Crazy rich à Singapour in Book Riot's Read Harder Challenge

Aug 04, 2014 mehg-hen rated it liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: candy

If you are ever like "I wish more people understood my particular region/culture," turns out you just have to put it in a book of fluff. We will all understand you. For example, now I understand you I guess kind of, incredibly rich people of Singapore!! I'm an ang mor!

This book is like an educational milkshake. Or like a gigantic chocolate cake that they snuck whipped kale inside. Or like a sensual 6 hour massage where someone casually explains the theory of relativity. What I am trying to say i If you are ever like "I wish more people understood my particular region/culture," turns out you just have to put it in a book of fluff. We will all understand you. For example, now I understand you I guess kind of, incredibly rich people of Singapore!! I'm an ang mor!

This book is like an educational milkshake. Or like a gigantic chocolate cake that they snuck whipped kale inside. Or like a sensual 6 hour massage where someone casually explains the theory of relativity. What I am trying to say is: this is like reading an US weekly from another country, but with footnotes so you understand what the hell is going on.

A pixie stick with 3 mm of vitamin C. Sweet Valley High for someone who has backpacked and has an opinion about buying a chemex. Glitter for someone who knows HPV statistics.

The writing is breezy candy and every conversation has zero subtext, which is fascinating. The footnotes were probably my favorite part, and how many languages are spoken for various slang words. Conversation between two men focused on the feelings of one of the women. Chapters start with like, "the first sign this party was going to be crazy was [insert sign]. The second sign this party was going to be crazy was [insert sign]." All in all very enjoyable, high fantasy of what life is like. Everybody is noble, except for the bad guys who are horrible assholes. True love rules the day.

I've read that people love comic books because good and evil is so simple and clear. This is the same with this book, except there are undercurrents of the true complexity of China, Singapore, colonialism, real estate, the human desire for belonging, the real and transformative power of a well made dress. And the gorgeous and deeply innocent protagonist who just wants to love well and be good to her mom, while also coincidentally being gorgeous and fascinating and accomplished and accidentally in love with a Prince Charming in disguise. Oh fairy tales! You're fun. And fake.

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/06/11/gre...

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Jun 20, 2014 jenn rated it liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: fiftyfiftyme, 2014

This was a fun listen, and a good reminder that comedies of manners need not just take place in white people's drawing rooms. Kind of scratches the James/Wharton itch without the great writing. (The silver lining here is that it's quick.)

For such a long book, there was something of a lack of resolution for most of the characters. I wonder if this is meant to be a series? It is VERY soapy. ...more

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Feb 29, 2016 Nora rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Such an interesting intro to a world I had never considered. Leaves me with so many good questions.

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Nov 20, 2017 Renata rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: grownup, fiction

This was a really fun and funny read! I read it all in one sitting (on a long trip but still). The romance/wealth porn genre is not one that I'm generally drawn to (no judgment, I know there are a lot of readers who like that flavor of escapism, and I just generally prefer a different flavor), but this was really funny and with, at its core, very grounded and likeable characters. The cultural specificity of life as a 1%er in Singapore made this more interesting to me than something set in the US ...more

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Jan 02, 2021 Isabel rated it liked it · review of another edition

Entertaining enough. I appreciate getting a bit more of the backstory on Astrid than happens in the movie, but really missed the pretty pictures. I'll probably read the other two as well, but I'm in no hurry with that. ...more

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Jan 21, 2019 Ruth rated it liked it · review of another edition

Addicting, but the movie was much better. More complex characters, better-arranged story arcs, no wooden writing. Also it’s more affecting to see the sumptuous settings that Chan describes for yourself (so to speak).

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