who travels from New York to Singapore, spending the summer with her boyfriend, Nicholas Young. Young and in love, Rachel has to navigate all the challenges that come with rich Chinese families.
First impressions: I’ve heard a lot about the series and finally decided to check it out. At first I was a bit overwhelmed by all the characters, so it took some time to get into the story. I wasn’t as invested in all the storylines, but eventually, I enjoyed following the various subplots.
Characters: There are a few main characters and many secondary ones. The family tree included at the start of the book is a helpful reference, and I used it to keep track of who was related to whom. Rachel, Nicholas, and others grew on me over time. I loved the fact I could see myself and my family members in these characters. The author did a good job representing different aspects of Chinese culture.
Quote:
“At some point, we all have to pay the price for our excesses, don’t we?”
Writing: Kwan includes a lot of detail and description. As someone who speaks Cantonese, I liked that he sprinkled Chinese words throughout the novel. There are footnotes providing additional information and translations.
Final thoughts: The ending resolves lingering questions. I’m interested to see what happens in the series. If you’re looking to read a fun novel set in Asia, check out Crazy Rich Asians.
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Herminia Chow 
I loved your review, and I bet you didn’t know the author grew up near here in the Clear Lake area of Houston, and he even went to college at the university where I teach now for awhile, UHCL. I have his second novel, Sex and Vanity checked out from the library right now. The movie they made of Rich Asians was a good one, too.
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Thank you. Oh neat, I had no idea. Your students are lucky to have you. Looking forward to your thoughts. I haven’t seen the movie, but maybe I’ll check it out sometime.
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