Crazy Rich Asians
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Drama· Romance · Comedy
Dilemma: How can you choose between a book and its movie adaptation?
I had watched “Crazy Rich Asians” at least five times before I convinced myself to actually read the book, and I must say, I don’t know if I did right. In theory, the book is always better than the movie. However, how can you like a book when you have fallen in love with a movie that doesn’t follow the storyline at all?
Regarding the book, I think Kevin Kwan has done an outstanding job of underscoring how rich the characters are (I mean, he would list most of the things they were buying, one by one, and let me assure you, they weren’t exactly cheap). Something that, from my point of view, the film fails to do. At the same time, it is unbelievable how many characters are mentioned in the book (we are talking about three massive families and their problems). The movie doesn’t do justice to the actual power of Nick’s family either.
When it comes to romance, how can we not fall in love with Rachel and Nick? Rachel is the independent, down-to-earth woman every Asian mother hates. Nick is the humble prince charming that every mother wants in their family. I think I will never get over their relationship. They are PERFECT.
All in all, the book is fantastic. However, if you have watched the movie first, keep in mind that it has many differences from the book.
The plot
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.
After “Crazy Rich Asians,” Kevin Kwan wrote two other books: “China Rich Girlfriend,” and “Rich People Problems.” Both of them are necessary to fully understand the whole picture.
