I saw the book on stands months ago, but I just thought that it was about Crazy Rich Entrepreneur Asians and their success stories, it pretty much attracted me because of the cool cover as well, but never thought of buying it because I had no time to read it, since school was about to start. The next time I saw it was when I was seated next to my professor on a plane heading to Japan, which made me think that it was must be for "serious adults". Putting off the idea once again. But as the Christmas break started, I ought to find a good read that I can possibly enjoy, and voila! My friend encouraged me to go read it because its some how like Gossip Girl, which pushed me to buy it since I missed the series, I needed a touch of scandal in my fictional life.
And after 7 hours of immersing myself in to the lives of the Youngs, The Shangs and the T'siens, especially Nick Young and Rachel Chu's cutest world-wind REAL-ationship, I felt like I was in a roller coaster ride, where every chapter something just makes you scream out of annoyance, or squeal out of romance. It was the perfect balance of family, love, and culture (Singaporean Food to be precise). Damn! and I thought that the island of the Upper East Side kids was swanky, here comes the Asians kids who can jet off to Macau for a weekend, who's fathers can buy a historic hotel with a phone call just because the Europeans had the audacity to disrespect them. 403 page- book introduced me to a whole knew world, I world I didn't even know existed.
It showed much of the life of the traditional Chinese families who has the world at their feet, and how the Western ways have changed and shaped their future, where East meets West. As an Asian myself, who has experienced both worlds, everything written down by Kevin Kwan was all true, where as filial duty would come first before anything else, where politeness should be minded than curiosity, that what society says about you should be minded. It exemplified the clashing of Traditional beliefs and Liberal principles.
The book also immortalized and confirmed to me a thing or two about Chinese people, "Nowhere in the world are there to be found people richer than the Chinese" - Ibn Batuta. That because of the economic downfall of America, Asia is indeed the future, and the Chinese clearly sent out the message during the opening of the 2008 Olympics in Beijing.
And Kevin Kwan just created a new man, that will haunt my fictional dreams in the form of Nicholas Young, smart, rich but incredibly modest and down to earth, the perfect Asian gentleman, the blue jay who would never give up trying, He would take an impossible situation and make everything possible. (He even brought China to her)
*The Family tree at the front page may confuse you, but it actually helps you understand the dynamic even more!
Nick and Rachel aren't the only interesting story lines will hook you, Astrid's perfect life will also drive you nuts, the ever so jolly Gohs, and the rest of the clan! It definitely is a must read, hilarious, romantic and entirely too much scheming (these old Chinese ladies, just beat Blair Waldorf) down right comical!
Now that I'm done writing this review, I shall go back to page one and read it all over again (That's how much I liked it)
-WS
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