Review: Crazy Rich Asians – Kevin Kwan

My rating: 4/5 stars

⭐⭐⭐⭐

Rating: 4 out of 5.

When Rachel agrees to spend the summer with her boyfriend, Nick, and his family she envisions a humble family home. What she doesn’t know is that Nick’s family home looks like a palace, she’ll ride in more private planes than cars and that she has one of Singapore’s most eligible bachelors on her arm. Rachel may as well have a target on her back…

My thoughts

When I picked up this book I had already watched the film. This is unusual for me as I normally prefer the read the book first if both are something I am interested in. The film was gorgeous and if you haven’t watched it yet after reading the novel I highly recommend it.

Crazy Rich Asians is a funny and entertaining novel. It is full of gossip and opulent wealth, you are truly swept away into the life of Singapore’s most rich and famous. There were scandals round every corner and every character had an opinion on everything.

Personally, I found that this novel had a slower start than some but that may be due to the abundance of characters, all with their own stories and family history. The first 100 or so pages just felt like it was setting the scene and introducing all of the characters. The family tree at the start of the novel was definitely needed! I loved how dynamic all of the characters were and although they weren’t all particularly likeable, they were all so interesting. My favourite characters were Astrid and Oliver.

I can definitely see why this novel was made into a film as it really lends itself to being on screen. The writing style was simple yet effective as the main focus of the novel was the dialogue and the gossip. The exciting characters and the vast expense featured in the novel also would, and did translate well on screen.

The novel largely focused around money. Who did and didn’t have it; whether it was old or new. Every character was assessed on how much they earned or the quality of their assets. The sums of money spoken about in the novel truly were crazy! Food also had a huge prominence in the novel which I loved. I enjoyed learning about the different dishes and as I understand food is a big part of the culture in Singapore. It was making me hungry reading about it.

Overall the novel was filled with drama between all of the characters. It made for an enjoyable read and left just a few lose ends so that I am excited to read the next one. I would recommend this to those that want a lighter read, with excitement and not too much description. Although, you will have to concentrate on all of the different characters.