Crazy Rich Asians / China Rich Girlfriend / Rich People Problems (Crazy Rich Asians #1-3) by Kevin Kwan

Crazy Rich Asians / China Rich Girlfriend / Rich People Problems (Crazy Rich Asians #1-3) Reviews

• 
  Monica

  I decided to review the whole trilogy at once because I really didn't know how I felt about them until the end. Kevin Kwan deserves a hand though for writing a trilogy that while fun and entertaining also educates us Westerners about customs, thought patterns, and history that most of us know nothing about. I really enjoyed the commentary that explain Hokkein phrases, dishes that were mentioned, songs sung at boarding schools, which schools are the best etc.
  
  Book 3 - Finally a plot! (Believe me, sometimes I wondered where the plot was in the other two.) Will Su Yi die? If she does who will receive Tyersall Park? The first two books were merely set ups to this great book and I say this because I was too busy in book 1 trying to figure out who was who, what names I had to worry about and what names weren't important. There were SO many people! The more you read, the more you understand why though. The Crazy Rich Asians (CRA's) are so interwoven in their relationships, families and friendships that you honestly have to know all these people. Book 2 introduces MORE people as they add in people from mainland China, and Hong Kong who all play a part in that drama and in "Rich People Problems" I felt by the third book I had a good enough handle on the important players to not worry so much about all the names which may be why it was better for me. Although, I still can't tell you what family Eddie belongs to and I'm not sure I could tell you all the Young sisters names without accidentally throwing a Bible Study Auntie in the mix!
  
  So. Much. Drama. Lies, half - lies, affairs, who's wearing what designer, who got photographed, who didn't, what watch are the men wearing, can I buy a cheap knock - off purse while spending BILLIONS of dollars redecorating my house? It makes your head spin! Book 2 felt like one long episode of Entertainment Tonight. It was crazy.
  
  I feel the plight of Astrid through all three books represents the drama well (and was probably the intention.) Her parents are old school Singaporeans in that they are ridiculously rich (you can't imagine how rich!) and they don't want anyone to know. They never want to photographed or have their names in their paper. They worry about their status and what people think constantly. They forced Astrid out of one engagement because they didn't approve and they go completely ballistic with everything that happens in book 2 and 3. The CRA's are very concerned "who" your people are. In book 2 they go through a whole checklist one socialite runs through when she meets people to give them basically a "score" and I dare say she's not the only one.
  
  All that to say, I read them. I read all three of them, I had to like them, didn't I? Sometimes I think I only did it because I just had to know what happened to all these crazy people! By the third book though I also had genuine affection for many of the characters and hoped for the best for them. Astrid, for sure, Nick and Rachel, Carlton, Colin and Araminta, Piek Lin and her adorable family, all the surprises at the end were very sweet and made you happy for them. So even though I enjoyed book 3 the most, you wouldn't understand any of it without the first two books so read them all and just remember that it will be worth it!
• 
  Heidi C

  Book 1 down, prefer to see a movie about a book by first reading it. Though now I have zero interest. A classic Cinderella story though the gap of a PHD profession who acted like a 18 years old when meeting all the old riches just don’t make sense to me. How could a 30-some economist be surprised by fact that 1% of the population is controlling 60% of the world’s wealth, she should be able to make intelligent understanding and remarks of all the people and their associated companies and how they control the stock markets. Even if her occupation has changed to really some philosophy doctor, a smart gal would not date a guy hide his background from her, and a guy who are truly rich and intelligent would not able hide. Plus the whole mother story made it even more ridiculous. A quick read and you. somehow related to the lack of elegance descriptions of most people if you are from SEA. But if those from china, HK, NYC, or American chinese be prepared to disagree and feel a bit insulted of the over generalisations. 3-star max.
  
  Book 2 completed. With all the buzz going on at theatre about book 1 and rumour has it that they will start filming the 2nd. I found the 2nd book so much more entertaining though still a bit too much on brand names dropping and extravagant spending regarding china high spender habits even though in somewhat all love scandals are very true (book could only captured fractions of reality). Perhaps I am glad that the focus no longer much on ever so innocent yet supposed to be very intelligent professor Rachel who could afford long summer holidays doing nothing but just partying. I am welcome the love-marriage relationships of Charles, Astrid and Michael which is very well written. The only thing that bugged me the most was how the writer talked about beauty regiments of rich. Did he even know Elizabeth Arden almost no longer exist in HK and the rich don’t give a damn about free makeup, they have their own artists!!! Perhaps I needed to write to the writer on this part which was written outrageously wrong. 3.5 stars
  
  
  Finally finished. I have to say book 3 ended with the best most interesting stories and layouts in between different characters which are much more humanised then previous with majority descriptions or vocabularies replaced with designer names. The ending is also sweet so I would give back some credit to the original Rachel and nick but still I would think it would be be better they are regular subject professor because I saw both used none of their expertise throughout the entire trilogy even the project to the end... 4 stars
  
  Overall it is an interesting read and the intertwining and complexity of different characters were done quite well. No wonder it could become a movie series as it is rich with many storylines and elements. The author clearly have a lots of Asian cultural understanding, although with some stereotyping but the idea of family-oriented, respect and self reputation, parental control, competitiveness nature with war survival mindset, money-tied conscious and historical and culture appreciations were very well reflected.
• 
  Jess the Shelf-Declared Bibliophile

  Check out my reviews for each book listed on their individual pages.
• 
  Andina

  Cave! This trilogy has a high addiction potential.. I started with the first book having a little expectation, merely as an entertainment for a go-to bed book. But well, I just couldn‘t stop reading until I got through all three books within 4 days. These books are highly entertaining but not more. The lifestyles of the rich people can be quite apalling. But in the end most of the people would realize that happiness doesn‘t always come along with money.
• 
  Christa

  I was going to over analyze my rating but what can I say? I loved all of these books. I couldn’t put them down. Fun stories, I ate them up.
• 
  capture stories

  This story is painted against the backdrop of the Chinese Asian community. It talks about the foreground of the extremely rich Asian Chinese clang, the elite of the society, with Singapore as the main geographical focus.
  
  It centers around two young faculty professors in New York, Nick, and Rachel. They are seriously dating for some time. Nick then invites Rachel to spend the summer back in Singapore, his homeland, for a friend’s wedding.
  
  Rachel agrees. When they turn up in Singapore, Rachel received a series of scrutiny from Nick’s friends and relatives. Several of Nick's relatives have actually hired private investigators to do a background check on her, which, disappointingly, reveals that Rachel was raised off a single mother upbringing within the States. Each of Rachel’s meeting with Nick’s friends and family was loaded with a jaw-dropping and the initiation into a world of dynastic splendor beyond imagination.
  
  The story takes height when Rachel meets Nick's formidable mother, Eleanor, who pretty much has her mindset as to who her son SHOULD MARRY. As we would have guessed, Rachael is SURELY not Nick’s mother expected bride-to-be for her son. Eleanor thinks that Rachel is after Nick’s money in this relationship. This is where the story took an ugly twist into the daughter - mother-in-law fight for who’s right and rightful.
  
  This book gives people a sneak peek into the life of the elite and rich. It also provides the backdrop for depicting cultural and traditional differences and conflicts between the younger and older generation, along with the “Cinderella and the Prince” love story and what it takes to stand up for true love.
  
  My thoughts on the book…….
  There are many characters introduced, which makes it a little hard to keep up at first. It took me a few chapters of reading before getting to know the characters better. There are also fascinating footnotes explaining traditions, customs, and slang, which can distract readers when they need to make constant reference to the context.
  
  I am a poor rater, and I strongly feel that every book has its value and message it tries to bring across. It all depends on the reader’s preferences of likes and dislikes, a taste of literature, and their own findings.
  
  From this story, I’ve learned that our lives revolve around the same TWO things: Love and Family, maybe just at different scales despite young or old, rich or poor.
  
  Kwan's writing is populist and overly enthusiastic. This book is the go-getter if you are someone who’s up for lively characters and a gossipy storyline!
• 
  Grace Seow

  Great fun. As a Singaporean the characters are highly relatable, many are thinly veiled personas of actual real persons or institutions.
• 
  Jess the Shelf-Declared Bibliophile

  Check out my reviews for each book listed on their individual pages.
• 
  Maliha

  There’s rich, there’s filthy rich and then there’s crazy rich…
  
  You know the feeling when you finish reading a series and you immediately want to re-read it? Yeah, same here!
  
  It’s impossible not to get sucked into this series. Crazy Rich Asians trilogy is quiet a roller coaster trip. Everything about these novels was amazing, the plot and concept, so original and fun to read, the characters (especially Nick, Rachel, Astrid and Charlie are my favorites and I could still do without Kitty Pong/Bing), their unfathomable lives, the setting, etc etc. I enjoyed a lot reading these books and couldn’t put them down. I absolutely LOVED these books! I would definitely recommend people to read them!
  
• 
  Flynn

  Cultural representation on point, previous generation's overly critical mind set on point, the difference in lifestyle of the rich and the crazy rich on point as well.
  
  Unfortunately, I only ended up enjoying certain parts of the book and not the whole story as a whole. Was I the only one who found the "plot twists" just very predictable curves?
  
  Conflicted because while this wasn't the best storyline, I enjoyed it because I could relate to this so well.
• 
  Annie Su

  hehehoho this series is so fun and over-the-top. i Laughed Out Loud in a good number of parts and appreciate all the references to a art / couture / architecture and even some serious things like colorism and mental health. but really, let there be no doubt, this series of books is just a lot of Fun...
• 
  JP

  OTT and so fun! I didn’t want it to end.
• 
  Narrative Muse

  – Crazy Rich Asians is a crazy ride with a cool heroine –
  
  I picked up the Crazy Rich Asians Trilogy craving an escape into the lives of the filthy, fabulously rich and was not disappointed! Rooting for college professor Rachel and her relationship with soul mate Nick kept me turning pages long into the night.
  
  Rachel Chu is expecting your standard meet-the-parents trip. She has no idea that her beau is heir to one of Singapore’s biggest fortunes! After a first-class ride from New York to Singapore, Rachel steps into a world of lavish estates, private jets – and billionaires bent on sabotaging her relationship with Nick.
  
  While the jewels, cars, and haute couture were drool-inducing, for me Rachel was the very best thing about the Crazy Rich Asians Trilogy. Her down-to-earth character was so real and relatable I felt like I knew her. This made her eyes the perfect pair through which to view the extravagance of Asia’s super-rich. While Rachel is at times captivated by a hand-painted dress or a piece of antique jewelry, she isn’t impressed by ostentatious displays of wealth. She also doesn’t mind telling entitled young scions exactly what she thinks of them!
  
  And yet, Rachel’s eyes were not the only ones author Kevin Kwan makes use of in his trilogy. We are treated to the perspective of such personalities as fashionista Astrid Leong, soap star Kitty Pong, and household servant Ma Ling just to name a few. At first, I was puzzled by the sheer number of characters Kwan uses to tell his story. After all, I’ve only encountered such a huge cast in epic fantasy novels. There, the opportunity to follow many characters feels essential because it gives the reader the chance to explore their invented universe. However, by the time I’d finished reading the Crazy Rich Asians Trilogy, I understood Kwan’s approach completely. The “crazy rich” live so differently from the rest of us that we may as well explore their world just like the ones that are pure fantasy!
  
  All in all, I had an incredible experience traveling the globe with Kevin Kwan’s jet set characters. I’m also so excited that Crazy Rich Asians has given characters hailing from Singapore, Hong Kong, mainland China, and Thailand the spotlight in a bestselling American novel. I might even be slightly more excited that the first book in the Crazy Rich Asians Trilogy is now a blockbuster movie! Although I myself am a white woman from the United States, I join the many voices who want to see more Asian actors on their movie screens.
  
  It is with confidence that I pronounce the Crazy Rich Asians Trilogy a must-read. The series is a true pop culture phenomenon, and Rachel Chu is the perfect companion for a romp through a world that isn’t fantasy, but sure feels like it!
  
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  This review was first published on Narrative Muse,
  https://www.narrativemuse.co/books/cr..., and was written Tabitha Rhys. Narrative Muse curates the best books and movies by and about women and non-binary folk on our website
  http://www.narrativemuse.co and our social media channels.
• 
  Jess the Shelf-Declared Bibliophile

  Check out my reviews on the main versions of each book.
• 
  Dee Wescott

  I LOVED this book, actually all 3 books. I loved the movie but primarily because I was so familiar with the city of Singapore. I really enjoyed the by-play among among the various class structures in the books. I grew up in an East Coast (USA) society such as this, so I very much related to all that was going on. I would definitely recommend that you read ALL 3 BOOKS because they make up a 'whole' and the movie makes much more sense. There are some definitely humorous sections and some, which unless you grew up in the kind of society that I did, will certainly make you shake your head and wonder.
• 
  Janet Clysdale

  I read the series back to back. I found the first one a little hard to get into with all the different characters and families I needed to follow but once I got into the story I could not put the books down.
  
  The crazy extremes that people with too much money go to and the competition.
  
  The stories were funny, crazy and over the top.
  
  The biggest thing I walked away with is what I’ve always known the more money to more problems and money doesn’t buy happiness but it sure puts on a good face!
• 
  Amnah

  Enter a luxurious world beyond enchanting and discover the prosperities of old money rich asian families! I have really really enjoyed this triology to an extent where I am short on words! JUST READ IT AND YOU’LL SEE!
  P.S. You should go and watch the movie if you haven’t yet.... beyond spectacular! :)
• 
  ĐỌC

  Such a boring triology. Astrid and Charlie are the only saviors for this boring, nothing-interesting clumsy cliché series.
• 
  Kayla Granillo

  This trilogy is like a fun literary snack!!
• 
  Gayle Siegel

  I could not put down reading these books! I felt like I was part of their dramatic and romantic worlds!
• 
  Evija Celma

  Superīga triloģija, ko lasīt ceļojot Āzijā. Viegla un aizraujoša lasāmviela.
• 
  Deanna

  I picked up this book because I saw the film and really enjoyed - and can I just say the book blew me away! I read all three before drafting my review and I'm still full of so many thoughts that I don't know where to begin.
  
  Critiques are as a good a place as any to start I suppose.
  1. Kwan talks about the clothes and decor a lot! I realize this is to show the crazy rich-ness of the characters but it got rather repetitive to read dress descriptions over and over again.
  2. While the footnotes were very interesting and I loved all the facts and translations, the footnotes did bring me out of the story. I got frustrated having to scan down to the end of the page or chapter to see what something meant.
  3. Some parts of the books are filthy! Some of the language used was harsh and NSFW, which I wasn't expecting. This isn't really a critique, just more of a warning - if the c-word makes you squirmy this may not be the book for you.
  4. The point of view changes rapid fire, which can get a bit confusing. Along with the crazy family tree, keeping track of all the characters was tricky. I wish Kwan had included a family tree or relationship guide in the front of the book to refer back to.
  
  Now, to end on a high note. Here's what I loved!
  1. The characters were amazingly diverse. While pretty much all the characters were Asian, they were each different and unique. They were not stereotyped or turned into a joke because of their Asian-ness.
  2. I was consistently on the edge of my seat! I could not put the book down, I was so excited to read what was going to happen next, what crazy things these "richer than god" people were going to do next. While some of the subplots weren't the most interesting, the main plotlines were interesting enough to keep me reading the more boring parts.
  3. Kitty Pong. I didn't think I was going to like Kitty, but I was blown away by this character. Not in that I liked her per say, but that I was fascinated by what she was going to do next.
  4. I was left wanting more. Enough said.
  5. The time between each book (2 years) was a really cool choice made by Kwan. I didn't think I'd like that, I didn't want to miss out on anything that happened to these characters but Kwan executed this perfectly.
  
  All in all, the Crazy Rich Asians Trilogy was a fantastic read and I can only hope that the film franchise (though already taken some liberties) will hit the mark. (First all Asian cast in 25 years, sort of a big deal). As always, the book was better than the film, so give these books a try. They're definitely a fun and wild ride!